DAMAGED BY GERMAN BOMBS

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 109, 1 February 1941, Page 7

DAMAGED BY GERMAN BOMBS

National Institute For Blind The National institute for. the Blind and St. Dunstan’s co-operative efforts for the production of ‘.’talking books” for the blind suffered a severe blow during a recent air raid over London, according to a message received from the publicity secretary of St. Dunstan’s. London. The library escaped, but the studio and production unit of St. Dunstan’s has been totally wrecked by a direct hit from a high explosive bomb. The whole of the elaborate and delicate recording plant was destroyed. As a result, production work ol ‘■talking books”" will be temporarily suspended. The 1300-odd blind readerlisteners, however, will not suffer, because the library service at the National Institute for the Blind is not affected and new titles may be obtained through the mutual exchange of recordings between the British “’talkino- books” and the American Federation for the Blind, its vis-a-vis producing organization in that country. The loss of the recording plant at St. Dunstan’s, however, was a serious one. In an interview as he stood among the debris, Mr. Leslie Pinder, chief engineer of “talking books” for the blind, said he was afraid there was little hope of salvaging any of the plant. . “The loss is severe because it is the only plant of its kind in this country and can only be replaced at considerable cost. 'Though in some respects the equipment is similar to that used in commercial recording, it differed by reason of the special and exclusive devices which had been introduced from experience in this class of work.” Mr. Pinder added that there were about 4000 sets of records in the library. There was no danger of a total loss of the latter, not all the sets being housed in one building.

The arrangement for an exchange of books with their American friends was operating to the mutual advantage of the blinded person on both sides of the Atlantic, and would be particularly appreciated in a crisis like the present. It. was hoped, said Mr. Pinder, that some arrangement would soon be made for replacing the equipment ut Sr. Dunstan’s. The cost of producing “talking books” for the blind was heavy and had been largely met by generous gifts from Lord Nuffield, the Carnegie United Kingdom Trust, Ihe Pilgrim Trust, ami individual donations.