Round the Compass

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18208, 15 July 1927, Page 8

Round the Compass

JUDGING POPULARITY.

TO judge the popularity of stations The 8.8. C. are asking listeners to send in postcards naming the stations to which, during the last winter .they have listened either wholly or mainly. This will provide the authorities with data by which the most popular station can be found. Something of this sort might be Hof*e by the N.Z.B.C. to auge the popularity of programmes for such knowKage would certainly be of use in deciding what stations to rebroadcast through their new station. ROOF OF WOULD. JHIS heading suggests mountaineering, and mountaineering at once suggests the Swiss Alps. But why should it? Why should not the Southern Alps of New Zealand, which are considered to provide more scenic grandeur than those in Switzerland, not come to mind instead ? The Southern Alps provide as much ski-ing sport as does Switzerland, and the mountain flora is remarkable. The reason why New Zealand is not more famous for its Alpine scenery is either

because New Zealanders do not realise what a magnificent assetf; they passess, or because they fail sadly to recognise the value of publicity abroad. The group in the photograph has scaled the Sealy Range from The Hermitage, Mount Cook, and is viewing the Mueller Glacier far below. Above the glacier, towering thousands of feet into the clear mountain air, is Mount Sefton, silent except for occasional heavy growls as it lets an avalanche rumble and roar down its steep side.

A NEW POST. A LL those who visited the New Zealand and South Seas Exhibition at Dunedin, and had the privilege of listening to the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders’ Band, will remember its conductor, Mr Ricketts. An English paper of May 28 states that Mr Ricketts is to be the new bandmaster of the Royal Marines Band, stationed at Deal. When the band left here, on its return trip, rumour had it that it was Mr Rickett’s intention to return to New Zealand at an early date, but this latest information entirely disproves this.

A BOUNDING BASQUE.

seventeen years in the ring. Ilarry Wills, the negro heavyweight champion, has met defeat at the hands of a Spaniard, Paolino Uzcudun. Paolino Uzcundun, the Basque woodcutter, who cleaned up all the heavy weights in Europe, with the ex-cept-or*. of George Cook, the Australian, who twice defeated him, first in Lon-

don and then in Paris, like Alexander, 1 sighing for .fresh worlds to conquer, : left for America about twelve months age, with the world’s championship as his object. He departed from Europe, as heavy-weight champion, by virtue of having defeated all the national champions, this after his two defeats by Cook. Paolino is a big fellow, tremendously strong, a terrific puncher, and eemingly impervious to punishment. He vs by no means a skilful boxer, but as a fighter he ranks high. He is courageous and possesses all the colour and lash of his race. After his defeat of Knute Hansen, who was gent rally regarded as a coming hampi'on, he met New Zealander Tom Heeney, and though he gained the de■ision, the unanimous Press opinion vas that the verdict should have gone he other way. Tex Rickard, the faj nous promoter, sought to exploit Pao- * .ino as a candidate for the championship, and named him as Dempsey's opj ponent for the preliminary to match- | ing the winner against Tunney for the j championship. But the Press scoffed at the idea, and as Dempsey refused ; point blank to meet Paolino, Rickard selected Sharkey as Dempsey’s opponent, and the pair meet on July 21. “Paolino, the Bounding Basque” is the title the American Press has given him. THE NEW 2YA. jJN the provision of a high-powered wireless station at Wellington the New Zealand Broadcasting Company has already stepped in ahead of the British Broadcasting Corporation, recently decided to replace certain existing stations, main and relay, by stations of higher transmitting power than the present ones. The idea is to provide alternative programmes whereby valve set users may have a ; larger variety of stations to select j from, and also to provide in a larger area for costal set reception. Wavelength adjustments have also been discussed, as the ether is already somewhat crowded. Both “ crystal ” and “ valve ’’ users will benefit by alterna* live programmes because the liighpower station at Daventrv, the regional stations and “ Daventry junior ” ( working on a lower wave length than Daventry itself) will cover the greater part of the United Kingdom.