§ 17. Mr. Gurdenasked the Postmaster-General if he will license young amateurs for sound broadcasting and allocate wavelengths and limited time through registered non-profit-making clubs for this activity.
Mr. ShortNo, Sir. In this country, broadcasting has always been entrusted to public corporations, and not to private individuals. Of course, qualified radio amateurs may be licensed to transmit on special wavelengths for the sole purpose of communicating with one another and not to broadcast generally.
§ Mr. GurdenDoes the right hon. Gentleman realise that there have been prosecutions of young people in Birmingham and other places recently? In these days of delinquency and crime, would he not try to encourage this sort of activity?
Mr. ShortI have a great deal of sympathy with the feeling behind the hon. Gentleman's question. Some schoolboys in his constituency were, rightly, prosecuted and fined for doing this while rich Americans get away with it and make great profits out of it. I remind him that the Conservative Party Conference this year voted to allow them to continue to do so.