AN UNSEEN AUDIENCE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20793, 12 August 1929, Page 9

AN UNSEEN AUDIENCE

BYRD EXPEDITION PARTY. APPRECIATION, OF BROADCAST. Wireless to the New York Times. By Russell Owen. BAY OF WHALES, August 9.

, We attended a Maori festival last night in New Zealand; at least we heard it as plainly as if we had been there, for it was broadcast from Wellington and reached us more clearly than any other programme has come through in a L long time. It was so well done that we stayed awake from 11 o’clock until 2 in the morning, and we were sorry when it was finished.' It represented the history of the Maoris since their landing in New Zealand more than 000 years ago, and in song and story traced their tribal life till the coming of the British, arid the final peace between the two races bn. the corimion ground of British citizenship. Ancient songs of the Maoris, to the ■ accompaniment of their primitive instruments, and chants and dances 1 reached us perfectly, with their wild: rythm. They never had a more ap- .• preciative audience, even though it was unseen. Everyone was in bed with only candles and a lantern burning, but fdr-a time we seemed far away from the ice.