It Is an Interesting coincidence that the polling In this General Election took' place on the same day as the fourteenth anniversary of the commencement of broadcasting in Great Britain, Interesting because this} election is the first during the preliminaries to which the radio has been so extensively used by all parties in the struggle, In all there were twelve addresses broadcast, of which the Government had five. the balance toing to the Opposition. The proframme was so arranged that having opened the broadcast debate the Government was also enabled to close it, The scheme was and should serve as for the future. for it is becoming increasingly obvious that no matter how much it may be desired that the radio shall not be used for political purposes, it is, nevertheless. the best metns of reaching the largest number of people. In this connection it is Important to note the huge growth in the total number of Heences issued to owners of listening-in sets. In 1927 there were only 207,000, while in 1984, the last year for which figures are available, there were no fewer than 633,802, the figures not includ ing the sets owned by blind people who do not pay for their licences. That it is possible to reach so large number of people sitting at home in comfort makes broadcasting a most potent instrument. which, wisely handled, must be for the good of the country, through Keeping it better informed than has ever been possible the past. Tt was recently lated by a European statesman that} is cause had only achieved victory through the wireless, the motor car end the aeroplane. Even it his system government cannot be wholly ap-Proved of, it is clear that his acknowledgment of the factors which greatly assisted him and his party' fe but a recognition of a fact which has now been thoroughly brought home to Britain.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.