Extracted from Chatham, Rochester, Gillingham Observer 4^th December 1935

Chatham's M .P. Dines with Fellow Radioists

And Speaks of the Growth and Future of Wireless

 

OBSERVER CUP PRESENTED

 

The Observer trophy for which members of the Medway Amateur Transmitting Society recently competed was presented to the winner, Mr. S. Howell (G5FN), by Capt. L.F. Plugge, M.P., at the annual dinner of the society at the Tudor Restaurant, Chatham, on Wednesday evening. Capt. Plugge was accompanied by Mrs. Plugge, who presented the Harding trophy to Mr. W.R. Burrin (M.R.S.1). Mr. W. Nutton (G6NU) presided at the dinner, and he was supported by Mr. Howell (secretary), Mr. J. Mackinnon (G6VV), treasurer, Mr. E.T. Pethers (G6QC), and among the guests were visitors from the Ashford Radio Society and the Gravesend Amateur Radio Society. Capt. Plugge recently accepted the office of patron of the society.

 

GREAT PALS

 

The loyal toast was submitted by the chairman, arid afterwards, in reply to the toast, "The Patron," proposed by Mr. S. A. Howell, Capt. Plugge said although he had to attend many functions, nothing gave him more pleasure than finding him-self among his radio friends, because anyone working at radio was a great pal of his, especially they who had done such wonderful experimental work, on which much of that which came after depended. It was in 1907 that he made his first wireless set, a coherer receiving set in which he used a tube of glass, a piece of copper wire similar to that for trolley-buses, filing from a coin and an electric bell, on which; the hammer had been replaced by a rubber cork. He knew that they as amateur looked down on broadcasting as a rather vulgar thing which came after. (Laughter.) Many people looked on radios "music in the home”, but actually radio was very far removed from that. If they looked back on the events of the past they would find that civilisation and transport were synonymous. They had around them rapid strides in civilisation as a result of railways. Then the motor-car arrived, and they had increased speed, and when the aero plane had been. Discovered the speed had increased again. They had seen in the last twenty years how civilisation was taking these great strides. He asked: What was going to be the end of it all? There would be a limit to speed because of air resistance, but radio was anew conception of transport—it was the transport of the soul.  In the past they had had to-transport their bodies, but they were entering, with radio, a new field of transport which would have bearing on the years to come, when they could visit Australia and America and come back in the same morning. Continuing, Capt. Plugge paid a tribute to the work of amateur transmitters, and said be would help them whenever he could. As they might know, he did the very vulgar thing called, broadcasting, but the International Broadcasting Club was a great force for liberty in Radio and he hoped that many of them would join.

Expressing thanks to THE OBSERVER for the gifts of their trophy Mr. A.O. Milne (G2MI) said that THE OBSERVER maintained the Standard of impartiality as a newspaper from year to year. It was a true newspaper in that it reported matters of news interest and did not stuff its points of view down people's throats. It was a fine thing to find a local newspaper giving support to a society to the extent of offering a trophy for competition. That trophy was something more than a "pot"; it was an incentive for the members to give of their best in the interests they had at heart. He was quite sure that The Observer's support had done a great deal for the cause of amateur radio in encouraging people to put real energy into their work. As a member of the council of the Radio Society of Great Britain, he appreciated very greatly the support given by the Press, but he thought THE OBSERVER, was the only one which had gone to the length of giving such tangible support as ;The Observer trophy.

The Observer radio trophy was then presented to the winner, Mr. S. A. Howell (G5FN) by Capt. Plugge, who remarked that Mr. Howell had done wonderful work in the cause of radio in his efforts to win that trophy.

 

BACKBONE OF THE SOCIETY

 

Mr. Howell expressed his thanks and remarked that he was especially glad to |have relieved Mr. Mackinnon of the trophy for they had long been friendly enemies and he was overjoyed to take it from him after two years. The OBSERVER, he continued, was the backbone of their society and he felt that as they were fighting for international friendship, any Press agency which gave support to them deserved every credit.

Mrs. Plugge then presented the Harding trophy to Mr. W.R. Burrin (MRSl), who said he was pleased to win it for the third year-in succession.

He thanked G5FN, for he felt he owed his victory to him. The chairman announced that Capt. Plugge had offered a cup to the society to be won outright the third year in succession. (Applause.)

 

Mr. J. Mackinnon (G6VV), proposing the toast, "The Radio Society of Great Britain", said it was due to the society's effort that amateur radio, had attained such a high degree of efficiency.

Mr. A. 0. Milne, district representative of the society, responding, pointed out that although he realised provincial members did not get as much out of the society as London members, he wanted them to realise that they were very valuable members of the society and do all they could to assist the society in its work. Some of the society's best technical men were in the south-eastern district, and he wanted them to give the society, and radio in general the benefit of their knowledge, and work. The Medway Society had done very valuable work in providing a rendezvous in a central place for members of the society in Kent, and he invited the Gravesend members to link up with the Medway Society.

The toast of the visitors and absent friends was given by Mr. E.T. Pethers (G6QO).

An entertainment was afterward given by dancers of Miss MacKinnon’s Variety School of Dancing and Mr. G Burrin (piano accordion).