Mr. J. L. Passmore's Title Disputed

Radio Record, Volume VIII, Issue 41, 19 April 1935, Page 20

Mr. J. L. Passmore's Title Disputed

Correspondent in Christchurch N ewspaper Writes of Wireless Operators in the Early Days-Broadecast From Winter Garden Cabaret- . Extending Chamber Music Sessions.

UST to whom the honour of having been the first wireless operator anc constructor in the South Island belongs is at present being disputed in Christ: chureh. One of the evening papers re ferred to Mr. J. L, Passmore, the new Iunedin member of the Broaticasting Board, as the first man to build and operate a wireless telegraphy set jin the South Island, but a correspondent now points out that, while Mr. Passmore’s experiments took place in 1902 and 1908, Mr.-J. EE. Strachan, now principal of the Rangiora High School, ana Mr. R. Scott, while students at Dunedin, constructed and operated a primitive sort of wireless set as far back as 18991900. The receiver consisted of an ironfilings coherer with a bell attachment and at first signals were merely receiyed from one room to another-and then over progressively greater distances, HOWEVER, Mr, J. L. Passinore’s association with wireless is almost ag lengthy and to-day he is president of the Otago Radio Club and vice-pre-sideut of the Dunedin branch of the New Zealand Amateur Radio Transmitters’ Association. It was carly in

the present century, when he was I6 years old, that Mr. Passmore seriously turned to things electrical. ‘There fell into his hands a vague article on "How to Construct an Efficient Wireless Tele. graph Apparatus at Small Cost," and during the Easter ~holidays of. 1902just 383 years ago-he began to exper!ment. The result was that he eventual. ly managed to transmit sound over i, distance of about 100 yards, This set is now in the Old Settlers’ Museum in Dunedin, In 1904 young Passmore picked up a message coming froni F.M.S. Powerful, which was then lying oif Otago Heads. N Easter Saturday the well-known Bailey Marston Orchestra will _ broadcast for the first time from 2 national station. The Winter Garden in Christchurch might well be named "society’s rendezvous," and it is from this popular cabaret that the broadcast will take place. Bailey Marston and the Winter Garden go hand-in-hand for popularity, and every Saturday throughout the year the Winter Garden holds a public cabaret dance, at which the full orchestra of ten players contributes

continuous music. Every musician of this brilliant combination is an artist and a professional at his particular instrument, The dance music provided by this combination is guided by public taste, and although jazz still has many adherents, some of the older’ worldfamous pieces ure always included in the programme, and the orchestra is famous for its rendering of the "Blue Danube." "THE Winter Sarden. was originally built about ten years ago, and the designer set abuot the work from-an artistic point of view, erecting a unique dance hall, From the grand lounge opens the ballroom, with a sprung floor Which.is the largest of its kind in New Zealand, Mr. and Mrs, Ernest Short are the host and hostess, who, since. their taking over nearly eighteen months ago, have greatly increased the popularity of the cabaret. Mr. Short is well known all over New Zealand, possessing one of the finest bass-bari-tone voices, and on many occasions has broadcast from the national stations. Mr. Short delights many cabaret patrons With his fine singing, and arranges ballets and scenes for the entertainment of his guests. ARRANGEMENTS for extending the scope of the chamber music seéssions have been made by the Broadcasting Board. Up till now the general practice has been to provide this section of the programme through recordings. It has now been decided to supplement the recordings with performances by artists, In Christchurch this innovation became effective last Monday evening, when Mr. Ernest Jenner, A.R.A.M., L,R,A.M., and Miss Louise Croucher, P,D.R.CO.M.L, gave the piano and violin duet "Sonata in A Major," by Cesar Franck In future there will be a similar performance by artists in the studio, in‘’the chamber musie session on the third Monday in each month. Moka than 5000 of the booklets which have been printed for the guidance of teachers and pupils listening to the broadcasts to schools have been distributed from 8¥A. The booklets are posted to all who make written application. Beside illustrating the considerable service given by these broadcasts, the distribution of booklets shows how extensive is the area covered by the station. Besides numerous schools in all parts of Canterbury and Westland, the following schools made applications for booklets so that their pupils could follow the broadcasts to the best advantage: Otokia (Otago), Naseby (Central Otago), Hyde (Central Otago), Okaiawa (Taranaki), Mangaonoko (Auckland), Waipukurau (Hawke’s Bay), Wakefield (Nelson), Beaconsfield (Manawatu), Bunnythorpe (Manawatu). An interesting application for copies of the booklet was from the Tua‘hiwi Maori School,