Christmas Day Off Cape Horn

Radio Record, Volume VII, Issue 6, 18 August 1933, Page 44

Christmas Day Off Cape Horn

When the Ice Claimed Its Victims-Is Radio Killing English Dialects? — C.I.D. Men Quite Unlike Popular. Sherlock Holmes Conception.

A THRILLING story of the sea with an old-fashioned moral, made up Captain Gillespie Hdwards’s contribution to 2YA’s talk series. While the full-rigged ship "Pandora" was lying at Wellington wharf, loading for the United Kingdom, complaint was made of pilfering, and suspicion fell upon the boys. A search of the half-deck revealed some of the. missing articles hidden by the guilty persons under the bedding of an innocent boy’s bunk-that of the narrator, It was circumstantial evidence only, but the captain, in the interest of discipline, felt constrained to make some punishment to.impress the remainder of the crew. With a homily upon attributes essential to success in life as a seaman, the victim of the guilty ones’ subterfuge was transferred to the ship "Atlas." e % ® HH "Atlas" duly departed, and on Christmas Day was off the Horn becalmed, but the wind’s fury isn’t arrested for long in that quarter. A south-west gale sprung up, and under reefed sails the "Atlas" was soon doing her twelve. Out of the murk came the strains of "Christians Awake," and upon hailing in the direction of -the musie came the information that the "Pandora," 21 days out, and all well, was in the offing. The "Pandora" flew ahead, and no more was seen of her. The following morning at daybreak the "Atlas" lookout reported ice ahead. Down went the helm, and as they skirted the berg they saw on it several of the "Pandora’s" crew, waving frantically, The "Pandora" had struck and gone down, and the "Atlas" was powerless to help the castaways. On arrival in London the narrator had handed to him two letters posted in Wellington-from the guilty ones asking forgiveness. s 2 HE second half of Mr. L: &. Strachan’s programme of dialect recordings, to which the title of "English as she is spoke" was given, proved to be most entertaining, It is often

said that standardised broadcast Png: lish will seal the doom of county dialects, and it would seem that this conclusion is arrived at by a large amount of guessing without taking very many factors into consideration. A century of facility for travel and intermixing afforded by the railways didn’t make much difference, and half a century of compulsory education had very little

effect in stamping out local pronunciations. * & UNLESS it is made compulsory for babies in the cradle to be permanently fitted with earphones, radio won’t do as much for language levelling as the motor-bike. The war did more in this direction in five years than broadcasting, alone and unaided, will do in a hundred, and as we are never going to have another war, although up till now each generation has fought its own wars, it would appear dialects have a long lease of life. What broadcasting has done -is to make many dialects very widely understood ! s * * A DETECTIVE from Scotland Yard is as unlike the Sherlock Holmes of books and the pictures as it is possible to be, said Captain W. J. Mel-

ville. They are just as diverse in appearance as a selection of doctors or artisans. In one thing only are all alike-no detective is less than five feet nine inches high. Few realise how thor: ough is the investigation in many criminal cases, and the speaker stated that in the "Brides in the Bath" case 40 towns were combed, 150 witnesses interrogated, and 20 bank balances were scrutinised, apart from a most voluminous medical testimony. oe % = NTIMATH anecdotes of many famous chiefs of the C.I.D. were related by Captain Melville. It is written that when Inspector Froest entered an anarchists’ den and a revolver bullet knocked the cigar from his mouth, he said, "Gentleman,-had I known you objected to smoking I would have removed my cigar before enter-~ ing" but according to Captain Melville the remark was hardly so polite. His policy was to always show contempt for the class he had to deal with, and when a bravado entered his office and fired a revolver at him at point-blank-range, the inspector rose and kicked him downstairs. No case was made of the episode and no limelight was given to the notoriety. seeker.

AFTER 60 years,.since J apan awoke from her seclusion, the total number of her nationals domiciled abroad is less than one year’s natural increase in her pnonulation. stated Dr: Guy H.

Scholefield. For 40 years we. have Seasonally heard of the Yellow Peril, particularly in the aspect as a menace to empty Australia, but the few Hastern Asiatics settled in the Southern Seas largely discredit the Jeremiah’s anticipation. The speaker alluded to the commission appointed by the Japanese Government and the scheme propounded whereby Japan-an _ overpopulated country-could absorb her natural increase for many years to come, s e s jy the opinion of Dr. Scholefield there are two major reasons for diserediting the racial peril of Japan. Emigration alone is no cure for overpopulation and for two generations at least her newly-acquired territory in her own neighbourhood will be an effective outlet, which are very cogent reasons for supposing the’ peril may be more of a-fancy than‘a fact. But will Japan be allowed to develop her policy as she herself desires? They have never been a’peaceful race.. Beyond military glory, it is. difficult to imagine what Germany would have gained. by world domination. The Foochow Province of China isn’t quite certain of Japan’ 8 peaceful aims. In that district it is firmly held that an Ameri-can-Japanese war is inevitable and the Chinese feel resigned. to the belief that when a clash occurs Japan’s first action will be to seize Foochow. s r) r HH Japanese have a disinclination for emigration, said Dr. Scholefield, and climatic conditions are a factor in this, yet when easy.money was available in Malaya that warm spot was full.of them. Few ever laboured under a belief that Japan might be desirous of Northern Australia-a_ territory that the more enterprising Nordic has. neglected-but acquisition of the whole continent is a different thing altogether, Japan was not’ emphatic about her retention of the Carolines for the trade benefits aceruing’ from that quarter. If America and Japan ever do come to grips it is possible that . even this backwatér could be an asset to Japan. although otherwise surely no one could imagine -anyone wanting it but ourselves, 4

PUKETERAKI MAORI PARTY will give A Fine Concert from 4YA ON SATURDAY, AUGUST 26. Director: Pani Te Tau.