Extracted from
A HEALTH UNTO THE OBSERVER
Medway “Hams” Pay
Tribute at Celebration Dinner
DEVOTEES OF
"THE GREATEST HOBBY IN THE WORLD.
The challenge cup given by THE OBSERVER as the premier
trophy in the radio transmission and reception contest held recently by the Medway
Amateur Transmitters Society was presented to the winner at a dinner held by
the Society at the Tudor Restaurant,
A capital entertainment was provided during the
evening, the artistes including seven little girls from Miss Mackinnon's
Variety School of Dancing. The young people sang and danced in .splendid style
and one of their company showed herself a clever acrobat. The president (Mr. Nutton) was a host in himself. His sang,
.step dancing and impersonation of two little girls singing and reciting were
received with great enthusiasm. A few impressions, mostly skits on members of
the Society, by Mr. Milne, caused considerable amusement, and piano forte music
was played by Messrs. W. Rowlands and S. A. Howell. Following
the loyal toast, Mr. Milne proposed that of The Chatham,
THE CUP
PRESENTED.
The toast having been heartily pledged, Mr. Moss
responded. Having apologized for the absence of the editor, Mr. B. Archer-Brooks,
through indisposition, he said the Medway Amateur Transmitters Society made a,
personal appeal to him because he thought a great deal of strife came about
through people not knowing each other. If nations got to know one-another
better there would be less suspicion, and quarrels and often war could be
avoided. Members of the Transmitters Society got to know each other, and he
thought that in the future they would best factor in avoiding 'differences.
THE OBSERVER was out to foster any enterprise in the Medway Towns. The Transmitters
Society was an enterprise that merited support in every possible way and that
was why THE OBSERVER had given it all the support possible. Mr. Milne had spoken
of newspapers being biased and of their publishing news that was misleading. In
the old days newspapers were very fond of describing themselves as independent,
but that cut both ways. Nowadays a newspaper could not afford to be independent.
It could be independent in politics, but -it was dependent on its readers and
advertisers, and the policy of THE OBSERVER was to be of service to both Mr.
Mackinnon had won The Observer Cup and he had much pleasure in handing the
trophy to him. Mr. Milne was runner-up and he hoped that next year there would
be a good contest; and that Mr. Milne would be successful. He wished the
Med-way Amateur Transmitters Society every success (applause). Mr. Mackinnon
said the contest was almost interesting one, and he was proud to have won the
cup. He believed he had a considerable amount of luck, and had the conditions
been changed the result might have been different. G6NU was unlucky to have had
a breakdown in his power supply early in the day which put him out of the contest;
another member had some trouble with his crystal, and G5XB, who need very low
power, was unfortunate in having interruption from a powerful French station. He
thanked THE OBSERVER for providing the cup, and added that he would do his best
to win it again next year .Mr. T. W. Ellis was the winner of the reception
contest with 148 points, and the trophy, provided by Mr. H. Harding(G6RQ), was
handed to him by the president.
VALUE
OF PUBLICITY.
Mr. Clarricoats
congratulated Miss Mackinnon and her pupils on their performance, remarking that,
it was seldom grown-up people had the opportunity of being entertained by a
group of such accomplished children. Proceeding, he said he wished to record
his personal thanks and those of the Society as a whole to the Directors of THE
OBSERVER, the editor and Mr. Moss, who had made possible the award of that
trophy. It was not often, as Mr. Milne had said, that a national paper, or a
local paper national in the sense that it had readers throughout the country, had
the courage to give publicity, unasked for; and without expecting a lot in
return, to the doings of the Radio Society. When he: first knew that THE
OBSERVER had given a trophy for amateur radio purposes his immediate comment
was, "I think it is up to us to thank the editor personally for his
action." He did not know whether they in Chatham, Rochester, Gillingham and the surrounding districts realised how difficult it was for the representatives of a
National, inter-National and Empire-wide organisation
such as the Radio Society of Great Britain and its associated B.E. Radio Union to
obtain publicity for a cause which probably was deserving of as much publicity
as any cause in the country. They had tried on numerous occasions to get the
Press and other interests that were indirectly connected with the Press to give
them publicity, and occasionally they succeeded, and when they did succeed they
were the first to say "Thank you.
"We believe," said Mr. Clarricoats,
"that this hobby—scientific hobby if you like—of amateur radio is the
greatest hobby in the world for promoting good fellowship and good friendship,
and not only does it promote good
fellowship and good friend-ship, not only does it link up our own English-speaking
colleagues in every part of Europe, not only does it allow us to appreciate the
view-point of a foreigner ,but it also affords an outlet for those who have a
scientific turn of mind." In away, the speaker said, he regretted Miss. Mackinnon
had not brought with tier a troupe of young boys; it might be, however, that
the seven young ladies who had listened perhaps for the first time to a speech on
radio would be some of the first MS's of this district. A lot of people looked
upon amateur radio essentially as something connected with men and dinners, but
it wasn't so. Amateur radio was some thing that could be pursued by men and
women .Only the previous night he read with much pleasure that in