THE CRYSTAL SET

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 58, Issue 244, 15 November 1929, Page 4

THE CRYSTAL SET

DECLINE IN SYDNEY. A suggestion by tlio new Commonwealth i'rime Minister,' Mr Scullin, tbat the license-fee for crystal sets may be redueed raises many issues otlier than the linancial one. In Sydney tbe crystal set stage lms, on tlie wliole, passed away. It woulcl be almosb impossible to purchase a crystal set in any of tbe regular radio shops of the city. Some mav still be had in the suburbs, but tbese are mainly sets that liavo been taken in exchange when valve receivers were installed." The period of stagnation in licenses in the "Sydney metropolitan area wast generally attributed ' to the passing of the crystal "set: . .Such sets were found, in the main, not to be sufficientlv selected to tune out interfering stations. Manv owners dismantled _ their aerials and declined to renew their licenses for this season. Others discarded the crystal set in favour of the selective valve receiver. It is realised that a similar stage has been reached in the Idelbourne area. A rough estifnate places tbe number of crystal receivers in the Melbourne metropolitan area at about 50 per cent., wliile in Sydney ifc is hardly 10 per cent. of the total of licenged listeners. If there is to be a reduction of license fees for crystal receivers that would inevitablv mean a review of the financial conditions of the contract with the Australian Broadcastipg Company for the supplv of programmes.