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Early in the year an N.Z.B.S. Variety Show, featuring New Zealand artists, was presented in the Wellington Town Hall, and relayed to listeners. Other variety sessionswere prepared from the best local talent and overseas recordings. During the winter months community sings were broadcast, and a number of brass and pipe bands were heard. Special weekly sessions of dance music by local players were broadcast from the studios of the four main National stations. A popular novelty was the inauguration of a weekly performance by a dance band and guest artist broadcasting before a studio audience. Additional dance programmes have been compiled from recordings. News and Commentaries Broadcasting continued to provide listeners with a regular and reliable source of news and commentaries on world affairs. There was a considerable flow of material from overseas bearing mainly on international relations, reconstruction, and current political trends. Arrangements were made for the Radio Division of the United Nations to supply the Service with material relating to the work of that Organization, and reports on the sessions of the Assembly and the Security Council were broadcast. With the changed conditions of peace it was necessary to modify the daily news schedule, and the feature " American Commentary and News," previously rebroadcast five nights a week from San Francisco, was discontinued. Through the continued courtesy of the British Broadcasting Corporation four bulletins daily were rebroadcast from London by all stations. The main bulletin of the day was the 9 p.m. Newsreel, comprising overseas news, compiled by the Service and New Zealand news supplied by the Information Section of the Prime Minister's Department. The National stations continued to referoadcast the 8.8.C. Newsreel as a regular daily feature. A weekly bulletin of overseas news in Maori was broadcast from North Island Stations, and a local sporting summary was cabled to Australia each week and beamed from there to our Forces in Japan. Overseas commentaries continued to be rebroadcast, a regular one being Wickham Steed's weekly talk on world affairs, which was presented by the main National stations on Sundays. The Service also continued its policy of broadcasting a weekly commentary on events in Australia. During the American Congressional elections the Service was fortunate in securing the assistance of a visiting American political scientist, Dr. Dean C. McHenry. Dr, McHenry, who is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of California, interpreted to New Zealand listeners the political trends in American public opinion. During the political campaign preceding the New Zealand general election the Service broadcast addresses by candidates of the two main parties. On the night of the election special arrangements were made for the immediate announcement of progress and final returns from polling-booths, as they became available. When the state of the parties was provisionally known, listeners heard addresses by the Prime Minister, the Right Hon. P. Fraser, and the Leader of the Opposition, Mr. S. G. Holland. In war years the Service was not able to maintain an adequate service for farmers, but there were some important innovations this year. One was the establishment of a regular weekly lunch-hour farming session from Station 3YA, Christchurch, in which the Department of Agriculture, Canterbury Agricultural College, and other farming organizations co-operated with the Service. This midday farm session was a success, and it is hoped that it will be possible to extend its range and scope during 1947. A second step in serving farming listeners was taken when a special weekly broadcast of farm news was inaugurated from the main National stations. This was compiled from information supplied by farming organizations, the agricultural colleges, and interested Departments. Regular reports of live-stock market activities continued to be broadcast. With the recommencement of wool sales the Service returned to its pre-war policy of broadcasting results direct from the sales for its country listeners.

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