Radio Means More Than Entertainment

Radio Record, Volume IV, Issue 48, 12 June 1931, Page 15

Radio Means More Than Entertainment

Recently, Mr. E. T. Fisk, speaking from 2FC, Sydney, officially opened the Perth Radio Exhibition. A few years ago this task, which now is looked upon almost as commonplace, would have been regarded as more wonderful than the Magic Carpet. In his opening remarks, reproduced below, Mr. Fisk traverses the salient features in the development of radio communication, particularly as regards Australia and New Zealand. Weare isolated countries and we little realise how much radio means to Us. —

TR sounds you hear at the present moment are caused by small electrical impulses which have travelled along a wire more than 2000 miles in length, forming a continuous physical connection between the city of Sydney and the city of Perth. With the aid of electricity and electrical waves my voice, which normally could be heard only over a radius of a few yards, is now being listened to across this great distance and over an area of thousands of square miles. Each syllable spoken here in the Australian Broadcasting Company’s studio in Sydney is reproduced in Perth in approximately one-ninetieth part of a second of time. To the human senses this { would appear to be instantaneous. By such \means distance is overcome and isolation is destroyed. Many of the problems which are troubling athe world to-day are due to the distances separating human beings in ideas as much as in physical geography. Confusion in action arising out of confusion in thought is due to great numbers of people viewing their common problems from different aspects and being unable to understand each other’s point of view. Although such difficulties appear to have grown more intense in recent years, the scientific and industrial development of electrical communica- ', tion is advancing with even greater strides, and there is not the slightest doubt that the rapid progress being made in wireless throughout the world will be one of the greatest factors in ‘Bringing peace and harmony to the human family. Everything possible must be done to stimulate

and foster the development of this great art and this important industry. Such development can be encouraged best by allowing the individuality and enterprise of our people the fullest practicable measure of freedom, by encouraging technical skill and invention on the one hand and commercial adventure and enterprise on the other hand... Wireless communication offers greater advantages to Australia perhaps than any other country in the world, and in these days when we are compelled to dwell almost constantly upon our real or imaginary shortcomings as a nation, it is pleasing to be able to say authoritatively that in Europe, Asia, Africa and America Australia is well and favourably known as holding a position among .the advanced countries of the world in all branches of radio and . wireless, . There are people still living in Australia who can recall the days when the only means of communication between this country and Great Britain was by a laboriously written manuscript carried

by sailing ships on perilous voyages occupying from three to six months. Moreover, as soon as one of those ships was lost to sight over the horizon friends and relatives of those on boar: were totally ignorant of the good, or bad, fat’: of the voyagers until some other sailing vessct brought tidings from a distant port weeks, or perhaps months, later. About 50 years ago the first cable connection was made between Australia and England, and, although the methods of communication employed in those early cables are now: obsolete and messages frequently occupied many -days in tran-. sit, the cable was faster and mose certain than, the best mail packet by wind and sail. Time does,not permit of historical details, but it is well worthy of mention that Great Britain pioneered the Eastern cable to Australia, while Canada pioneered the Pacific cable to Australia,: and Australia pioneered direct wireless communication between the heart of the Empire and all the Dominions. PON the openings ° of the Beam Witreless service between Australia and England a late: postmaster-general of Great Britain stated: "Ever since the scheme of an Imperial wireless. chain was first discussed Australia has led: the way.’ Those who can in their own experience or by: study look backward 50 or 60 years and make the necessary comparisons- will see at one end of. that period Australia as an isolated country, far removed from the world’s great centres, both in distance and in time. and at the other end a

modern community equipped with an efficient Beam Wireless system capable of transmitting messages almost instantaneously across half: the earth operated at high speed by automatic machinery and handling millions of words of commercial, social and news telegrams per annum. ‘To-day, in addition to these Beam. services working direct to London and Montreal, we also have a wireless telephone service, through which approximately half a million ordinary telephones in homes or offices throughout Australia can be used for direct personal conversation with any one of approximately thirty million homes or office telephone users in Great Britain, on-the Continent of Europe and in North America. Ships at sea in all parts of the world, including the great Atlantic "greyhounds," are able to communicate direct with our up-to-date Australian coastal wireless stations. Most of the British possessions in the Pacific Islands are in regular communication with Australia through our commercial wireless services. Wireless is employed from police headquarters in many of our capital cities in touch (Concluded on page 16.)

Radio is not all Enters} tainment / (Continued from page 15.)

with fast patrol cars used for the protection of life and property in and around those cities at night. Throughout the day and most of the night our numerous and efficient A and B class broadcasting stations supply almost continuous ‘entertainment, news and educational services to nearly 400,000 Australian homes, Our experimental short-wave broadcasting services transmit. Australian programmes frequently to all parts of the -world and occasionally receive programmes from Great Britain and America, to be repeated to Australian listeners , through our local stations. Arrai ments have recently been completed \to maintain communication with the Bti-~ tish and foreign mail and passengercarrying aeroplanes which are now initiating regular transport. services between Australia and Hurope. ‘The future of wireless communication is full of interesting possibilities. I look forward to the time when Australia will have direct. wireless telegraph and wireless telephone. services with every important. country of the outside world, together with further extension of local and international broadcasting services. I hope we shall eontinue successfully to make’ Australia the wireless centre of the Southern Pacific. ‘The exhibition at present being held in Perth shows conclusively that the modern household broadcasting — reeeiver has now reached a stage of great reliability in design and con-’ struction, extraordinary efficiency in pick-up and reproduction, simplicity in | operation, combined with attractive appearance and reasonable cost. These™ _things have now become a" ’ household necessity ; they are no longer .in the experimental stage, but the modern all-electric radio set is now regarded as a .perfectly safe and attractive investment for the householder.. Incidentally the rapidly increasing popularity 6f broadcast listening shows that this branch -of the great wireless. art is assisting in no ' " gmall measure to render home life more . permanent and attractive. \