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INTERFERENCE WITH RADIO BROADCASTING. My Department is alive to the interests of radio licensees, and, in particular, is devoting a good deal of attention to the problem of freeing radio reception from interference. A special staff of Radio Inspectors has been instituted for the purpose of detecting unlicensed stations and of discovering sources of what may be termed " parasitic " interference from various electrical activities. As extraneous interference with radio reception is a phase of radio-activity in the overcoming of which all countries are concerned, it is not unlikely that the problem will receive close attention at the forthcoming International Radio-telegraph Conference. ERECTION OF WIRELESS AERIALS. The danger arising from the erection of wireless aerials in proximity to electricpower circuits has led to the making of regulations in the direction of requiring that wireless aerials shall be so erected as to preclude the possibility of contact with electric-power lines. Similar provision has been made for the protection of departmental circuits. ESTABLISHMENT OF RADIO BEACON STATION. A radio beacon has been installed on the island off Cape Maria Van Diemen on which the lighthouse is situated. BRITISH OFFICIAL WIRELESS MESSAGES. Messages of general interest broadcast by the high-power wireless station at Rugby, England, are received by the Awarua Radio-station, and are supplied by the Prime Minister's Department to the United Press Association for distribution to newspapers. Except for occasional adverse atmospheric conditions, there is little hindrance to the regular reception of messages. WEATHER REPORTS FROM SHIPS AT SEA. Arrangements have been made for the reception at New Zealand radio coast stations of weather-report telegrams from ships at sea for the Meteorological Office. WORK PERFORMED FOR OTHER DEPARTMENTS. Work for other Departments continues to form a large part of the duties of officers of my Department, the amount of money handled on behalf of other Departments during the year being approximately £25,000,000. Among items calling for special mention are payments made for the State Advances Department of approximately £7,000,000, and for the Public Trust Department of £1,050,000 ; also receipts of land-tax, £850,000, and income-tax, £1,600,000. While the amounts handled for the other Departments do not approximate those specially mentioned, nevertheless the number of transactions is large. In many cases —e.g., machinery fees— the sums range from amounts, as low as 2s. 6d. Not the least prominent work under this heading is the registration and licensing of motor-vehicles under the Motorvehicles Act of 1924. With the proven elasticity of the Post Office system of accounts, the heavy work entailed in dealing with the many thousands of motorvehicles has been handled with the minimum of difficulty. WORK FOR CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT. 111 April, 1926, the Dominion census was taken, and the Post Office again undertook, on behalf of the Census and Statistics Department, the distribution and collection of the census schedules. Postal officers also acted as District Enumerators. In addition, officers of my Department obtained borough, agricultural, and pastoral returns, a return of public libraries, and a return of meetingplaces of religious denominations, together with information as to the attendances at the services. The work was carried out to the entire satisfaction of the Government Statistician.
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