ORPHANS AND WIRELESS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19810, 3 December 1927, Page 14

ORPHANS AND WIRELESS

SHOP ASSISTANTS' EFFORT.

ELEVEN SETS PRESENTED. CHRISTMAS CHEER AS WELL. The children in no fewer than eleven Auckland orphanages will be gladdened this Christmas by the possession of fine wireless sets, the gift of the Auckland Retail Soft-goods Charities Club. By means of dances and money subscribed by members and their friends, the club has raised this year over £6OO for charitable purposesi. Besides contributing money to the Anglican City Mission, the Ladies' Benevolent Society, and other bodies, it has provided s five-valve wireless set for the leper colony at Makogai. Not content with giviifg wireless sets to the orphanages, it intends to distribute presents to all the children under the age of ten years. The orphanages concerned are:—Anglican: Richmond Road and Papatoetoe. Presbyterian: Onehunga and Devonport. Methodist: Mount Albert and Buckland Road. Roman Catholic: Takapuna, Otahuhu and Howick. Salvation Army: Herne Bay. Baptist: Manurewa. The club is presenting each with a three-valve, Auckland-made set, which while not so large as that sent to Makogai, is yet able to receive all the Australian main stations at loud-speaker strength. The gift includes batteries, loud-speaker, and complete aerial equipment, which is being installed at the club's expense. The Postmaster-General is being asked to remit the licence-fees payable by the orphanages.

Arrangements have been made with IYA to broadcast a {special address by "Father Christmas" to the orphans a day or two before Christmas. It is expected that they will all greatly enjoy the children's hour which the local station now provides every week-day evening between six and seven o'clock. Under summer time Australian stations do not come in until halfcpast ten, when the children are in bed, but it is hoped that next winter they will be able to hear the "uncles" and "aunts" in Sydney and Melbourne. The sets are exhibited in the window of the E. and F. .Viano Agency, Queen Street.

The Leslie* Presbyterian Orphanage already has a wireless set, so the club this year is giving it a large consignment of toys and other presents. St. Mary's Homes at Otahuhn and the Karitane Home will also receive gifts. Among contributors to the fund is a little boy between three and four years old, the son of a member of a city drapery firm. This little fellow has a small money-box at home and transfers its contents every month or so to a more capacious one in the shop. He was allowed to open the big box yesterday afternoon in the presence of a large and interested crowd. It contained over £3, mostly in pennies. The owner handed over the lot to Mr. J. H. Mortensen, secretary of the club, who went back to his office burdened with several pounds of currency in a stout canvas bag. According to a letter received from Sister Suzanne, mother superior of the order which conducts the Makogai settlement, the wireless set gave excellent results until the storage, batteries developed trouble due to the climate. The club is arranging to send down a new set of batteries similar to those already in use on the island for electric lightiif| pur poses. It is believed that when these arrive there will be no difficulty in working the set, which the patients greatly appreciated while it was in use.