HOMELAND TOUR

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 106, 1 November 1926, Page 10

HOMELAND TOUR

SPREAD OF WIRELESS

IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENT IN

SOCIAL LIFE

COMMENTS OF THE HON. W. H,

TRIGGS,

After an eight months' tour of Great Britain and the Continent, the Hon. W. H. Triggs, M.L.C., and Mrs. Triggs returned to Wellington yesterday by the Ruahine. What struck Mr. Triggs as tho most important development in the social life of the people of the Homeland since his last visit was the extraordinary spread of wireless. A really first-class .programme, he said, is broadcasted every day from London, Daventry, Birmingham, and other large towns. Important items are relayed from all parts to the main broadcasting station, so that it is possible for the owner of a crystal set in the suburbs of London, costing.but a few shillings, to follow every word of a speech delivered in Edinburgh. Strange as it may seem, if the speech in Edinburgh was delivered in a large hall, a listener-in in the south of England would hear it before members of the audience in tho back of the hall, because wireless travels with the velocity of light, compared with which the rate at which sound travels is very slow. A crystal set with one stage of amplification enables speeches and vocal music to be followed with as much clearness as if the listener were in the same hall as the performers. When Melba made her farewell appearance at Covent Garden Theatre hundreds of thousands of listeners-in not only listened to her marvellous singing but were able to follow every word of her speech and catch the sob in her voice. • On Sundays the service at one of the London churches is usually broadcasted; in addition there will be an organ recital and a miscellaneous concert. On Sunday afternoon, in a London suburb, Mr. Triggs listened to a service in York Minster. The bells had been recast, and a service of dedication was held, at the conclusion of which the bells were rung. Every night Big Ben at Westminster sends a time signal throughout the length and breadth of the land, his great booming notes being heard as distinctly as if one were standing on Westminster Bridge. OVER TWO MILLION LICENSES. Just before Mr. Triggs left England the British Broadcasting Company had engaged the Albert Hall for twelve great national concerts, all of which were to be broadcasted from every main and relay station in the Kingdom. An orchestra of 150 and a chorus of 250 voices were being organised, and leading conductors of all nations were to take command during the course of this great series. A license for a receiving set in Great Britain costs only 10s a year, so it is no wonder that aerials are becoming as common in suburban back yards as clothes lines. Over 2,000,000 licenses have been issued, but a, great many sets were being used in addition, although the number of unauthorised sets was being reduced by Post Office prosecutions. In the New Year the whole broadcasting service will be taken over by the Broadcasting Corporation, which is practically a State-controlled institution. HEALTH PROBLEMS. Naturally, as a member of the Board of Health, Mr. Triggs has endeavoured to post himself up in public health matters in England. The Minister of Health, the. Right Hon. Neville Chamberlain, accorded him every facility for making his inquiries, ai»i Dr. F. Carnwath, Dr. J. M. Hamill, 0.8. E., Mr. E. H. Rhodes, of the Local Authorities Branch,' and others, gave him every as- .; tanee. <;

Ruahine.

When in Derbyshire, Mr., Triggs inquired into the steps taken for dealing with goitre, which is very prevalent in that district so much so, that the common name for it is "Derbyshire neck." The county medical officer has devoted special attention to this subject, and has published a very able report, giving the result of his investigations. He was thoroughly posted up in the work of Dr. Hereus and other New Zealand investigators. Mr. Triggs had a very interesting interview with Sir F. J. Willis, chairman of the Board of Mental Control, and two other members, Mrs. E. F. Pinsent and the Hon. H. C. Bailey. Mrs. Pinsent was a member of the Royal Commission on Mental Deficiency, and is considered one of the leading authorities on the subject. All the members showed a close grasp of the report of the New Zealand committee, over which Mr. Triggs presided, and Sir Frederick Willis spoke very highly of it. They were very anxious to know whether the Government was bringing down legislation to carry out the recommendations of tho committee.