THINGS TO COME

New Zealand Listener, Volume 21, Issue 527, 29 July 1949, Page 26

THINGS TO COME

Land and People N bulk at least the report of the Royal Commission on the sheep farming industry in New Zealand is a most impressive document. Some 2,000 or so sheep farmers will have a direct personal interest in "it, after having been called upon to give evidence, and probably every member of the industry will be affected in some way. A panel of practical farmers will discuss some of the recommendations and the problems arising from them during two sessions of Let’s Talk it Over to be broadcast from 1YA, In the first, which will be heard this Sunday, July 31, at 4.0 p.m., they will deal with matters arising under the general heading The Availability and Use of Land, including such topics as tenure, development, returned soldier settlement, the encouragement of good husbandry, fertiliser problems, stocking, access roads, and so on. On the following Sunday Labour and the Community will be discussed, The speakers will be G, M. Rodger (chairman), N. J. B. Dougherty, Colonel N. P. Adams, A. Briscoe Moore. Snow Versus Cholera ESTA PAIN, well known for her feature programmes on medical and scientific themes, has used much excellent dramatic material in The Fight Against Cholera, a BBC programme to be heard from 1XH at 10.0 a.m, this Sunday, July 31. Part of the programme deals with the disastrous outbreak of cholera in London in 1854, and the famous enquiry into the causes then undertaken by a certain Dr. Snow. It was Snow who discovered that the disease was cafried by polluted water and food, and whe thereby made it possible for medical science to devise means of fighting future outbreaks. Scientific advice on the programme was given by Dr. Melville Mackenzie, of the Ministry of Health, who comes to the microphone at the close of the broadcast to speak of the work of the World Health Organisation in connection with cholera. Up the School! -_’ At BLACKS or no All Blacks, the Rugby match of the season for hundreds of followers of the game in New Zealand will be Christ’s College versus Otago Boys’ High School on the Col- | lege ground, on Monday, August 1. The

better side will win (of course there’s always the grim -possibility of a draw), but when it’s all _ over there will be no face-saving, even if the referee has been liberal with penalty kicks. Visitors to the Botanical Gar-

| dens and Hagley Park, and passers-by in Rolleston Avenue will hear the peculiar choral work that comes from the mingling of boys’ high-pitched voices, sisters’ shriller tones, the booming of Old Boys and fathers and the hand-clapping accompaniment of mothers and aunts. There will be a broadcast commentary on the match from

3YA at 3.0 p.m. and again at 3.30 p.m. Much as they may admire the good work of the Broadcasts to Schools people, listening Old Boys will probably take a dim view of an item which intrudes at 3.15 p.m.--a French broadcast to post-primary pupils. Fun with a Camera \V HATEVER the aesthetes may have to say about photography as an art, it will be generally conceded that to get the most out of a camera a reasonable. amount of craft is required. The dégree of skill needed depends of course upon the standard of performance which will satisfy the photographer

himself, and for many unenlightened amateurs (to judge by the shatteringly candid family snapshots which are submitted to us from time to time) the two most elementary rules-first load the camera, then point it in the general direction of the subject-would appear to suffice. But there are more rules than these, and the slight extra effort entailed in following them will not only add to the enjoyment of snapshotting, but also reduce wear and tear on those among whom the prints will subsequently circulate. To that end we draw the attention of all amateur snapshooters to the series of talks by R. L. Grant which will start from 4YA on Wednesday, August 3, at 7.15 p.m, The general title of the series is How to Make a Successful Snapshot. What Are N.Z. Girls Made Of? SLIGHT but becoming astringency is noticeable in the first two talks of’ Nelle Scanlan’s new series A New Look at Old Scenes, which is scheduled to begin in the 2YA Women’s Session on Tuesday, August 2. Miss Scanlan’s idea is to tell listeners how New Zealand appeared to her after long absence abroad. One of Miss Scanlan’s first tasks on her return was to act as one of the four judges in the Miss. New Zealand contest, and the first two talks are particularly entertaining if used as footnotes to Miss Scanlan’s platform speech at the conclusion of the contest. For the candidates, in preliminary examination, revealed a certain measure of intellectual unpreparedness which would seem to be general among our young women. Several, in spite of having spent several years in salaried employment,* were not aware that they had contributed to the Social Security Fund ("painless extraction" is Miss Scanlan’s comment), One did not know how many members there were in the House of Representatives, but was quite sure that each party had an equal number.

All those of us who like being pleasantly scandalised will enjoy Miss Scanlan’s talks, and may also profit from the kindliness which informs them even when she finds most to criticise. A Great Spaniard [on QUIXOTE, even if we aren’t sure how to pronounce it, is undoubtedly one of the great books of the world. Although its main object was to ridicule current romances of chivalry, it is also a brilliant panorama of Spanish society in the 16th Century, described with the genial fidelity which comes from sympathetic insight. The book is discussed in the BBC’s Great Books series by Salvador de Madariaga, himself one of the great Spaniards of modern times. Madariaga was prominent in League of Nations work, and was Professor of Spanish Studies at Oxford before becoming successively ambassador to the U.S.A. and to France. ~His numerous contributions to Spanish culture include books on Don Quixote, Columbus and Cortes. His talk will be heard from 1YA at 2.20 p.m. on Sunday, August 7. Franck Chorale ARCEL DUFRE, French organist, whose name is often to be found along with those of Guilmant and Widor on recital ,programmes, accomplished in 1920 the feat of playing the complete organ works of J. S. Bach from memory. This performance, which covered a series of ten recitals at the Paris Conservatoire, brought him wide acclaim. Dupré has also aroused great admiration by his powers of improvisation, He succeeded Widor as organist at the Church of St. Sulpice, Paris. Listeners to 1YA on Sunday, August 7, at 5.45 p.m., will hear him play Chorale No. 1 in F. Major; by Caesar Franck.