F—3

A listening watch was maintained for first news of notable events overseas, and the substance of these rebroadcast in New Zealand at the earliest opportunity. While the Seventh Pacific Science Congress was in session the Service broadcast a daily Congress newsreel. Talks The scope and volume of talks and talks programmes have increased considerably. Decentralization of staff has enabled officers dealing solely with talks and kindred programmes to be stationed at all four YA stations. In consequence, over two thousand 'talks, talks programmes, and spoken features have been presented during the yearMost of the' speakers were New Zealanders. A regular pattern of farm sessions, book reviews, health and home science talks,, and gardening talks has been maintained from the main National stations. Special series were prepared for the Pacific Science Congress, the American elections, the Golden Jubilee of Victoria University College, and the tour of the Old Vic Company. Talks designed to portray New Zealand to overseas listeners were broadcast regularly in the Service's short-wave transmissions. Main National and all Commercial stations were again linked each Sunday evening at 8.45 o'clock to broadcast a talk on a topical subject of wide interest. Nearly onethird of these Sunday evening speakers were New Zealanders : They included the Right Hon. Walter Nash ; Mr. A. R. Entrican, Director of Forestry ; the Right Rev. F. A. Bennett, Bishop of Aotearoa ; Dr. R. A. Falla, Director of the Dominion Museum ; Mr. Rewi Alley (whose talk had been recorded in Central China) ; Mr. C. G. White, past Dominion "President of the New Zealand Red Cross Society ; Mr. L. J. Wild, Pro-Chan-cellor of the University of New Zealand ; and Mr. Hugh Williams, from the Secretariat of the United Nations. Australia was represented by her High Commissioner in New Zealand, Mr. A. R. Cutler, Y.C. Among distinguished visitors who spoke in this session were : Lord Beveridge ; Lord Rowallan (Empire Chief Scout) ; the Cardinal Archbishop of New York (Cardinal Spellman) ; the Right Hon. Anthony Eden, M.P. ; Sir Harold Hartley ; Sir John Milne-Barbour ; Sir Frederick Tymms ; the Rev. Dr. Sir George McLeod ; the late Sir Clifford Paterson ; Professor Sir Hugh Cairns ; the Right Hon. Sir Frederick Sykes ; the Yerv Rev. Dr. John Baillie ; and Professor W. E. Petersen. Special talks marked some of the more important events and anniversaries of the year. These included the opening of the Olympic Games ; the abdication of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, and the succession of Queen Juliana ; St. George's Day ; Australia Day ; the tercentenary of the death of King Charles I ; the bicentenary of the death of Dr. Isaac Watts ; and the centenary of the birth of Dr. W. G. Grace. Two then unpublished manuscripts dealing with New Zealand history were adapted for radio in the two programmes, " Queen of the Tasman " and " Harpoons and Hardtack." It is hoped to extend this type of programme in the future. Special features were produced for United Nations Week, for Christmas and New Year programmes, for Anzac Day, and for the Appeal for Lepers in the Pacific. "Two Dominion-wide contests were broadcast—the All New Zealand Quiz and the Young Farmers Leadership Contest. Four farm sessions are produced every week. These include news, interviews, and discussions, reports from scientific institutions, talks from Massey and Lincoln Agricultural Colleges, District Pig Councils, and the Department of Agriculture. Talks for this session have also come from the 8.8.C., well-known agricultural visitors, and delegates to the Pacific Science Congress. A wider use of portable equipment is making it possible to include in these broadcasts an increasing proportion of material recorded on the farm.

4