TO GO ON THE AIR

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 56, Issue 32914, 26 September 1947, Page 5

TO GO ON THE AIR

RECORDS MADE IN PAEROA VISIT OF N.B.S. UNIT BACKGROUND & LIFE OF TOWN A three-day visit to Paeroa of the New Zealand Broadcasting Service’s mobile recordinig unit has just been completed. During the time in which it has been in the town records have been made which will be incorporated in a broadcast series of recordings which will give the country an insight into the background of the various country towns. It is thought that they will be put on the air at the beginning of next year.

As explained by Mr L. Fowler, who is in charge of the unit, there aie many people who have passed through the smaller towns but know nothing of the history of them, there are others to whom the towns are not more than just a name on a map, and to those people the New Zealand Broadcasting fSeiwice will be able to give a picture of the past and present interests of the towns.

The primary object of the unit’s tour is to put the country towns on record, and the first thing that is chosen to be recorded is their musical life. Audition facilities are brought to people who otherwise would not be in a position to take advantage of them. To make these recordings bands, choral societies, schools and other such organisations are visited, and recorded. A number of vocal solo recordings are usually made as well. Historical Items Then the unit interests itself in the •historical side of the towns. Stories are told by those who have had first or second hand experience of the growth of the towns and areas. The recordings are all sent to Wellington where they are edited and pieced together to give a picture of the places in which they were made. In that way the interest is not allowed to become simply parochial. From gleanings of the whole material from one particular geographical area, in the case of the Paeroa recording*, the Thames Valley-Coromandel area, a picture of the life and background of the districts can be presented. Built in Dominion The van has been entirely built in the Dominion from an imported chassis and. embodies the latest equipment all made in New Zealand by the engineers of the service. On the exterior the prominent features are the four hydraulic jacks alongside each of the four wheels. To ensure that the van is set perfectly level before recording is begun, thus ensuring the perfect tracking of the record cutter as it traverses the disc, the jacks are independently operated from the cab of the van. Specially fitted spirit levels direct the operator. At the rear of the van is a large “ bo6t ” in which are fitted the reels for six drums of microphone cable, each of 600 feet. In the forward section of the interior of the van there are the two recording machines, one on each side, while in the rear portion there are fitted the “ mixing ” panels by which the sound is controlled from the six leads and fed into the recorders. Loud speakers assist in the “ balancing ” of the sound and the many , dials enable the operators to control the volume. Standard Equipment The equipment is a collection of the standard gear used in the broadcasting service and it is of the latest design. It has, of course, been modified for use in the travelling unit/ Special locks on the recording machines eliminate damage to the gear likely to be caused by the various conditions of road encountered. The power used is 230 volt a.c. The 16-inch discs are of aluminium base with an acetate coating- . , To assist in servicing the equipment the various panels containing the radio parts are fitted upside down' so that the engineer can have accessibility from the top of the panel instead of having to work from the bottom as is usually the case. The van weighs five and a half tons loaded. Mr L. Fowler is in charge of the unit, and assistant producer and commentator is Mr R. G. Haggett. The senior engineer is Mr R. Miller, and •he is assisted by Mr B. Cosnett. District Shipping On the first day in Paeroa, Monday, the unit recorded a talk given by Mr Gourtenay Kenny on shipping in the district. Mr Kenny, whose knowledge of the early days on the rivers is extensive, traced the history of river shipping trade from its boom and competitive days until its close recently.' Because of the widespread interest in horses in this area, and because the

annual parade of the hunt club through Paeroa had impressed Mr Fowler, it was decided to record something of the activities of the hunt club. On Monday evening the recording unit went to the residence of Mr V. Young in Bennet street, Paeroa, where a fairly large party presented a number of hunting choruses. They will be used in the series to illustrate the interest taken in the sport in this district.

Reminiscences of the old days of Paeroa and the surrounding districts were given the broadcasting service by Mr V. Young and Mrs C. McConachie. Both are old residents of Paeroa, and have intimate knowledge of the town and its growth. Mr Young gave several short talks on experiences that had been related to him by his uncle, Mr Walter Young, from the times of the Maori wars. Amongst them was the tale of how his uncle gained the. reward offered for the capture of a Maori outlaw Titotakawaru. Musical Recordings Musical recordings were made on Tuesday night by the Paeroa Municipal Band from the band rotunda. Under the 'baton of Mr B. Bielby, the band played several hymns, quicksteps and other selections. The musical side of the unit’s quest was continued on Wednesday. During the day the Paeroa Choral Society recorded some of its songs, and the pupils of the Paeroa District High School also made some recordings. Other vocal solos and duets were made during the day by Miss R. Lanfear and Misses D. and R. Hare.

Throughout the whole visit to Paeroa, Mr Fowler told the Gazette representative, he and the other members of the recording unit had been impressed with the co-operation that they had received from the officials and residents of the town. He gave as an example the equipping of the band rotunda with electric power. He stated 1 khat the borough council had quite willingly done the work necessary to have the lines put up. In every direction the work of the unit had been made more pleasant by the unusually helpful attitude of the people.