Gramophones Play

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 359, 21 May 1928, Page 14

Gramophones Play

in Every Language ICELAND TO N.Z. WORLD-WIDE DEMAND The gramophone is now an institution in every country of the world, from Iceland in the North to New Zealand in the South. In Egypt records in the native language sell like the proverbial ‘hot cakes.’* The Turks are great admirers of the gramophone. Just before Mr. John A. Sabine, sales manager for the Columbia Gramophone Company, left England he received a letter from the company’s representative in Constantinople complaining that he could not get enough machines to supply the demand. Mr. Sabine arrived by the Aorangi yesterday afternoon. He will go on to Australia, where his company has Just opened a factory for the production of records, and from there to the Dutch East Indies, India and Egypt. The growth of the industry, he says, has been amazing. Every country wants gramophones, and his company is working day and night to keep up the supply. The portable machine is in great demand just now. East year 250,000 were made and sold. Ten million records a month are made by Columbia. Nev; Zealand, in proportion to her population, is one of the best markets. Mr. Sabino says that his company has factories in 17 countries in the world; recently one was taken over in Japan. Recording experts are continually touring the countries of the world obtaining records by means of an electrical process. Six of them are at present in Turkey and Rumania and very shortly two will arrive in New Zealand to record Maori songs. Records are made in practically every iftanguage in the world. Dance records are the most popular the world over, as they sell in every country. The melodies from musical comedies to which Aucklanders dance are to be heard on gramophones in Iceland or Finland. Although the duty on records into Finland is 5s each, the Finns are keen gramophone enthusiasts.