OF FEMININE INTEREST

Radio Record, Volume V, Issue 51, 1 July 1932, Unnumbered Page

OF FEMININE INTEREST

By

Patricia

TATIC and fading! Most annoying when one wishes particularly to hear a lecturette! I tuned in to 1YA recently, as I had seen advertised a talk on "Citrus" by Mr. Hayward Wright from this station. As I have visited one or two citrus estates in different countries I was anxious to know what New Zealand was doing in th? matter. Not a word could I hear from this station, but on making in quiries I Jearned from another source that this country is working up the lemon industry, and should. therefore get as much encouragement as possible. his fruit is such an essential product\ and should be used extensively in every home, as well as for its medicinal qualities, as for the hundred and one other purposes to whith it can be put; and if every housewife would purchase lemons grown in this country another -step would be advanced on the way to prosperity. : % Fs % T may interest readers to know that Messina is the centre of the lemon industry in Sicily. There are somethine like seven thousand million

bho ar produced annually in Sicily, he greater part being picked between December and April. The summer evop, of which I had a view a few years ago, is gathered from May to August. Lemons grow from grafts on’ bitter orange stocks, which are usedt because they resist root diseases and are much better than lemon stocks. The fruit has to be passed hy Government inspectors before it is exported. Thé lemons are picked in dry weather as ‘they ripen, and are transported in gaily-coloured and decorated carts drawn by horses in richly ornamented harness. The picking and transport of ‘whole lemons, however, is not the only industry in that country. Visitors to ‘Messina should look in at a factory there which is owned by an English firm and run by an Dnglish manager. They would see much to interest them. ? ok % BG "THE most valuable part of a lemoz is the essential oil contained ia the rind, which is used for flavouring purposes. A thousand lemons yield ten gallons of juice and one pound of aie oil, The oil is extracted by rubbig the rinds in a specially constructed machine. The oil flows through conduits into a separator, which extracts all the fibre and yields the pure essential oil. The lemons then pass by conveyor to the squeezing machinery, where two squads of girls operate. The juice flows down conduits to the reception tank. ‘The half lemons, denuded of pulp, pips and juice, are not wasted, but are carefully packed in large barrels and sold for cattle fodder. % tk HB girls in the factory work from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and although the standard of living in Southern Italy is very low, the girls look happy and contented, and physically they are a fine Jot. ‘They are mostly peasants from the surrounding -countryside, and all

have particularly beautiful skins and ‘natural complexions. Powder, lipstick, and other cosmetics are quite unnecessary and never used. This no doubt is partly due to the olive oil lunches and partly to the number of lemons they eat. Among the fruit is a small seedless lemon with a soft skin unsuitable for packing. These little lemons are called "bastardi," and are the perquisite of the factory girls. Each girl eats four or five.of these daily, winter and summer, and they are said to have a beneficial effect on the complexion. % % 7 ISS FLORA CORMACK, in her recent talks on "Hollywood Affairs," gaye us. interesting facts concerning some of the best and most beautiful of the film stars. Regular cinema _ frequenters, I am sure, listen with delight to these talks of hers. It was rather a coincidence that while I was writing on the subject of the lemon industry, Miss Cormack was telling over the air the beneficial effects of lemons in reducing one’s avoirdupois. Miss Cormack

said: "Remember to use lemons in every possible way if you wish to be slim. Squeeze the juice of a lemon in a tumbler of hot water and take the first thing in the morning. This drink taken every day is one of the best reducers, and also clears the system. Also use lemon juice instead of vinegar in your salad dressing." This is one of the means by which Joan. Crawford keeps her slim figure. Several girls of my acquaintance are ambitious to become film actresses, and Should they enter for that profession they must make up their minds to years of solid grind. Mediocrity is debarred, and to become a successful actress one must possess a very strong personality, charm, readiness for hard work, and much patience and perseverance. ; z z AM glad to see that there is a British Films Week. All other British industries have had their special publicity, so it was time something of the kind was done. for the furtherance of our British films. . ‘Australia, too, is ak th

coming on with regard to the Making of pictures. There are some fine pictures now in process of being made at Efftee, Melbourne, one of which is the "Sentimental Bloke." ® * * Frew people are aware that the bankers in control of Hollywood business affairs have made drastic economies, and yet it does not pay. Aun outsider ventures to tell them why. He says: "Hollywood has nearly all the things required to make successful films-first rate actors, lovely women, brilliant writers and directors, technical resources that can work miracles. The one thing it lacks is ideas." Even when you have found the next best thing to a universal success you cannot assume that the formula will work again. The mixture-as-before may be a sound recipe for pickles; in entertainment it ultimately spells ruin. e * g TN listening to broadcasting the ayverage person must in the past few years have acquired a more extensive yocabulary and a greater enjoyment of words. Many words we meet with in books are never added to our vyocabulary, and we may read them for years without being able to pronounce them. Since broadcasting began thousands of new words must have come into circulution generally and the discussion of the accent and pronunciation of those who stand before the microphone must have created a greater interest in our language than was ever known before. 2 sd = AN OTHER series of lecturettes from 2YA was begun on Thursday evening, the 28rd, by Mr. W. 8S. Wauchop on "Modern British Drama." The dawn of modern drama was the subject for his first talk, and he spoke chiefly of the works of Henry Arthur Jones and Sir Arthur Pinero, both of whom have done so much to raise the standard of dramatic art during the past forty years. Mr. Wauchop has a very pleasant and clear delivery, and his reading of some of the passages in the plays discussed made an agreeable change from the ordinary lecturette. Those who are fond of the drama will, I am sure, listen with appreciation to these talks. % * * ey the fashion talk from 2¥A this week, Miss Madge Thomas, the lady from Kirkealdie and Stains, Ltd., gave some excellent hints on how to weur the hats of the moment. To buy a new hat is one of the joys of a woman’s life, but being so long accustomed to wearing the cloche and pull-on variety, it is difficult to adjust ourselves to the present fashion of showing so much of our hair, which Miss Thomas asserts should be beautifully coiffured. In windy Wellington, many will agree with me that it is next to impossible to keep the hair as smooth and neat as fashion decrees when wearing the new