RADIO APPEAL SUCCESSFUL

Southland Times, Issue 24419, 26 April 1941, Page 6

RADIO APPEAL SUCCESSFUL

£5OOO RAISED IN SOUTHLAND SPLENDID RESPONSE IN COUNTRY , A magnificent response was made by the people of Southland to the Anzac night radio patriotic appeal last night. A total of almost £5OOO was subscribed in the province, and at a late stage of the evening residents had the satisfaction of knowing that only two other districts had secured higher totals. Ine response from the country districts was narticularly good and the money from sub-exchanges represented n large percentage of the total. Tire total for New Zealand (excluding the Auckland province, which did not make an appeal) was £41,390/16/9 at midnight. . The Southland total at midnight was £4891, but it was stated that other amounts which would come m within a day or two would bring the total to more than £5OOO. At the last . radio appeal from 4YZ £l6OO was raised. Following are the totals collected through the exchanges linked with sta-tiOAtfiZ:-£526; Balfour, £354/8/11; Bluff, £53/11/6; Clinton, £37/5/6, Dipton West, £4l/10/-; Five Rivers, £5/10/-; Edenaale, £BB/13/-; Garston, £5/14/6; Gore, £852/11/4; Hollyford, £3/16/6; Lumsden, £76/13/6, Mataura, £125/15/-; Mossburn, £127/1/-; Nightcaps, £lOB/2/9; Orepuki, £75 3/-; Otautaii, £l7O/17/6; Pukerau, £32 15/6; Riversdale, £5B/10/-; Riverton, £96/9/-; Thornbury, £174/4,6; Tokanui, £2B/13/6; Tuatapere, £245/9/6; Waikaia, £62; Waihaka, £26/1/6; Waimahaka, £46/13/-; Waipahi, Winton, £259/13/4; Woodlands, £72 9/6; Wyndham, £233/15/-. The Invercargill city total was £1735. The programme contributed by stars of the British colony at Hollywood was full of interest and brought to the loudspeakers many screen favourites who added their voices to the appeal, which was initiated by the Hon. W. Perry, M.L.C., president of the New Zealand. Returned Soldiers’ Association, at 8 o’clock. DONATIONS TELEPHONED In one of the large studios at Station 4YZ eight telephones had been installed, two experienced attendants being allotted to each telephone. Each donation was called back to the giver and written down' on a pad beside the telephone. The sheets were collected and the totals obtained on an adding machine before they were passed through to the announcers for acknowledgement over the air. AU assistants stayed at their posts until midnight. The honour of telephoning the first donation went to three of the most distant listeners, Rona, Dawn and Glenys Lloyd, of Monowai. For some time before the programme began the telephones were ringing frequently and £450 had been received by 7.45 o’clock. The total climbed rapidly and £BOO was in hand at 8 o’clock, £1340 at 8.15, and £1563 at 8.30. From this stage on the eight telephones could scarcely cope with the calls and a number of donations were recorded in the central exchange. Calls came from all over Southland and great eagerness was shown by all to make a response to the appeal. Before 9 o’clock the adding machine had recorded £2Oll and that total was quickly raised by the arrival of a big batch of donations recorded at the exchange during a busy calling period. At 9.45 o’clock the Deputy-Mayor, Mr I J. R. Martin, who is also chairman of the Southland Provincial Patriotic Council, came to the microphone and expressed thanks to the people who had given so generouly to the appeal. He said nearly £90,000 had been subscribed to patriotic funds in Southland since the outbreak of war. Of this £44,000 had been expended for the benefit of those who had suffered. Those j at home could best serve their soldiers, sailors and airmen by giving money and they could be quite sure that the money would be wisely expended. Mr W. M. C. Denham, M.P., said there was a great heed to support the gallant efforts of the troops and the response to the radio appeal was very gratifying. On behalf of the Government Mr Denham thanked those who had supported the appeal. FINAL APPEALS The total climbed steadily and rapidly to £4700 at 11 o’clock. From that hour the response began to fl< g, but an appeal over the air for another £3OO ' to make £5OOO brought in many more calls, including an individual donation of £25. The Dominion total at 11 o’clock was £38,171/4/8. Southland’s total was exceeded only by Taranaki and the area served by station 2YA Wellington. In the studios of station 4YZ, the manager, Mr C. H. Trim, controlled all the broadcasting arrangements. The chief postmaster, Mr J. A. Lindsay, represented his department. Mr W. G. Nield, clerical supervisor of the Chief Post Office, was in charge of arrangements for communication with the station and kept the district totals. Mr W. Grieve, chairman of the Metropolitan Patriotic Committee, and Mr L. S. Alsweiler, secretary of the committee, were also in the studios throughout the evening as well as a large number of other patriotic workers. The announcers, Messrs W. A. Cherry and G. Applegarth, spent a strenuous night betwen the sections of the recorded programme reading the long lists of donations. During the period that gifts were called more than 2000 donations were acknowledged. “I wish to thank the manager and staff of 4YZ for the splendid arrangements made for this evening’s appeal, also the chief postmaster and. all district postmasters throughout Southland,” said Mi- Grieve at the end of the evening. “Then our thanks are due to the large staff of girls who worked the telephones and the members of the staff from the Bank of New Zealand who operated the adding machine, enabling the progress totals to be given. And chief of all, thanks are due to the wonderful response by the people of Southland.” OTAGO’S CONTRIBUTION

(P.A.) DUNEDIN, April 25. Otago listeners’ contributions to the comforts fund in the Dominion-wide radio appeal tonight reached approxi T mately £9OOO.