STRAY SPARKS

Evening Star, Issue 21090, 30 April 1932, Page 4

STRAY SPARKS

A rag cloth paper which will not create an irritating rattle is now used by some radio speakers who read their addresses, but wish to convey the idea that they are delivering them extempore. « ♦ * *

An unintentional hoax was perpetrated upon a dealer not very long ago by a country man who bought a new valve to replace one that had given of its best (says a Christchurch paper). The new valve proved to be faulty, so he arranged for a friend to interview the dealer and change the valve. This was duly done, and then it turned out that the friend had exchanged the valve with the wrong dealer!

Trolley buses arc in operation in London, Hastings, Bradford, Ipswich, and Southend among other places, and (states a London message of April 7) when it was found that something in the bus’s mechanism interfered with wireless reception, investigation respited in the fitting to each bus of a simple device which caused the trouble to cease. Information as to the type of device used should not be difficult to obtain from the London United Tramways Ltd.

It is reported by a local paper that the Auckland Iladio Dealers’ Association is charging 10s for every home demonstration except in the case of a sale. Competition has become so keen that as many as a dozen sets have been left at a private house at one time for demonstration, and in one case it was known that twenty-seven demonstrations were given free. Jo became the practice of some people to obtain sets on approval for a fortnight or three weeks, and have free radio for four or six months by going round all the dealers.

It is understood that Mr Isidore Ostrer, president of the Gaumont-Bri-tish group, has secured control of Baird Television by the purchase of 800,000 Baird deferred shares. Voting control will be registered in the name of L.B.T, Ltd., the directors of which are to be Air Maurice Ostrer, the assistant vice-chairman of the Gaumont-British, and Mr Sydney Moseley, vice-chairman of the Baird Television. It is understood that Mi Isidore Ostrer will himself take a big part in the new arrangement. The Gaumont-British Picture Corporation, which owns a chain ot cinemas and a number of film-produc-ing companies, has a capital of £3,750,000. The capital of Baird 'television is £825,000, consisting of £525,000 in preferred ordinary, and deferred ordinary shares of 5s each.