I move:—
Go ndeontar suim ná raghaidh thar £47,150 chun slánuithe na suime is gá chun íoctha an Mhuirir a thiocfaidh chun bheith iníoctha i rith na bliana dar críoch an 31adh lá de Mhárta, 1941, chun Tuarastail agus Costaisí eile a bhaineann le Fóirleatha Nea-shrangach (Uimh. 45 de 1926).
That a sum not exceeding £47,150 be granted to complete the sum necessary to defray the Charge which will some in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of March, 1941, for Salaries and other Expenses in connection with Wireless Broadcasting (No. 45 of 1926).
The amount of the Estimate for the Broadcasting Service for the financial year 1940-41 is £70,650. There is an increase of £1,347 on the provision for last year. The gross increase is £4,482, of which £1,722 is in respect of salaries, etc. Sub-head A is due mainly to additional bonus payments arising out of the higher cost-of-living figure and to the fact that provision is made this year for payment of the director's salary, which in recent years has been paid out of the Vote for the Department of External Affairs. In relation to the latter, I might explain that, when the Estimate was prepared several months ago, it was expected that the secondment of the present director would terminate early this year, and it was necessary to make specific provision in the Broadcasting Vote for the salary of his successor. No date for the change has, however, so far been fixed.
Programme costs (sub-head B) show an increase of £2,460, mainly due to additional provision for artists' fees and to increased payments in respect of performing right fees.
There is an increase of £300 under sub-head E in respect of expenditure on electric light, power, etc.
Against these increases there are offsetting reductions under other subheads, mainly a decrease of £2,960 under sub-head F, due to less provision for apparatus being necessary.
The revenue of the service for the financial year 1939-40 amounted to approximately £123,000. The total expenditure out of all Votes is estimated at £90,250. The revenue for the year thus shows a surplus over expenditure of approximately £32,750. Over the entire period since the Irish Broadcasting Service was established there has, however, been a considerable net deficit on the service.
Additional time up to a maximum of one hour a day was made available in October last for the broadcast of sponsored programmes confined to the advertisement of Irish enterprises. Two companies availed themselves at the outset of the opportunity to broadcast. Strong and unexpected opposition to the scheme, organised mainly by the Irish newspapers, who were apprehensive of possible adverse effects on their advertising revenue, manifested itself and, in consequence, I considered it advisable to give instructions that, pending further examination of the whole sponsored programme position by the Government, no further commitments should be entered into. Contracts which had already been arranged could not, of course, be disturbed, and they will accordingly operate for at least their normal period. Whether it will be possible to extend them will depend upon the Government's attitude upon the sponsored programme question generally. A decision may not be taken for some months to come.
Broadcasting revenue for the current year was originally estimated at £121,500, made up of £90,500 from licence fees and £31,000 from advertisements and miscellaneous receipts. This estimate assumed that the sponsored programmes of Irish Hospitals' Trust Limited would continue throughout the year and that the other advertisement programmes would operate until at least the 30th September next. The programmes of the Hospitals' Trust and of one of the other advertisers ceased, however, on the 31st March and, as a result, so far as can reasonably be judged at present, broadcasting revenue for the current year will amount to approximately £100,000, or £23,000 less than the receipts for last year.
Licence holders continue to increase in number at a satisfactory rate. There were 169,697 licences in existence at the end of last month, the increase in the 12 months being approximately 15,600. I regret, however, that special measures towards defaulters have still to be taken and that the Department is put to a good deal of unnecessary trouble and expense in this connection. There were no less than 730 prosecutions last year, convictions being obtained in practically all cases and penalties in a very large number. It is regrettable that threats of prosecution, and even actual proceedings should be necessary to compel owners of receiving sets to comply with a statutory obligation. I would make a special appeal to persons who are now in default in this matter to take out or renew their licences without further delay. By doing so, they will obviate material difficulty for the Department and needless expense for themselves.
The aim of the Broadcasting Service is to provide listeners with entertaining and cultural programmes of high standard and variety consistent with the resources available. Every possible effort is made in this direction and also to ensure that the programmes are competently presented. During the past few years important additions to staff and equipment have been made and, recently, dramatic control and amplifier apparatus of the most modern type has been installed. It has also been decided to acquire special receiving apparatus of powerful type which will enable musical programmes from European countries to be relayed. Last year various features of special interest were introduced, e.g., competitions for original radio plays in Irish and in English, a new verse competition for which more than 2,000 entries were received, and problem plays to be solved by listeners. Competition programmes, such as Question Time, in Irish and in English, are popular; and in last year's programmes the main aim of the Irish competitions was to demonstrate the phonetic beauty of the language and to train speakers in clear and correct pronunciation.
A public symphony concert was given at the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin, in October last. The concert, which was staged on a more ambitious scale than previously, was conducted by Sir Hamilton Harty and proved very successful. On account of the emergency it was not considered expedient to arrange for more than one such fixture in the 1939-40 season, but it is hoped that it may be feasible to give further symphony concerts in public during the coming year.
The Irish language is used to an increasing extent in the programmes. In the plays, competition-adjudications, discussions and talks, native speakers are engaged as far as possible. The nightly Irish News Bulletin is now given at a more suitable listening time —10 p.m.; and, in addition, a survey of the past week's news is broadcast in Irish every Sunday. The extended use of Irish music is being encouraged and new arrangements of the collected melodies are being added to the music library. The time, 10.30 p.m. to 11 p.m., each night is devoted mainly to the specially arranged broadcasts of Irish music. There is a scarcity of Irish music, orchestrated and arranged, and I hope that Irish composers will extend their efforts to meet the demands of the Irish Broadcasting Service.
The broadcasts to schools continue to develop and there are now about 750 schools taking these programmes as against 700 last year.
Serious interference with the transmissions from Athlone has been experienced for some time past but, as a result of representations through diplomatic channels, the administration in control of the station principally offending has changed the wavelength and the position has materially improved in the last few months. A degree of interference by another station or stations was, however, also being experienced until quite recently. The matter is being taken up by the responsible authorities. As the outcome of an international broadcasting conference held at Montreux, Switzerland, last year, a new medium wavelength was allocated to Athlone which would have resulted in a minimum of interference, but, unfortunately, owing to the international situation, the bringing into operation of the wavelength plan decided upon at the conference has had to be postponed.
Conditions arising out of the war have also seriously affected the transmissions from the short-wave station experimentally installed at Athlone last year. Prior to the outbreak of hostilities the transmissions were reasonably up to expectations, as was evidenced by numerous reports received from abroad, and technical data of a very useful character, which would be of considerable value in connection with the setting up of a high-power short-wave station, if such were decided on, were being obtained. The situation has, however, seriously altered, and reports lately obtained show that the short-wave programmes from Athlone are not now being received at all reliably in distant parts. The question of possible remedies for the existing unsatisfactory condition of affairs as regards the short-wave transmissions is receiving special attention. As, however, short-wave stations of belligerent, and even non-belligerent countries have latterly been working, for news or propaganda purposes, at full strength and on many wavelengths, using highly directional aerial systems for different parts of the world, it will be appreciated that a solution of the difficulties experienced at Athlone is not likely to be readily forthcoming in present circumstances.
With a view to ascertaining the tastes of listeners in regard to the various types of programmes broadcast, a questionnaire was issued in April last to about 2,700 licence holders in selected areas. As, however, only about 11 per cent. of those who were circularised replied, the opinions expressed were not particularly helpful. Judging, however, from numerous communications received daily from listeners, both in Ireland and outside, the programmes of Radio Eireann are regarded generally as a source of considerable interest and enjoyment and the various new features which are incorporated from time to time are much appreciated. Personally I regard the programmes, taken all round, as good and I may say that I am giving considerable attention to the service. There are, of course, weak spots, but this is inevitable in any broadcasting service. The afternoon sponsored programmes are a case in point. They seem to me at times to be framed on an unnecessarily poor level and while advertisers naturally desire to cater for the tastes, or what they believe to be the tastes, of those whose ears they are concerned to reach, I do think that, without going to the other extreme and becoming too highbrow, it should be possible to ensure a better standard throughout. The director and I have recently had discussions with some of the advertisers in the afternoon sponsored hour and as a result I think I can say that there is likely to be improvement in the near future. I can assure the House that it is my constant aim and aim of the directorate to raise the programmes all round to a high and yet popular standard consistent with our resources.
