Challenge of the Cities

New Zealand Listener, Volume 17, Issue 432, 3 October 1947, Page 8

Challenge of the Cities

ICE Aucklanders and Wellingtonians tend to look a little self-conscious when outsiders draw attention to the intensity of their parochial loyalties, but the ZB’s have capitalised the entertainment value of this inter-city rivalry. The result is Saturday night’s Challenge of the Cities. Each of the four cities taking part brings out into the light of the studio one of its particular claims to fame, and points are allotted accord-ingly-though on what basis I am at a loss to determine, since the programmes presented by the four contestants are too various to provide a basis for comparison. On a recent Saturday Auckland started the ball rolling by dilating on the geological cuteness of its 63 extinct . volcanoes, though personally I thought this is in rather poor taste, since for a city to beast of geographical endowment is equivalent to an individual’s claiming credit for the blue-bloodedness of his ancestors. Christchurch struck a lighter note by basing its claim* upon the fact that it had more’ pie-carts than any other New Zealand city, but could not decide whether this was due to the fact that its citizens were lonelier, more sociable, or -just hungrier. Dunedin claimed the first New Zealand-made piano (it was brought to the studio to. perform), and Wellington offered the Dominion’s first Olympic champion, Ted who proved as difficult to get to the mike as Auckland’s extinct vol--canoes. My vote to Christchurch, on grounds of public interest,