THE N.Z.E.F.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24424, 9 October 1940, Page 8

THE N.Z.E.F.

NEWS FROM HOME REGULAR SERVICES NEW FEATURE ADDED Members of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in Egypt and in England are being kept well posted with items of current interest from this country. For some time regular news services from the Dominion (states the Evening Post) have been,in operation, use having been made for this purpose of radio, air mail despatches and cables. The 8.8. C. is now to provide another service for the New Zealand troops, which, if it proves successful not only will supplement what has already been done from this country, but will also serve to bridge in p. more human wav the many thousands of miles lying between the soldiers, their homeland people they know, and events which ap2«sl to the popular taste of the average young man. The object of the new 8.8. C. service is to provide a greater living touch for the soldiers with their home countries. The programmes will be of 20 minutes duration, and will be transmitted by the different countries co-operating m the scheme once every three weeks for reception and broadcast by the Bp.u It is realised that among other things reception conditions may at times dislocate the service. _ The broadcasts for New Zealand troops in England and Egypt are no for reception in New Zealand. They are not news broadcasts m the generally accepted sense of the term, ine intention rather is to give a touch of familiarity by the recording of voices and snippets of descriptions of events which the, troops are accustomed to at home New Programme Contents For example, there will be excerpts of relays from important sporting events. In this connection there is a definite limitation, owing to the unsuitability of racy speech for shortwave transmission. There will also be short talks by people well known m the national life of this country. The first programme of the series as prepared by the National Broadcasting Service opened with a short greeting from the Prime Minister (Mr P. Fraser). Another who spoke was Mr W Perry M.L.C.. president of the New Zealand' Returned Soldiers’ Association and a member of the National Patriotic Fund Board. . . „ „ + These programmes are being sent from this country to England by radio telephone, and several transmissions will be made each time to obtain the best possible results. The News Service For some months a daily radio broadcast of 500 to 700 words had been transmitted to Egypt and there, under the name of the New Zealand Daily circulated to the troops in the field. In addition, each outgoing airmail carried a large budget of news, and this was also circulated among the forces under the title of the New Zealand Airmail News. „ The service to Great Britain for the second echelon, consists of a fortnightly summary of news sent by cablegram. This summary, together with, news gathered from every other available source is printed in the New Zealand News ’in London and distributed free to members of the New Zealand Forces in England. In addition tp this a regular airmail service of original matter and news clippings is transmitted, and this is made available to the press generally. Australian Journalist’s Praise

In connection with the news service to Egypt, the opinion expressed by Mr J. A. Hetherington. Australian representative of the Melbourne Herald and Sydney Sun with the A.I.F. in the Near East, is interesting. Writing to his newspapers from Gaza at the end of August, he said: “An example of the interest the New Zealand Government takes in the mental welfare of the force was a news bulletin which I saw in the camp. It was a typewritten copy of a daily news service wirelessed to Egypt at the Government’s expense. A large number of copies is made and distributed throughout the unit, where it is most appreciated by the men. The service includes sport and turf results and high lights of the day’s New Zealand news.”