OCR Text |
Show ord companies? Other than progress, what put livery stables, pony express and stage coaches out of business? Whose money is being spent to put a TV station at the University of Utah? Who will maintain it? If "piped in" TV is good, is there reason rea-son for concern for competitive '-live TV," or has competition and free enterprise gone down the drain? Since SB 3 was written for the people and by the people and since in its final action it will be by the people and their respective county commissioners, why all the hue and cry? Where is the confidence that our lawmakers can write the bill for the people? i Letters signed by officers of every organization in Beaver, Beav-er, and the City Council and County Commission, have been mailed to each State Representative, urging passage of the bill, and Ross Smith, Beaver representative on a two-county organization which has been engaging in preliminary experimental experi-mental TV rebroadcasts, wrote a letter in answer to a Deseret News editorial, with content much along the same lines as Dr. Bishop's letter. If we thought that private industry could possibly adequately ade-quately serve Beaver County with television, we would be up in arms against passage of SB 3. We believe that if private industry can properly do ANY job, the federal government lias no business getting into the act. No- captive TV system can economically serve the residents resi-dents of South Milford ; Minersville is too small to support a captive system; the Beaver farming area cannot possibly be-served be-served at a price they could pay; Beaver City is too "spread j out," with sometimes only two or three homes to an entire square block, which makes the cost of the original installation of a "captive" or "piped-in" TV system far'too prohibitive. Private industry cannot serve the area; the people of the area want TV. Having enjoyed TV ourselves for the past several sev-eral .months, (by subscribing to Milford's private industry cable system) we feel that everyone should be privileged to enjoy this entertainment. If private industry can do the job, they should. If not (and in Beaver County we don't see how they can) then through public subscription, cooperative efforts or taxation by agreement of those taxed some way should be found to make television available to ALL the people We feel that the "gocd" that will come to Beaver County from using tax monies to finance TV for all the residents, will outweigh, the "bad" of using tax funds for this purpose. THE "TV" BILL Quite a furore the past week in Beaver and Cedar City about SB 3, the "TV Bill," and editorials appearing in The Salt Lake Tribune and The Deseret News. We understand an active boycott of the two daily newspapers has resulted in a great many subscription cancellations. The bill would permit cities and counties to use "recreation "recrea-tion tax" money for financing television relay installations. It passed the senate by a comfortable margin, and public hearings hear-ings are scheduled in the House this (Thursday) morning We reprint (by special permission) the Salt Lake Tribune Trib-une editorial: HOW MUCH SOCIALISM? "This is the most unheard of thing I ever heard of." Thus commented a surprised public figure regarding a government development. Similar expressions of amazement have been heard in the wake of the debate in the Utah State Senate this week over a bill to encourage municipal and county governments to spend public monies to provide commercial television facilities. The bill would authorise the use of tax proceeds to bring commercial television programs to outlying communities not now receiving them. Moreover, it would permit the expenditure expendi-ture of this public money to compete with privately financed "piped-in" television now existing in some areas. Specifically, the measure would permit local government units O equip and maintain any type transmission facility that is authorized by law for the purpose of supplying television to Utah residents of areas so remote from regular transmission points of large television stations that television reception is impossible without special equipment. Acknowledging that television programs are desirable and popular, they are products of highly competitive commercial commer-cial enterprises supported for the most part by advertising. Television service is being rapidly spread throughout the country coun-try and we have no doubt but that private enterprise eventually eventu-ally will find it profitable even to serve smaller communities not now getting reception. The Senate debate took a startling turn when a proponent of the bill compared its provisions with those of the Rural Electrification program which brought electricity to his community. com-munity. Even if television entertainment could be compared with electricity in a community's welfare, REA customers pay for their electric service. The Senate bill would bring commercial com-mercial programs to the people free of charge except through taxation which all property owners would pay whether they tuned in or not. If such a socialistic bill were approved, there would be justification jus-tification for using public funds to provide motion picture outlets out-lets in communities not now boasting a theatre. By the same token, Broadway plays could be brought to the hinterlands by governmental subsidy. Use of public funds to foster private community industry, particularly where it might drive private enterprises to the wall, is wrong. We hope the State Legislature recognizes the full implication of this measure. And Beaver City's reply to the editorial, written by Dr. W. D. Bishop, president of the Beaver Lions Club: In the Salt Lake Tribune editorial, "How Much Socialism?" Social-ism?" appears the quotation: "This is the most unheard of thing I ever heard of." Frankly, to those of us who have chocked in the dust, wallowed in the snow and shivered in the cold north wind to prove the existence of a TV signal into Beaver and Iron. Counties, this howl by The Tribune and some of our State Senators is not only unheard of but downright iisturbing. First of all, this enterprise is Non-profit. A'll the work and money so far has been donated. The type of equipment we need now is expensive and we are running out of money from the few sources that have donated to date. There, are funds set up in counties for recreational and educational purposes. pur-poses. An unfavorable ruling against us by the Attorney General Gen-eral made SB 3 necessary. We are not asking the State of Utah for anything but to legally tax and spend money where the majority of the people want it spent and where the County Coun-ty Commissioners will allow it. There is nothing compulsory, mandatory or competitive about it. The Dec. 26 Deseret News tells what Sevier County thinks about "piped-in" TV. The group huddled shivering in a tent west of Milford watching the Fullmer-Robinson fight might rive unprintable testimonials about it. Jan. 19, we saw the Christmas program in Cedar City nearly a month old on "piped-in" TV. Are we who live in the Cow Counties to be denied progression until "private enterprise EVENTUALLY will find it profitable to serve smaller communities not now getting reception"? ' x Since when did The Tribune and the State Senators become be-come so interested in protecting private enterprises? Highways High-ways are changed and rights of way obtained to do the greatest good for the most. No concern is shown for entire communities communi-ties whose life earnings may be tied up in projects adjacent to or depending upon a highway. The enterprises with "piped m" TV in Beaver and Iron Counties were warned that "live' TV was a reality. These so-called private enterprises assured us we were in a BARREN area, and that we could expect nothing but "piped-in" TV. The "Cow Counties" are essentially "ola counties." Young rolks are forced to move to gainful employment elsewhere. Recreational programs' have been plannd around young people. peo-ple. TV, as we want it, opens up a whole new life for the older people and the "shut ins." ..I do not have a TV set, I have no children in school, I seldom use the parks or picnic areas. I nave never been to our municipal swimming pool. However, these facilities are here for me and I pay taxes to support them :nd I will fight to keep them. When private enterprise wants to take over, I am sure" Beaver and Iron Counties will sell out at actual cost to them and return the tax money for other projects. We want live TV NOW and not at their convenience. If this bill is Socialism, then how close to Communism does the choking of "piped in" TV down our throats come? 1 J'd we stop radio for fear of hurting the phonograph and rec- |