RADIO NOTES

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 100, 22 January 1936, Page 8

RADIO NOTES

Wireless and Kingship

KING GEORGE’S SPEECHES

Voice of His Majesty

(Br

Ether.)

King George V was the first King of England to be presented with the power of radio as an asset of kingship. Although radio was known in the days of Queen Victoria, and used in the days of King Edward, it was during the reign of King George V that radio came into its own. Curiously enough it was made use of iu every conceivable way other than that of kingship. Indeed one can but wonder what would have happened if Queen Victoria had been asked to speak into a little box. Only during the last few years of the reign of King George has radio been so above suspicion that it has been permitted to enter into the sovereignty of Empire. King George will always be remembered as the king who harnessed the ether to his Empire. The -success of his Empire speeches is still too well known to require elaboration. The fact remains, meverthless, that they did more to bring the King into the homes of his peoples than any written implement has ever done. Next to :i visit in person, the voice of the King of England stirs the Empire as nothing else caff. It is to be hoped that the Empire’s new sovereign will carry on the fashion set by his father. What afraagements will be made to permit the Empire to enter into the mourning have yet to be made known. Coining, Events.

The programmes of the not-so-distant future contain quite a number of little plays, “The Rivals” will be heard from 2YA in the evening of Sunday, January 2G. This play will be presented by W. S. Wauchop and Company. From IYA, oil Monday, January 27, two playS will be transmitted. The first one in the evening programme is called “Dust,” and is presented by J. W. Bailey. The second comes on some ten minutes afterwards, and is called “The Deserted Mine.” It is a further instalment of the Kay Seven

series. On the same evening 4YA will transmit “The Lost Horizon’’ as interpreted by the Opportune Players. On Tuesday, January 28, “Firelight,” a dream fantasy by lan R. McLean, will be presented from 3YA. On the next evening 2YA has arranged for “Fraulein X” to be heard. On Thursday, January 30, a further two plays will be heard from 3YA. They are entitled “Bureau do Change” and “The Gesture.” Those who like opera as a change from drama should tune in to IYA on Sunday evening, January 21, at 8.30 p.m. In contrast 4YA offers excerpts from Mozart Miss Rus-sell-Fergusson and her clarsach may be heard from 2YA on the same evening. It is well worth noting that a recorded band programme may be heard from IYA during the evening of Thursday, January 30. This programme is provided by the Grenadier Guards Band under the conductorship of Major Miller. Children’s Records.

The enthusiastic body of grown-up listeners to the children’s hour, as "well as the children themselveg, may be interested to know that a special series of recordings are being made for their edification. These records, it is understood, will be made by local talent that has been specially selected for the purpose. Many well-known people in dramatic arid musical circles are co-operating. The result will be among others, “Ellice in Orchestralia." This series is calculated to give the children, and perhaps the grown-ups, a shrewd insight into the various instruments used in musical pieces. Another interesting record specially for the children is connected with Aladdin. At the moment it is not certain when these records will be completed, entailing as they do much organisation and considerable time. Radio Rescue.

One of the most extraordinary shipping rescues iu the history of wireless was brought to light recently when a £2OOO award was made to the Liverpool steamer Newfoundland for her Wonderful work in extricating another steamer, the Tower Bridge, fram pack ice in the North Atlantic last April. The two ships never came within sight of one another during the Whole incident. The Tower Bridge, when holed and leaking badly, sent out an SOS message, which was picked up by the Newfoundland. The former ship Was then surrounded by pack ice, and believed that her only way out was to steer southwards. The Newfoundland, however, was able to tell her captain that he would have to go sixty miles in that direction before reaching open water, but that if he set an easterly course twelve miles would see him clear. These instructions were acted upon, and the Tower Bridge safely reached St. Johns, the port for Which she Was bound. Wireless has many ship rescues to its

credit, but this extraordinary feat has no equal. Reciprocity. Regular interchanec of broadcast news between America ajnd Franco has been Arranged by the French P.M.G., M. Mandel, in agreement with the Columbia Broadcasting System. The American transmission is received and relayed by Paris P.T.T. France reciprocates With a broadcast from the Colonial station, which is relayed by the entire Columbia network. The news from America is given first in English and then in French; the ’French hews is transmitted in English. Hum! Post Office engineers have been seeking, without success, the origin of a 120-cycle hum on the Australian and South African beam telephone services. Au evening journal suggested recently that the hum was caused through the draining of the world’s oil supplies, causing Wearing of the bearings of the earth’s axis!