STATE BROADCASTING

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

STATE BROADCASTING

AUSTRALIAN PROSPECTS. LABOUR PARTY'S POLICY. It is anticipated in radio circles in Sydney that the new Federal ALinistry will review at au early date the present position regarding national broadcasting in Australia. . Advices from Canborra indicate that the present Govermnent views the radio position with some seriousness, says the Sydney Morning HeraJd, and that the Postmaster-General, Mr Lyons, and the Attorney-General, Mr Brennan, with possibly other mpmbers of the Cabinet, will review 'the whole position. Information from Melbourne is to the effect that the Post Office Department and tbe directors of the Australian Broadcasting Co., Ltd., are in conference concerning the improvement of the brpadcasting services from the stations alrcndy under the control of this company. During the recent campaign Mr Scullin, when questioned on this matter, stated that the iritentions of the Labour Party were fully explained in his policy speech made prior to tbe elections in November last. lu that speech it was set out definitelv that the Federal Labour Party considered that broadcasting activities in Australia should be under Government control. The Bruce-Page Government eompromised on Ihe issue by making the Post Office Department responsible for the actual operation of tbe "A" sta-

tions and p.lacing a contract for the supply of programmes. One-third of the aniount contributed by the licensed listeners is retained bv the Post Office Department to defray the cost of run- ' tiing the stations and the building up of a fund to construct central stations in Sydney and Melbourne, and lnter in other capital cities, and also for the provision of 16 or 18 relay stations in different parts of Australia. On the basis of 304,000 licensed listeners — tbe present number is in excess of that— tbe I'ost Office Department is retaining over £100,000 a year for the running of the "A" stations. Having regavd to the contract made by the old company with Amalgamated Wireless (Australasia), Ltd., and renewed by the department under the present scheme, it is realised that this is an exorbitant amount. The British Broadcastjng_ ■ Corppration, with its chain of stations, has been able.fo construct the be$t brhadcasting stations in the -world • and maka ample provision for maintenance/ management and depreciation on a basis of 25 per cent. of the listeners' licenses, whereas 'iri Australia the Post Office Dcprt'rtment is retaining 33 per cent. The Post Office Department, on this systam, will have a bi,g amount to credit at the.end of this financial year.

Up to the present only two contracts have let for the supply of plant for relay stations, and botli these were piaced outside Australia. Alongside this is the consensus of opinion that the present programmes from 2FC, 2BL, 3LO and 3AR are not quite up to Ihe standard of the past year. It must be remembered, however, that the new company is getting only 12s per license for tlie provision of programmes, whereas the old companies were able to allocate at least L8s per license for this purpose, after allowing for the contract expenses -for transmitting, copyright and other charges. Different suggestions have been put forward by those interested for the solution of the present difficulties, and for the provision of better programmes, over extended lionrs. The belief is that the Government will order a reconsideration of the whole matter of broadcasting in Australia, with a view of stricter Government control, and the possihility of the setting up of a special department for the control of broadcasting in Australia on the lines of the Britjsh Broadcasting Corporation. _ • Meanwliile, it is anticipated that tliere will be a hastening of the provision of the promised relay stations and a determination of the attitude to be adopted toward the commercial "B" stations. In Sydney there are at least 10 firms awaiting permission to open "B" stations and provide first-class programmes, but the Post Office Department has declined to issua licenses for that purpose. The invariable answer to these requests is that "the whole position in regard to 'B' broadcastings stations is now under consideration by tbe officials of the Post Office Department." So far as the permanent officials in control of broadcasting are concernedy tliere is no change of polic^ in prospect. Interviewed in Melbourne, the Director of Postal Services, Mr H. P. Brown, said that it wasMot propoged to alter the present policy. He had conferred with tbe chairman of directors of tlie Australian Broadcasting Company, Mr Stuart Doyle, but the conference, which was only one of many they had had, was not in relation to any proposed alteration of policy. "We are developing the policy alreadv agreed upon, and there is nothine new to report," said Mr Brown. "The policy was initiated last July, and our conferences have heen simply 011 questions of development. We are making the necessary arrangements to take over further stations in pursuance of the present policy."