OVER THE AIR

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22343, 5 March 1938, Page 12

OVER THE AIR

[By LISTENER.] Here is an imaginary scene. The setting is the headquarters of the National Broadcasting Service". It is hard to believe, but the officials have been reading what, is about to be written. "Another bright idea from the f/junt of all radio wisdom," says one to another. "There's something in it, too, but we did not think of it first, so out it goes." "Even if his ideas .vere good I would not like them," said the other. "After all, we're paid to do the thinking and arranging, and we can afford to ignore the notions of the average dull mind." "Oh, yes. His mind is average enough, but he reminds me just a bit too much of the Chamber of Commerce. Those commercial big boys are full of bright ideas for running the country, yet you never hear of one of them coming out into the open and offering himself, a political saviour, to the people." "No, you haven't quite hit the point there," retorts the other. "That infernal penny-a-liner would like to run New Zealand radio if he had the chance. He'd be in the market all right. I suppose you could buy his sort with a few pints of something or other." This dialogue must not be continued because it might deflate my pallid ego too much, so let us get on to what has provoked them. It was reported in a Wellington newspaper this week that Mr L. de Mauny, who is, among other things, conductor of the orchestra at the "Dominion Station of the National Broadcasting Service," is proposing to give three lecture-orchestral concerts to school children in Wellington this year. He suggests that he would be able to arrange for an orchestra of at least 35 professional musicians, and during the lecture the children would be shown the various instruments and hear them played "separately. "By this means," says Mr de Mauny, "they would soon be able to distinguish between an oboe and a bassoon, or a French horn and a trumpet." Like all good things, these concerts would cost money. Mr de Mauny estimates that fees to the musicians would come to approximately £SO for each concert. To make his scheme practicable, it would be necessary to have about 1300 children paying 2s 6d for the series. So far, it may be mentioned, the scheme has been endorsed by the Wellington Technical College.

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