A Hundred Pounds in Prizes for Accurate Spelling

Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 48, 13 June 1930, Page 1

A Hundred Pounds in Prizes for Accurate Spelling

_ Prize List in "Radio Record" Spelling Bee

MBODIED in this article we publish the detailed prizes of our Monster Spelling Bee Competition. Through the co-operation of the radio and electrical trades, we are enabled to make these prizes of a very handsome character. The first prize will en.mitle the winner to either a £50 radio set or that sum in reduction of a more valuable set. This is a prize of noteworthy value, and is certain to induce keen competition. We are happy to be able to. announce that Mr. J. Norrie, chief librarian of the Wellington Public Library, has kindly consented to act as judge for our competition. Mr. Norrie has had an extensive association with libraries, and will prove an accurate and reliable * judge. Educated in Aberdeen, he first joined the Aberdeen Library. as assistant, subsequently going to the Walthamstow Library, London, and while there atf@nded the London School of Wcononiics. Two years later he was appointed librarian of the Kingston District Library, Glasgow, where he compiled a dictionary catalogue of nearly 10,000 volumes.. In 1911 he was promoted to librarian of the Bridgeton Library, one of. the largest in Glasgow; next year he was promoted to the librarianship of Stirling’s Library, which was completely reorganised under his direction. In 1915 he joined the army and served in France until 1919, during the latter part of that term taking an active part in the rerganisation and development of the army educational scheme. Mr. Norrie arrived in New Zealand in 1920, and was engaged in the educa~-

tional department of Whitcombe and Tombs, Ltd., in Auckland; and in 1924 he was invited by the late Dr. T. W. Leys to take over the librarianship of the Leys Institute: at Auckland, which library was reorganised under his direction. He is keenly alive to and conversant with ancient and modern literature, and has a working knowledge of foreign languages, "[ ‘HH procedure in connection with the judging will be that the judge

' will be screened from the view of the competitors, and he will not know to whom he is directing any particular word. An effective arrangement of loudspeakers will make the judge’s voice clear to both competitors and the: audience, and in addition a public address system will convey to the. audience the. spelling of the competitors on the stage. Three failures will mark the exit of any competitor. The list of words which will provide

a basis for the competition is now béing compiled, and publication will begin in our issue of June 20. It will continue throughout seven weeks, and the final instalment will appear in the issue bearing date August 1. The Spelling Bee itself will be staged in a hall to be arranged in the week August 4 to August 9. vom Entries will be received up to July 25 at the office of the "Radio Record," "Dominion" Building, Wakefield Street, Wellington, or P.O. Box 1032, Wellington. A nominal entrance fee of 2/will be required to accompany éach entry. Entry forms will be in each issue of the "Record," beginning next week, Should the number of entries necessitate it, sectional spelling bees will be held to discover the place winners for the final night. Our preliminary announcement madd last week of intention to hold this Spelling Bee has excited a good ‘deal of interest, and already we have been assured of an encouraging number of entries. The sporting character of the contest seems to appeal to people. In the compilation of the lists, hard technical words or scientific words are being avoided. The effort simply is ‘to include words that might legitimately and advantageously be used in’ educated, everyday conversation. The actual publication of the lists which will be used in the sectional contests will make the competition easy for those who intend to compete, as they will have the opportunity ef studying the words throughout a period. It is expected that, in spite of ‘the preliminary study, the catchy nature of the words will serve to trip a number of the spellers. As soon as ‘the lists are exhausted, the judge reserves the right to use other words culled from the standard dictionaries nominated for use in connection with. this contest, viz.: Chambers’ Twentieth Century and Nuttall’s Standard Dietionary. Here again, while a free hand is reserved, the effort will be to avoid merely technical words and scientific nomenclature, and to use words: that might legitimately be. used in educated conversation,

(1) Order for £50, to be spent on a Radio Set or apparatus from approved adyertisers in the "Radio Record." (2) Order for £20, to be spent in the purchase of electrical apparatus or equipment from approved advertisers in the Electrical Home Journal Section of the "Radio Record." (3) Order for £5. worth of radio or electrical apparatus from approved advertisers in the "Radio Record." SECTIONAL PRIZES "T}WENTY-ONE ORDERS for one guinea’s worth of radio or electrical apparatus from approved ‘Record’’ advertisers. These orders will be given to the three place-winners in each of seven main sections. SECTIONS FOR COMPETITORS To SIMPLIFY the competition and afford approximate equality as far as possible, the Monster Spelling Bee will be divided into seven main sections. From each section three place-winners will be selected for the final. The sections are:(1) University or college students. (2) Teachers and lawyers. (3) Secretaries and stenographers. (4) Pressmen and Advertising men. (5) Professors, ministers and educationalists. (6) General section-men. (7) General section-women. These sections will be broadly interpreted, as they are designed for convenience and approximate equality. ~m.