§ Mr. HURDasked the Postmaster-General (1) whether he is consulting bodies representative of the Press of the 2004W Empire before further consideration is given by the Communications Committee of the Imperial Conference to the offer of a news agency to broadcast news bulletins thrice daily throughout the Empire by short-wave telephone wireless;
(2) what reply he has made to the offer of a news agency to supply news bulletins thrice daily to be broadcast throughout the Empire by short-wave telephonic wireless; and the cost and other details of the proposal?
§ Mr. VIANTA scheme proposed by the British Broadcasting Corporation for the provision of an Empire broadcasting service was submitted to the Communications Committee of the Imperial Conference. One of the details of the scheme was the broadcasting of three news bulletins daily, which it was stated would be supplied to the British Broadcasting Corporation by a news agency on terms which had been arranged with them. A copy of the scheme and of the Communications Committee's report on it will shortly be published. The Committee recommended that, as a first step, the British Broadcasting Corporation should communicate particulars of the scheme to the broadcasting authorities in the Dominions, and should ascertain their views on the subject. If, after studying the scheme, any Press organisation wishes to discuss the proposed arrangements for the broadcasting of news, I would suggest that it should approach the British Broadcasting Corporation.