Bad old days in the West Indies

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33463, 19 February 1974, Page 4

Bad old days in the West Indies

The skeletons of legions of slaves rattled in their flimpsy cupboards on Sunday evening as the documentary “The British Empire” too'.' a look at the way in which the sugar cane wealth of the West Indies was built up. “The Sugar Slaves” was certainly no whitewash job; in fact the programme seemed to go out of its way to ensure that the whole of the shameful business was told. It outlined the greedy scramble and squabbling for the riches of the islands by the major powers; it showed how thousands of Africans were shipped across the Atlantic in packed hell ships, and it highlighted the great gulf between the grand style of living of the rich plantation owners and the wretched slaves who were treated like cattle. Skilful use was made of film showing the great houses still standing, and of the descendants of the slaves sweating it out cutting sugar cane. Here and there objectivity gave way to British pride — sailors press-ganged into service with the Queen’s Navy developed, we were told, a fierce love for their country and rose to great anonymous acts of courage. The courage no-one doubts, but love of country might be an over-statement where it concerned men ■ deprived of their rights and 1 who must have yearned for J a life ashore. And strange though it sounded in these days of ■ human rights, the justifical tion for God-fearing Angli- ’ cans to make great wealth at the expense of human life

was included — the slaves were better off in touch with a superior civilisation. “The Man From Haven” ran out of blackmailing steam and into bed in Sunday night's episode of the six-part crime serial. But one had to admit the considerable abilities and attributes of Miss Susan Fleetwood who played the lead role in “The Watercress Girl” in the

NATIONAL LINK [lncluding 3YA Christchurch (690 kilohertz); 2YA Wellington (570 kilohertz); 4YA Dunedin 750 kilohertz); and 3YZ Greymouth (950 kUhertzu 7.0 p.m.: N.Z.B.C. Sports News. 7.30: Charles Chilton Presents HMS Victory. 8.0: Edmundo Ros and his Orchestra. 8.30: Weather and News and Checkpoint. 9.0: All Gas and Gaiters. 9.30: From the Storehouse of Canadian Folksong. 10.0: Jazz Tonight. 10.30: N.Z.B.C. News, Comment, Weather. 10.45: Gulliver’s Travels, by Jonathan Swift (2) A Voyage to Lilliput (8.8. C. 11.15: Continuous. 3YC CHRISTCHURCH (960 kilohertz) 7.0 p.m.: Schumann: Delights of a Stormy Night; Die, Love and Joy; Song of the Wayfarer; Budding Green; Longing for the Woods. Martti Taivela (bass), Irwin Gage (piano). 7.19: Michael McLellan (violin), Moya Rea (piano). Rubbra: Sonata No. 2 (N.Z.8.C.). 7.45: Letter from America, by Alistair Cooke. 8.0: Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64 — Ber-

series, “Country Matters" recently. “The David Nixon Show” is often contrived and very patchy indeed. It has the look 'of being thrown in along with a major purchase by the N.Z.B.C. — something like, if you take “The British Empire” we will include free a series of “The David Nixon Show.” k r

CHTV3 2.00 p.m.: News, weather (C). 2.05: Kate (Phvllis Calvert, Jack Hedley). Drama (C), 2.57: Kifaru: The Black Rhinoceros (Repeat) (C). 3.48: Room 222. Comedy-drama (C). 4.14: My Three Sons. Comedy (C). 4.47: Mr Wizard (Repeat). 5.09: The Flintstones. Cartoon (Repeat). 5.36: News (C). 5.40: Primus. Underwater adventure (C). 6.06: Here’s Lucy. Comedy (C). 6.33: Food Without Fuss. 6.50: Racing. Highlights. 7.00: Network news. 7.22: The South Tonight. 7.45: Coronation Street. 8.14: Alias Smith and Jones. Western (.C) 9.10: Newsbrief (C). 9.12: Ghost Story. Drama (C). 10.08: Late news, weather.

lin Philharmonic Orchestra under Herbert van Karajan. 8.50: Mozart: Divertimento for 2 flutes, 5 trumpets and timpani (K. 187 — Philip Jones Brass Ensemble. 9.0: Poetry: Readings, reviews, biography and comment, edited by Alan Roddick (N.Z.8.C.). 9.30: Bartok: Violin Concerto No. 1 — Georg Egger (violin), Orchestra of Radio Luxembourg under Alois Springer. 9.52: Tarrega: Al Alborada; Prelude; Sainz De La Maza: Habanera — Jan Carter (guitar). 10.0: China. (7) Mao Tse-Tung and Maoist Society (BBC.). 10.27: Strauss; Eberhard Waechter, Birgit Nilsson, Waldemar Kmentt, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra under Georg Solti. 10.54: Brahms: Hungarian Dance No. 4 in F minor — London Symphony ’ Orchestra under Antal Dorati. 3ZB CHRISTCHURCH (1100 kilohertz) 7.30 p.m.: Top of the Top 40 with John Blumsky. 8.2: Motoring with Robbie. 3ZM CHRISTCHURCH (1400 kilohertz) 7.30 p.m.: International Music Survey.