N.Z. Clothing Prices Surprise U.S. Visitor

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28250, 11 April 1957, Page 2

N.Z. Clothing Prices Surprise U.S. Visitor

The tremendous increase in the price of items such as towels, clothing and shoes in New Zealand had amazed her, said Mrs Sydney' Hayden, of Providence. Rhode Island, who has returnee to Christchurch after an absence of 10 years to visit her mother Mrs J. Corrigan, of Papanui road. Mrs Hayden, who was formerly Miss Dorothy Corrigan, was a music librarian for the New Zealand Broadcasting Company in Christchurch and at the head office in Wellington and was later employed by the New Zealand Broadcasting Service when the company was taken over by the government about 1932. “Recently I went into a shop to buy a large coloured towel and I got quite a shock when I was charged 19s 6d. A similar item in the United States would be about -a dollar or 7s 6d. I find it hard to realise that 2s 6d is worth approximately 35 cents and on top of that the purchasing power of the half-crown has dropped,” said Mrs Hayden. Foods Cheaper Most foods were cheaper in New Zealand but it had to be remembered that wages and salaries were higher in the United States, said Mrs Hayden. New Zealand meat was cheap and of good quality, milk was half the price of that charged in the United States and the price of sweets was comparable. Although there was a great variety of types of bread available in the United States, Mrs Hayden said she still preferred the New Zealand product. “Maybe it has something to do with the type of flour used or maybe -it is just because I was brought up on it.” she said.

Mr Hayden began his career in broadcasting in Auckland where he was an accompanist, at Station IYA when it was operated by the New Zealand Broadcasting Company. He later became an executive and was appointed station manager before coming to Christ-

church as secretary of the company. After the company was taken over by the government he was appointed assistant general manager. Mr and Mrs Hayden were married in 1938.

They went to the United States in 1940, and after spending about

three years in California moved east to Washington, D.C., and then to Maryland, where Mr Hayden ran his own business for 10 years. They recently moved north to Providence in the State of Rhode Island. “It is 20 years since I have lived in Christchurch, and I was last here in 1947, when it appeared that little change had taken place. But in the last 10 years there seems to have been a great increase in the population and the city has expanded greatly,” Mrs Hayden said. Mrs Hayden has not listened to the radio a great deal in the United States, but she confessed that both she and her husband are ardent television enthusiasts. Television had made a tremendous difference to -family life, particularly in the cities. Radio still had a big influence on the country people. “Erroneous Impression” There appeared to be an erroneous impression in New Zealand that television in the United States was of a low standard Competition for viewers was so keen that programmes costing many hundreds of thousands of dollars were produced by the major networks, and the top-line artists, actors and Comedians were employed. The standard was gradually being improved all the time. Quiz programmes were by far the most popular, and sometimes the prize money reached more than 100,000 dollars, said Mrs Hayden. Television had a tremendous impact on the film industry, and hundreds of theatres in the United States had been forced to close down because of lack of patronage. People preferred to

watch television in the comfort of their own homes. “It is a pity that the radio service in New Zealand is controlled by the Government, as the lack of competition means that there is some lack of incentive to improve the programmes. I am dis-

appointed that there has not been more change in the New Zealand Broadcasting Service since I was last here. There is a tendency for the programmes to become stereotyped when there is one

controlling authority,” said Mrs Hayden.