The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-10-01
BROADCAST|NG IN
 THE BRITISH ISLES
 WILL BEGIN SOON
Amateurs to Fight Proposed Law Which Will Exclude Foreign Apparatus for
 Two Years
By wARRE F. WELLS

London. September 25.-Broadcast- ing in England now is expected tc begin shortly. due to the ironing out
 Of the difficulties between the gov ernment and the radio companies, which hitherto have held up the scheme. Low-power broadcasting should begin, both in Lcndon and Manchester, within a few weeks,
 though probably it will be the end of the year before the permanent stations are working and the full system is in operation.
 In anticipation applications for licenses for receiving sets are com
 Ing into the post office steadily at the rate of about 1000 a week
 Though certain points have been referred back for consideration by legal experts, conference this week
 between representatives of the post
 office and of the companies concern- ed, has resulted in agreement on the final form of most of the articles of association of the British Broad casting company. Postmaster Gen eral Kellaway had required assur- ances to make it clear that the con- ditions laid down by the government are to be carried out and also that tho interests of all the firms that are to participate will be properly safeguarded. His final approval of the articles is not likely to be much lenger delayed.
 Patent Difficulties Aside from one outstanding diff ficulty--the terms on which certain patents held by one of the firms are to De made available to the others in
 maufacturing receiving sets-anoth- CT main question has been what amounts the smaller manufacturers are to contribute toward the upkeep
 tf the stations. A number of the smaller makers contend that they should not be called upon to con tribute.
 The six big firms, who have guar
 anteed the required capital for the
 eight stations--which it is reckoned will cost around s100,0o0 a year apiece for upkeep-insist on part of their risk being underwritten by the makers of receiving sets, whc, by virtue of their membership in the broadcasting company, are privileged
 to sell sets to the public. The cen tral feature of the British scheme Is that part of the profits of manu- | fracture shall go toward the cost of broadcasting, while the post office proposes to hand over a percent- age of the licensing fes for the same
 object.
 Amateurs Against Monopoly Meanwhile a good deal of opposi- | tion is growing up against the mo
 nopoly as 1t affects both amateurs and small manufacturers and importers, who are left outside of the scheme.
 George Sutton. honorable secretary of the Wireless and Experiment associa- tion, has sent to MT. Kellaway a letter in which he states that his committee views with considerable
 alarm the apparently inspired notices to the effect that it is in the con- | temptation of the authorities to for bid the use of amateur constructed | receiving apparatus.
 We are of opinion that the best | interests of the science would not
 be served by allowing all broadcast ing facilities to fall into the hands | of monopoly unless it were a departmental one, under the rule of l-fhe responsible government" So far the association has received only an acknowledgement of this communication, but the case for the post office is, broadly. that amateurs will not be interfered with if they can satisfy 1t that they are carrying out serious research.
 Small Makers Alarmed Small manufacturers of radio gear nj imilarly are perturbed by the monop- oily. In conjunction with American importers--hit by the two years bar to importation--they asked MT .Kel-