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Parliamentary Broadcasts. Broadcasts of proceedings in the House of Representatives were undertaken during the sessions, and were doubly interesting on account of the general election. A very full service was provided on election night, results from the various electorates being broadcast throughout the Dominion. Outside Broadcasts. Among the many relays arranged of interesting events within the Dominion were the opening of the National Dairy Conference at New Plymouth ; the opening of the Orakei School by the Right Hon. the Prime Minister ; the unveiling of the commemoration tablet at the Centennial Exhibition site ; the laying of the foundation stone of the Courts of Justice, Christchurch ; the opening of the Social Security Building, Wellington, by the Right Hon. the Prime Minister ; and the New Zealand Royal Air Force display at Rongotai Aerodrome. Sporting Broadcasts. The demand for sporting broadcasts is still keen, and during the year commentaries were broadcast on 132 Rugby matches, 75 wrestling matches, and. 35 boxing matches. Racing and trotting meetings held at the four main centres were also covered ; while swimming, cricket, tennis, and other sporting events were described frequently. Private Broadcasting -stations . During the year four private stations were purchased, at a total cost of £4,827 7s. 6d. There are now two stations being subsidized by Government and two stations owned by Government being operated under contract. Special Services. The special services provided form an important part of broadcast activities. Under this heading are included hints to motorists, gardening talks, reviews of books, weather reports and information for farmers and aviators, and weather reports and forecasts for the general public. During the year requests for information regarding missing motor-cars were made on 412 occasions, and 379 appeals for information as to the whereabouts of missing persons. One hundred and ninety-five appeals were made on behalf of charity. Accommodation. The need for improvement in the studio accommodation at Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin has become more acute each year, and progress has been made during the year at each of these centres. The contract for the building of the foundations of Broadcasting Centre at Wellington was let in January and the work is proceeding. The plans for the building are well advanced, and tenders should be called by the time the foundations are ready. At Christchurch the studio premises in Gloucester Street, which were formerly leased, have been purchased, and increased accommodation has now become available. The congestion at Dunedin has also hindered progress, and a site has now been secured in Dowling Street. The old Garrison Hall, more recently used as the Chief Post-office, has been secured, and the architect is busy preparing plans for the redesign of this building for broadcasting purposes. Technical. The area in the southern part of the Dominion previously receiving a second-grade service is now well served by the new station, 4YZ, at Dacre, near Invercargill. A building in Tay Street, Invercargill, was purchased, and converted into a small group of studios on modern lines. The Hawke's Bay district also received attention during the year, the new transmitting-station, 2YH, being at Opapa and the studios in Dickens Street, Napier. The Hon. F. Jones, Actiug Minister in Charge of Broadcasting, officially opened both these stations, the former in August and the latter in November. Both transmitters are performing very satisfactorily, being well received all over the area they were designed to serve. Station 3ZR, Greymouth, was taken over by the Department early in December, and a transmittingstation of relatively low power but of modern design was brought into operation before the end of December. The recording studios at Wellington have been extended, and the equipment lias been rebuilt and brought up to a standard which compares favourably with recording-apparatus in use in this or other countries. Recordings produced by the Service have been sent overseas and appreciative reports have been received. The British Broadcasting Corporation has broadcast some of the programme matter which has been composed, produced, and recorded by the staff of this Department. The Department is represented on the Radio Research Committee by the Director (Chairman) and the Chief Engineer. The activities of this Committee include the investigation of the purely scientific aspects of radio and also very practical research, into problems of interest to the Broadcasting Service. A careful investigation has been undertaken of the propagation of the radio waves over terrain typical of this country, and work is in progress to determine various factors in connection with the reception of short waves arriving from great distances. The ionosphere section of the Committee's investigation has a direct bearing on the choice of frequencies for particular services. Close touch is kept with modern developments abroad, both in the matter of studio design and technical progress, and all appropriate improvements are adopted as opportunity offers.

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