Our Spelling Bee

Radio Record, Volume IV, Issue 24, 26 December 1930, Page 2

Our Spelling Bee

Interest in America ROM..the New Zealand agents of Stewart-Warner Radio (Hope Gibbons Ltd.). we have received an interesting piece of news. Our spelling bee has received considerable publicity in the United States. It ‘appears that when Mr. Spring selected a S art-Warner radio as his prize for mm ning the competition the news*\was communicated to the American manufacturers, who thought fit. to make the announcement public. The last mail brought several publications in- which the news appeared, One of these read :-~ ; "Being’ a good speller brought no. such reward in olden times as it does now. When great-grandfather spelled down his ‘rival in the little log schoolhouse the prize, like as not, was a dictionary. "But, recently, prowess in orthography won for Philip H. Spring, of Wellington, New Zealand, not Noah Webster’s book of words, but a complete library of home entertaininenta Stewart-Warner radio, which will bring to his fireside volumes of the world’s best music, opera, comedy; drama, sports and world events. ‘'y "Mr. Spring won the spelling contest conducted by the ‘Radio Record,’ } the official organ of New Zealand’s broadcasting system, and his letter to Hope Gibbons Ltd., distributors for the Stewart-Warner Corporation in. Auckland and Wellington, explains how the ‘Avon,’ one of Stewart-Warner’s new console models, came to be first prize. "He says, in part: ‘Winning the spelling bee competition entitled me to make a free choice of the best radio obtainable. After making exceedingly careful comparisons for tone, power, selectivity, and gramoplione reproduction, I decided that yours was by tar the best..instrument. " ‘Being, too, a keen radio amateur and knowing something about commercial radios, I consider the StewartWarner one of the neatest and best set out chassis units I have seen, I look forward to many happy hours with my newly-acquired radio.’ ., "The Avon model chosen by ~#r. Spring is a beautiful console of American walnut, strikingly embellished with actual wood carvings. A bold central arch, slightly depressed below the actual front surface, provides an area for the dignified embossed bronze escutcheon plate of the set and for the . scrolled speaker grille. The latter is topped by a carved rosette typical of the. Jacabean period. Equipped with the new: Stewart-Warner screen-grid radio and-dynamic reproducer built-in, it is an outstanding example of moderr radio engineering. "Mr, A. B. Gibbons, managing direc tor of Hope Gibbons Ltd., New Zea’ land distributors for Stewart-Warner, writes: ‘Naturally we are very proud that Mr, Spring chose a Stewart-War-ner and we are confident that the performance.ef the ‘Avon’ will more than justify his enthusiastic praise.’ "