Elbow Room

New Zealand Listener, Volume 14, Issue 354, 5 April 1946, Page 5

Elbow Room

ITH this issue, but a little \X/ afixiously, we return to 48 pages. For six years we have been trying to make 48 go into 40, into 32, occasionally even into 24, and the task has of course been impossible. Now we are giving ourselves a possible task mathematically, but a_ slightly worrying one at the source of supply. It is still far from true that paper is arriving regularly in New Zealand, or in sufficient quantity, and we feel therefore like the small boy who ventures further and further out on a branch, hoping that it will not break, but afraid all the time that it may. Nor do we, by taking this risky overtake all our spate problems. We overtake some, and get ourselves into a better position for dealing with others, but we do not even pretend that we have removed all justification for complaint or criticism. We have, however, gone a long way to meet those listeners who want more programme space. Some day we shall go further still, and return to the three pages a day displays of our first reckless three months; but in the meantime we have given the stations 33} per cent. more space every day, and when the war really does end, and the ships now on the bottom of the sea all start visiting us again, we shall add more pages still in all sections (and then of course everybody will be happy). But we are not waiting for that day before adding another feature that has been lying in the back of our mind for many months. We add that today: "Wild Life and Ways" by Dr. R. S. Falla, Director of the Canterbury Museum. Dr. Falla is known to many of our readers as a broadcaster, and it has not been easy to get him into print as well, since his days are as inelastic as our pages. But here he is at last, and it will not be’ his fault if he makes us arm-chair naturalists only. He gives us a clear enough warning.