Relayed Wireless The announcement made by the Assistant Postmaster- General
last week of the decision that the Post Office is to experiment during 1938 in the Southampton district with the relaying of broadcast programmes to private subscribers deserves more attention than it has yet received, for the local experiment is clearly to be the prelude to the abolition of private relay systems, catering for some 250,000 sub- scribers, and the assumption of their functions by the Post Office. The reasons for such a step are not convincing. The existence of the companies is a legitimate piece of private enterprise, and their service includes many items from foreign programmes, whereas the Post Office, it is semi- officially stated, would draw almost exclusively on the B.B.C. Since the Post Office service is to cost is. 6d. a week plus an unspecified initial charge, and a loudspeaker will have to be acquired in addition, the financial inducement to listeners to take this service rather than acquire their own receiving set and hear what programmes they choose is inconsiderable. The Post Office should be challenged in the House of Com- mons to make good its case for ousting the private companies.
Previous page
