Tragedy of Clothes' Line Aerial

Radio Record, Volume VII, Issue 15, 20 October 1933, Page 21

Tragedy of Clothes' Line Aerial

A yY Auckland Youth Uses Line as Aerial, and Mother is Electrocuted While Hanging Clothes to Dry-"Au Revoir to the ‘Buckshee’ Broadeasting Stacion, 1ZB."

HAT care should be taken to ensure that clothes’ lines are not used as aerials, and that aerials are kept well away from lines where elothes are hung, was brought home vividly in the death of a widow in Epsom, Auckland, on Thursday last. Giving evidence at his mother’s inquest on Friday afternoon, a youth of 17 said that he had been exp.rimenting with a erystal radio set in his bedroom. He said he had an aerial running from his window and connected to the clothes’ line, while he also ran a lead with the electric light into the room, to the set which was on the table. "I must have left the plug in when I went to the city at 9 a.m.," added the grief-stricken youth. His mother, a widow, aged 56, was found lying across the clothes line, which was charged with electricity. She received a shock which caused her death when she hung a wet blanket on the line. a a HOSE lovers of music who favour tenor singers are in for a feast on Sunday, October 22, when, from 1YA. Mr. eo Whittaker is to present 4 recital of recorded items entitled "One flour with the Tenors." This may sound a little boring, a whole hour of tenor singers, but the vast range and wide variety of tenor vocalists should make the hour one really worth listening to. All the world’s best tenors will be heard in operatic arias and the best songs and ballads. & % 2 "AU Reygir, listeners, to the buckshee private broadcasting station 1ZB." said Mr, Charles H. Pearson from that . station recently. "Auld Lang Syne" followed, and a second later the familiar hum of the transmitter, heard lately on only two nights of the week, ceased. Mr. Pearson, in a special announcement, said he hoped that the station had only closed down temporarily. He snid his firm was removing shortly from Karangahape Road (a_ stone’s throw from 1YA), and they were taking the opportunity of overhauling the plant. Mr. Pearson felt that a few words at that juncture would not be amiss. Station 1ZB, he added, had been on the air for eight years, and that to 1ZB was issued the second private broadcasting license in New Zealand, the first being issued to Charlie Forrest, who ran 2YB, Wellington, transmitting from the top of Ford Buildings, Wellington. From him, Mr Pearson said, his company purchased the original 1YB plant, N those days, continued Mr. Pearson, 1YA, transmitting from the Scots Hall, was silent on Monday nights, and his station, 1YB (as it was then known) came on the air on Monday nights. He therefore claimed that 1ZB could say it was one of the pioneers in broadcasting in the Dominion. Other and more up-to-date stations had since come into existence, giving longer hours of transmission than 1ZB, but he had

always aimed at giving wholesome £utertainment of a popular variety that appealed to all listeners, 9 2 Le] A QUAINT announcement of 1Z3B’s "death" was made the following ‘Tuesday morning by station 1Z8. To the strains of the Funeral March the announcer said it was a matter for regret that the station had closed down He invited all listeners to heed the ad vice given from 1ZB and to join and support the United Listeners’ Club. fe) ca a N the oceasion of his last talk from LYA on "World Affairs," Mr, Alan E. Mulgan had to follow Mr. Harold Black, the well-known golfer, who gave one of his nightly summaries of the play in the golf champ‘onships a! Titirangi that day. "I feel at a dis advantage, coming from the pur regions of golf to the more sordid real ities of world affairs, but there is i distinct connection between the twe topics," said Mr. Mulgan, who relate¢ an interesting anecdote. "Just afte) the war, Lloyd George, who was the. Prime Minister of England, went te Cannes to hold a conference with M Aristide Briand, who was at the time Premier of France," said the speaker. "Lloyd George suggested to M. Briand that they should enjoy a game of golf

before they settled down to the solemn business of the conference. Briand agreed. The game between the twa famous statesmen was fully reported in the French newspapers and the French public became frightfully annoyed. They thought it was frivolous and out of all reason. So serious were they that three days later the Governyent of France dissolved and poor -fonsieur Briand lost his position!" a Ed m™ LBERT RUSSELL, New Zealand’s greatest mirth provoker and gloom vemoyer, still goes strong during the early morning sessione from 1ZS. "Let’s have a laugh now and be happy," says Albert, and off he goes in a hearty burst of rollicking laughter ‘yhich makes even the most, worried istener smile and feel better. "Hello, World," is his quaint greeting when ie starts his splendid broadeasts. ‘This form of saying good morning, com’ng from a one-lamp power transmitter, ‘o a visitor who is accustomed — to istening to 50,000-watt transmitters, is he most amnsing thing he has ever heard. 4 2 = 9° GORDON HUTTER, 1YA’s_ sports announcer, paid Wellington another yisit recently. when he broadcast (Continued on page +45.)

Auckland Notes.

Interference Stull Bad in Auckland

. ~ ~ / (Continued from page 21.) the Walker-Rumberg match, and. as usual, gave a thrilling description of the eight rounds of "bickering" by these two giants. Now that Rugbv football has finished and the wrestling season is almost at a close, thousands of listeners all over New Zealand will miss the thrills of the mat and the playing field from the YA sports an‘nouncers. However, those who patronise the turf will be able to sit at home and listen to the races. Mr. Hutter will be at the microphone during the forthcoming meetings at Alexandra Park (trots) and the Takapuna and Auckland gallops. After all, it is going to be hard to work up any excitement over the broadcast of a cricket match. B J s "THE Auckland radio inspector reports that interference in the suburbs. of the Queen City is still bad. Particularly is this so in the Manurewa district, the trouble being caused by an electric incubator with a bad thermostat which radiates for a distance of a mile away. The incubator has recently been sold and has passed from one hand to the other in the same district, and the trouble keeps on re‘curring. Asked how he tackled — the problem of interference, the inspector states that a specially-fitted motorvehicle containing an eight-valve set is _used. There are, of course, other technical appliances. The interference is first measured on a meter and thus it can‘be ascertained whether any of the power. lines are leaking more than they should. If the power lines are not at fault, the tell-tale meter finds the trouble just the same. A portable set is also carried and this is used to take away from the motor-vehicle to get to the root of the trouble. The inspector advises those listeners who are worried with interference to obtain the proper form from the Post and ‘Telegraph Department’s office. When this has be-.a filled in, the inspectors will do the rest. 3 cs] m In his third talk on "World Affairs" from 1YA last Wednesday evening, Mr. A. EH. Mulgan, literary editor of the "Auckland Star,’ touched on signs b of better times, and pointed out that the condition of the world should not be judged entirely by the news of sensational or grave happenings, So much current news at any time was bad news, he said, and side by side with the happenings that constituted this bad news, numbers of people live happy and industrious lives, and forces were at work, largely unseen, making for progress. Mr. Mulgan paid a tribute to the late Viscount Grey and made a brief comparison between the conditions of diplomacy in Grey’s time and at the present day, referring to the s \ greater amount of direct consultation now between Prime Ministers and foreign secretaries, and the existence of the League of Nations, the need for which Grey foresaw. Finally, Mr. Mulgan said something about AustroGerman relations and the severe loss involved in the death of King Feisal. He pointed out that the new King of Iraq, a young man, had been educated at Harrow, and that there was another

Hastern king, the King of Siam, who had been educated in the same wayat Eton, Mr. Mulgan said they would all hope that the kingdom of Iraq would be won and not lost on the playing fields of Harrow.