WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY (BLIND PERSONS FACILITIES). (Hansard, 10 November 1926)

§ Captain FRASER

I beg to move, That leave be given to bring in a Bill to facilitate the use of wireless telegraphy by the blind. The object of this Bill is to provide blind persons with free licences for the use of broadcast receiving apparatus. It is an object which I earnestly hope will appeal to the judgment of the House as good. I understand that, had the Wireless Telegraphy and Signalling Bill of 1925 been proceeded with, a Clause would have been inserted in that Bill to secure this object; but Parliamentary time made it impossible for that Bill to become an Act, and the Clause, therefore, could not be inserted. The Clause, however, was prepared, and the Government Broadcasting Committee, which 1087 reported in the Spring of this year, endorsed the proposal that blind persons should have these free licences. The Broadcasting Committee contemplated that its main recommendations affecting the future control of broadcasting in this country would be carried into effect by Statute, and had that taken place, there would have been a Bill before Parliament in which a Clause to bring about the object I desire could have been included. As it is, there is no current or proposed Bill by means of which this gift can be made, and I am consequently venturing to provide this opportunity to the House, which I earnestly hope it may see fit to take.

The Bill falls into two Clauses, the first of which enables the Postmaster-General, subject to such restrictions and conditions as are usually imposed in the issue of these licences, to issue the licences free to the blind, instead of exacting 10s. per licence from them. The second Clause merely defines blind persons, When account is taken of those blind persons who are too young to enjoy or use wireless, of those, unfortunately a large number, who are mentally deficient, and of those who reside in public or charitable institutions or schools, there remains a relatively small number of possible beneficiaries—not more than 25,000 or 30,000 persons, including 1,500 ex-service men. The outside maximum lose of revenue could not exceed £15,000 or £20,000. It must be obvious that that is a very outside estimate, for it would be unreasonable to suppose that 100 per cent. of those persons who may be eligible for benefits would in fact have wireless receivers.

The Bill has the approval, I gather, of many institutions for the blind throughout the country, and I have learned that there are large numbers of blind people who would very greatly appreciate this gift if it were made to them. There is another point in regard to finance which is of very great significance. I am able to state that the Treasury see no objection to the Bill. I hope that any doubts which hon. Members may have had in regard to finance may, perhaps, be removed by that statement. The Ministry of Health and also the Post Office have approved the draft, and nothing stands in the way of the fulfil- 1088 ment of this desire except the question of time. I have no time to plead the case for this Bill, and the interest which some of my friends have been good enough to take in it leads me to suppose that it is not necessary. But there are three reasons why I have raised this question. The first is that in my opinion there are no means so useful, or so full of potential usefulness, as broadcasting for adult self-education, and there is no class in the community so limited in its ability to undertake self-education as the blind community. There is no other class that is unable of its own volition to read the daily newspapers, and no class so cut off from the normal entertainments which the ordinary man and woman can enjoy in the evening hours. Lastly, there is much that can be done, and I hope will be done, to alleviate the material and mental condition of the blind people of this country. But while this Bill does nothing to meet many of these needs, it does do something to facilitate the use by these people of an invention which means much more to them than to any other class in the community. I am introducing this Bill now for this one reason—namely, that I believe there is a real good chance of it becoming law before Christmas, and that being so, I earnestly ask for the support of all parties in the House in order that this result may be achieved.