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Radio Record, Volume VI, Issue 10, 16 September 1932, Page 7

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T WANT to know what happened to that long-snouted, — snivelling individual that Major-General B. S. Merlin told -us about, at 2YA, in his secret service talk. I’ve passed the age when "to be continued.in our next" holds any allurement for me. In ‘this. case I want to know the sequel. The Major-General’s deseription of a human rat would be very hard to beat. . 2: Ey 2, A MOST delightful talk on Switzeriand was given by Professor Algie ‘from 1YA, .and, as is invariably the case, the Professor was in good form. The graphic account of .the journey from Florence, through Milan and St. Moritz to Davos, was

such that any with imagination could follow the journey with keenest interest, Those who have travelled this route, up the many spirals to the high plateau from which one can look down on Italy, would enjoy listening to Professor Algie and travel with \ him in memory that entrancing journey again. The summary of the history of the people of Switzerland was worth hearing, and the examples of government which he gave should give listeners cause to wonder if our methods are as good.as they might e. * g s "THE appeal of Dr. Campbell Begg : (2ZW) for noble-minded youths to join. the "Transfusion Group" will surely result in the response of many more suitable donors than. will be immediately required. Any nervous anticipation that a would-be. donor may have felt previous to Dr, Begg’s lucid explanation of the process of ‘extraction has now disappeared. . Quick response may mean the saving of many valuable lives, and I feel sure that few can resist the appeal of one who does so much for the relief of suffering, x * "THAT ridiculous suggestion of the Advisory Council-Reserved-is so jeften filled with the interminable Yecording that it was. quite a welcome change when Dr. A. L. Lewis ‘broke in from 2YA last week. On each occasion his anecdotes. and thumbnail sketches of Hollywood per- ' gonalities were charming, instructive and mostly amusing. The Advisory Council would surely not claim that if there had been no "reserved," listeners would not have had the pleasure of hearing Dr. Lewis. mu & ‘JN his talk on the 2ZW.Club, Mr. "Will Appleton remarked. that the formation of the club had excited a lot of unfair criticism. . To me that is a. very curious. thing to say, considering all the circumstanees, and especially those which prompted the appeal for the institution of-the club. ft

People who: have publicly made .adverse comment will interpret that to. mean that their criticism is thought to be unfair. Many suggest that. the ease for the club has not. had the best of advocates, and after hearing some speakers I’m inclined to agree with them. Some members of the committee appear to have had a better understanding of the reason why so many are willing to support the club and haven’t bothered about criticism. There is quite enough hostility to the club without ane attempt to cultivate hostility. When a private company is required to go cap in hand to the public, the best policy is undisguised meekness and a plain tale-even if the story brings to light incidents that the proprietors are disinclined to make public. When the listener is invited to. assist voluntarily, and 2ZW outlines all the pros, it is surprising to me that someone has not demanded the right to present some of the cons, Everyone has heard that the station could have been disposed of at a profit, and quite a number are aware that other firms, selling similar goods, would be glad to share the monopoly that was granted by an indulgent Department to the proprietors of 2ZW. * R n QWNERS of B class stations conveniently forget that by the agency of receivers they are permitted:to intrude upon the hearths of the people-a condition of affairs that would not have been tolerated before radio. Further, they ignore the fact that the receivers were not purchased by the B stations, and that they are licensed in order that a national service may be conducted. I have subscribed to the club with a very fair knowledge of conditions, and I’m not the least bit worried -about criticism, unfair or otherwise.

TQHE assertion that a strong club, with possibly a membership of 8000 or 10,000, would be the strongest argument for a subsidy toward an alternative service is poor logic and pure parochialism. This contention overlooks the report of the Coverage Commission, and one would think that the city listener with a few shillings worth of radio equipment is entitled to have a better service than some country listeners with £100 worth. Some of the "unfair critics" seem to recognise that the members of the Coverage Commission have a better understanding of the essential of radio. My opinion is that when income from licenses is large enough to permit of an alternative programme for listeners with moderate receivers, the listeners will demand that broadcasting will not be done for private gain and the ether will be God’s voice-not Moloch’s. * x x [NX the concluding talk of the series ‘"Pakeha and Maori," in which Dr. I. L. G, Sutherland (2YA) trenchantly dealt with the problems that had faced the early settlers and those which confront the pakeha to-day in his relations with the Maori, a very eloquent tribute was paid to Sir Apirana Ngata and the Young Maori Party. Dr. Sutherland’s understanding and studious observations were a pleasure to listen to, and it is to be trusted that his Maori listeners -appreciate the fact that there are many pakehas who agree with the expressed opinions. Knowledge that the Maori must help himself and rely but little upon help from the pakeha, who views life quite differently, is undoubtedly the healthiest sign of an increasing interest in the welfare of

the race. The day has gone when the European could look upon our. noble native as a museum specimen, and in developing his industries without the paternal assistance from his co-resident, the Maori will evoke an acmiration among pakehas that his history and traditions demand: there shouldbe... * % * A CONTRIBUTOR to a northern paper makes the assertion that there is considerable talent available among local-performers, which is not encouraged to broadcast. This-is a very easy. assertion to make, but more difficult.to substantiate. There may be performers of merit who never. make a public appearance, but even these are extremely few in number. It was inferred that the fee is often incommensurate and I have known of performers. who have laboured under a belief that their gifts were unique ‘Writers who are aware of exceptional talent living near a YA station would be better employed if they acquainted the Broadcasting Board of their discoveries. The Board regularly con~ ducts auditions, patiently, if critically, and I know of one audition session in which forty applicants were tested and only one found worth while. Even country talent should be made known to the Board, as suitable arrangements for audition can often be made without much difficulty to either party. Personally, I think there :is,; very little proved or promising talent! of which the Board is ignorant, and! I understand that had it not been for AYA, Master Lex Macdonald might yet have been practically unknown. oe FE & JN his talk on "Zanzibar" (2YA), Dr. Guy H. Scholefield remarked that he thought very few New Zealanders had visited this island, and mentioned that the wife of the present Governor of Zanzibar was born in this country. That it is off the track of the usual New Zealand wayfarer is very true, and I do not know of more than about a dozen from this country who have paid a visit to this out-of-the-way island. Of that dozen, four are members of my own family, and no two of them have been there at the same time. As one used to tropical heat, I can agree with Dr. Scholefield that Zanzibar is hot, but I have been in hotter places, and one of them is Muscat, another place mentioned in the talk. The Sultan of Muscat established himself --in Zanzibar, to- better conduct his slave trade, and I have no doubt he felt the more equable climate of his island home at times quite chilly, compared to his Arabian territory. The Zanzibar slave trade is supposed to be ex‘tinct, and so far as the export of "black gold" from Africa to countries

This Week’s Winning Par. ON Wednesday afternoon the announcer at a "B" class station Said, "We have received word that Galli-Curci is unable to fulfil her engagements in Dunedin at present," and then he said "We will now play "Thanks be to God."-N.B., "Broadacres," N.E. Valley, Dunedin. A weekly prize of 5/- is offered for the best paragraph pertaining to radio. Address contributions, "Spark," Box 1032, Wellington.

‘bordering the Persian Gulf, via Zanzibar, I think that is so.. Nevertheless it may. be doubted if every inhabitant of the island is totally unconnected ‘with slave traffic, and in that island of the unblessed I have seen a large number that I believe could be guilty of anything that was unlawful, ‘AN entertaining talk was that given by Mr. L. R. Denny, from 3YA, on Tangier, that old world spot passed by multitudes of Britishers but ‘visited by comparatively few. Here, ‘within a few miles of Gibraltar, where so many of our race have been, remain the remnants of that race that kept scholarship alive in south-west-ern Europe when the rest of the continent steeped itself in superstition and ignorance Here, too, remain the descendants of the Jews whom Torquemada banished from Spain, and consequently sent his country into volantary liquidation. Mr. Denny. dedeplored the importunities of the professional beggars, but the experienced traveller is not worried greatly by them. The beggar has an uncanny sense of distinguishing the traveller he can worry from the one he cannot. When Tangier and similar places are "radioed" as our own country, I doubt if there will be as many broadeasts for charity as we hear locally. Mussolini cleaned out the persistent beggar in Italy (more or less), and we might have to emulate his.rule in the land of the Nordic if we are not to sink to the level of the despised Oriental. * iw if HEARD the representative of the Department of Health give a very timely talk on the destruction of flies and their breeding grounds the other morning. He mentioned that one authority called the fly nuisance one of the minor horrors of the war. Neither the Health Department or our Military Department seems to me to be quite up-to-date, but it is to be hoped that the soldier in the next war carries in his kit a few flowerpots of "Shoo-Fly" plants. If we can only keep the enemy from obtaining seeds our soldiers might have a horticultural time of it during the next time, instead of the other kind. If the farmer, who the speaker insisted should use every means to destroy the pest, would decorate his smelly places with Shoo and drive the fly into the urban districts, then the popularity of the "mystery trains’ vould grow. amazingly. ONE ‘of the most interesting talks . that I have heard for some time ee eas i

was that given in a delightful manner during the 2YA educational: session by Mr. H. Ninnis, on "Bird Life in the Antarctic." Without doubt Mr. Ninnis has material and a style that holds attention, and it is to be hoped that he may be induced to speak at an hour when more listeners are at home. As we occasionally see about our coasts some of the birds mentioned, the subject had an added charm, but the real charm was in the manner of the telling of the story of our feathered friends. Ly nm & RUSNING south from New Zealand one soon meets the birds that range hundreds of miles from their nesting places. With the exception of the Emperor penguin, which is known. to winter in Antarctica, the bird life is seasonal. The albatross, the biggest flying bird, is early met. Of this species, the Royal, the Wanderer and the "Ancient Mariner’ are the best known. The flight of this bird is a never-ending joy to observe, as they literally sail through the air, turning, banking, soaring to great heights, and skimming the wave erests with no noticeable wing mcvement. The only bird that approaches the albatross for gracefulness in flight is the very good eating bird, the "Cape Hen," which J have not seen often about the New Zealand coasts. Another graceful fiyer is the ‘"‘mollymawk," akin to the albatross, but much more numerous. Our own gulls are much in evidence for some distance south. Fulmers and bosun birds are often seen, and the former inhabits the ocean as far south as the Antarctic continent. The diving petrel can be watched with interest for hours, dropping like a stone from immense heights, to enter the water with the smallest of splashes, in his diving for fish, The petrels are gourmands, and Mr. Ninnis’s description of their feeding until they were too full for action and fell helpless on the snow, was both amusing and instructive. Sp ® , * HE birds that have captured everyone’s love, however, are the penguins, and of these Mr.-Ninnis was most entertaining in his observations. Captain Frank Hurley aroused the whole world’s interest in these "‘Charlie, Chaplins" of the feathered tribe, and it is little Adelie that everyone. loyes. He is undoubtedly the most

popular of all birds, whether we meet him at home or in the pictures. He is a born humorist, with his quaint little toddle, curious elert look, and intense interest in everything out of the ordinary. Ina stern, harsh land, he adds a touch of real fun, and none could have recounted better his quaint habits than, Mr. Ninnis. THE selection of Macdowell’s ; "Woodland Sketches" for a place on the programme at 2YA this Friday seems to me to be a happy one. Originally written for the piano, in orchestral form they lose none of their charm, and Mr. de Mauny’s concert orchestra will doubtless give them a tender rendering as befits their fragile beauty. Macdowell’s musie throughout is so healthy,. so thoroughly sane, that the tragedy: of his last years seem like a specially eruel ‘injustice. Early in 1905 his forty-fifth year, his mind gaye way, and he died three years later. Toward the last he was as a little child. He sat quietly, day after day, in a chair by the window, smiling patiently at thosé about him, turning the pages of a book of fairy tales, which seemed to give him definite pleasure, and grecting with a fugitive gleam of recognition certain of his more intimate friends. At 9 p.m. on January 28, 1908, America’s greatest composer passed away in the presence of the heroic woman who for almost a quarter of a century had been his devoted wife, companion, councillor, helpmate and friend. DESCENDED from Quaker stock of Scottish and Irish origin, he counted himself a genuine American, but despite his real enthusiasm for his own country, he spent a good many years in Europe, and for a time proposed to make Germany his permanent home. The prestige of his success in Europe made him at once ‘the outstanding personality in Ameri‘can music, and he used his position with tact and energy to win for fellow composers something more than local recognition. How well he succeeded in a few short years is best known to -the Americans, who hold his memory in affectionate honour. In the best sense his music is popular everywhere. Romantic, picturesque, it is eloquent of the freshness of out-of-doors, breezy and wholesome. The sea, forests. sunlight and shadow,

elves, fairies, and goblins; the moods of nature and man’s kinship with her spirit-all these he brings to us éasily and naturally. Macdowell loved the hills and streams of his native New England, and the reaches about his home spoke to him in q language that he well understood. What they whispered to him he has translated for us in the beautiful "Woodland Sketches." = de +>

N indication of the type which supplies us with much of our film entertainment was given by Mr. C. A. L. Treadwell when he spoke from 2YA upon the trial for murder of Madelaine Smith. This notorious person was discovered in New York by the movie interests, and an endeavour was made to induce Smith to appear on the "fillums," but she had had quite sufficient publicity to last her a lifetime, half a century before. The picture people, frustrated by the firm refusal of Smith to accept, be-

came nasty and tried to have ner deported as an undesirable alien. Taken by: and large they are a great blessing,. are the American film-producers«The rumour that Smith lived for ‘Soyme time in Feilding gained considerable currency, and in a way it’s a pity she didn’t. Wanganui was famous at one time because Tom Long, the hangman, lived near there. It’s quite a shameful thing to think that Feilding’s claim to fame rests upon @ mere rumour,

Sir J. M. Barrie’s Famous Comedy, "What Every Woman Knows" Will be produced by The Canterbury. Repertory Theatre Society. And relayed by On MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 19