§ 95. Mr. Woodburnasked the Minister of Supply whether his research Department has yet been able to devise more permanency in the life of television tubes, in view of the difficulty of people with small incomes bearing the cost of frequent replacements.
§ Mr. W. J. TaylorNo. The research which the Ministry of Supply does on cathode ray tubes generally is not directly applicable to television tubes. The radio industry, in which there is severe competition, itself undertakes, with such encouragement as my right hon. Friend can give, this specialised type of research and it is putting a good deal of effort into the search for improvements to increase still further the life of television tubes and to decrease the incidence of premature failure. Present day tubes are highly efficient, but it must be recognised that they are intricate and delicate products and since they are sealed articles containing a vacuum they cannot be maintained like most ordinary pieces of household equipment. Premature failure has already become relatively rare.