Radio Makes Factory Life Happier

Radio Record, Volume VIII, Issue 37, 22 March 1935, Page 20

Radio Makes Factory Life Happier

Christchurch Employer Instals Set in His Factory-Many Good Things Promised From 3YA at Easter — Broadcasting and the Church — Professor Shelley Receives Cheque.

LL classes of listeners will be provided for during: Haster week, for St. George’s Day and Shakespeare's birthday: fall on the same day, April 23, and Anzac Day two days later. The programmes have now been. arranged, Good Friday, of course, being a Sunday broadcast. Running commentaries on the two days of trotting and two ‘days’ gallops will be started at the Metropolitan Trotting Club’s meeting at Addington on Haster Saturday, with the Bailey-Marston Band making its first appearance before the microphone from the Winter Garden from 9-11.30 p.m. Easter Monday will see the start of the Canterbury Jockey Club’s two-day meeting at Riccarton. On Tuesday, April 28, a typical St. George’s Day programme will be given, and in commemoration of Shakespeare scenes from "Hamlet" will be presented by Miss Ngaio Marsh and her company. The cast for these scenes is:a particularly strong one, and includes most of the performers who took part in the morality: play, "Everyman," The usual appropriate broadcast: will be made on Anzac-Day with special service during the afternoon. ‘THE Commercial Travellers’ Concert Party intended ‘to. introduce a prostramme typical of their calling for their next concert,'and the: connecting dialogue and vocal numbers will. be in, keeping with the title "(IX)nights on the Road." This concert will be -broadcast by 3YA, and listeners can be assured. of a good evening’s entertainment, ‘4 BH president.of the Methodist Con- . ference, in his inaugural. address to the annual assembly of the Congregational Church of New Zealand, expressed concern regarding the possible effects of radio on the future of the church. He could. even forsee the developments of television as a factor in superseding the church as at present constituted. The radio is a wonderful medium, and has conferred -blessing upon thousands of inyalids and elderly people who are unable to at- | tend worship, but is a poor substitute for worship.in the church. | Although there seemed a distinct possibility that fewer and. fewer. churches would be required, he believed that the church Should be ready to use every possible avenue of scientific development, and any statement concerning its . future must kéep in mind the many-sided na-: ture of the work, and the Work of the pastor is vital and ‘must continue, No possible development of radio or tele- vision or evolution or robot mechanism can make an acceptable sick visitor, or bring comfort to: the. house of mourning, oo, LTHOUGH: Professor’ James: Shel_ley is avery busy. man at Canterbury College, he finds time to give a_ helping hand to many organisations in

Christchurch.. Beside being an authority on broadcasting, he has given much time for the extension of the educational broadcasts on the English system, is patron of the Obristchurch Orchestral Society,.and in recognition of his great services for the Canterbury Repertory Society was presented with a cheque for £25. Dr. J. Hight, chairman of the society, made the presentation, «dnd highly praised Professor Shelley’s work. HE Royal Christchurch Musical Society’s first concert will be given on April 80 in the Civic Theatre, when the first two parts. of "Hiawatha," "The Wedding Feast" and "The Death of Minnehaha," will be presented. Miss VALENTINE DIAKOF®, who is to narrate the programme of Russian music from 3YA on Monday, April 2, is leaving no stone unturned to make that particular hour a success. Listeners will remember this Russian girl’s talk on "Glimpses of Other Countries" at the beginning of the month. Miss Diakoff is arranging the programme of Russian music herself. T the annual meeting of the Ashburton Repertory Society it © was stated that the third annual report showed that the progress of the society in its dramatic work was a source of great satisfaction to all members.. The plays produced during the year had been of varied types, ranging from pure drama to those bordering on farce. The only full-length play produced by the society during the year. was such a suecess that the committee decided that it should become the policy of the society to present plays produced by its members whenever possible. G. B. Shaw’s "Pygmalion" had been recommended for the society’s next production, and the committee decided that the services of an outside producer would be obtained. HE month of March is a very busy one where annual meetings are concerned, and all the different musical societies are busy balancing their budgets in preparation for another season. ~ At the Orchestral Society’s annual meeting held in Christchurch, it was suggested that the funds of the society might be greatly helped if the concert programmes were broadeast. It was stated that attendance at concerts had decreased and that patronage had dropped greatly in, the past four years. The broadcasting authorities had been approached about broadcasting the concert programmes, and it hab been said that a concert would be accepted if it took place on May 15. While consider- able revenue might be available from this source, it was necessary, however, that new subscribers be obtained, and

it was decided that, in addition to the ordinary committee, the whole orchestra be constituted a committee to consider ways of obtaining increased membership. Myr. Alfred Bunz is. the conductor of the Orchestral Society and Miss. Bessie Pollard is the officin! accompanist. : ott te R. W. H. DIXON , who left New Zealand in August, 1934, for England, returned. by. the Rangitane last week. Mz. Dixon, resigned from the ‘conductorship of the Royal Christchurch Musical Seciety on his return from judging the Ballarat Competitions in:1984. Since leaving New Zealand he has spent:some time in Germany, and it is his intention to settle in Auckland, ‘THERE is evidently one employer in Christchurch ‘who believes in increasing the contentment of the worker and relieving the monotony of factory life. This man has had'a set installed in his factory for 12 months-a line now adopted by many American: ani: Wnglish firms, It was argued that it was quite probable that the effect of music in factories would be to increase production. -On the’ other hand, radiga in schools was for teaching. purposes! and to increase the children’s appreciation of music. The radio in the factory was only turned on in moderation, and. -the sole idea of installing if -has been to give pleasure to the staff; by making conditions of work more. pleasant, the music tends to counteract the effect of the staff losing interest in their work toward the end of the’ day. HE manager of this factory said that the radio was-turned on*for about three hours a day (the bright breakfast session always in demand) thotgh this period was largely determined by whether there was ‘anything on the air the workers particularly wanted _to hear. They were nearly always "on the air’ during the lunch hour, and it was also very popular toward the .end of the day and was a distinct benefit to. tired _ workers. The staff definitely liked music, and would not want to be without it, and the radio was particularly yaluable when there was overtime to be done, T is said that some American and English factories haye found that production has been increased up to 23 per cent. by the introductien of radio. but the Christchurch man said he could not state definitely that production in his factory had been actually increased, though it might have been a‘little,