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commitment to broadcast either of these is made until scripts which are entirely satisfactory have been prepared.
Repetition of Broadcasts.
71. If each series is planned with a single class in mind it can well be repeated the following year, unless experience has shown that wholesale re- construction is necessary. If modifications are desirable as the result of experience the original scripts will at least save a good deal of time if they are taken as a basis; but it should be possible in most cases to broadcast án actual recording of the previous year's programmes. If the broadcasts are recorded at 333 revolutions per minute (instead of at 78 revolutions per minute like ordinary commercial discs) an entire broadcast can be included on one side
of a disc.
72. It is likely that many programmes broadcast in Hong Kong will, in any case, have to be recorded in the late afternoon or evening, since those taking part will be unable to go to the Studios for morning transmissions; in these cases a repetition of the broadcasts the following year will not cost even the price of discs. The recordings can be played up to about 20 times, and should remain in good condition, if they are stored carefully, at least until it is desired to replace them by better programme material.
73.
It should be made clear to writers and artists that their work may be recorded and re-broadcast without further payment. A disadvantage in the use of recordings is that there is sometimes a loss of quality in reproduction. Advantages are that the programme can be performed again and again until the recorded performance is entirely satisfactory, and that those taking part in the recording have the opportunity of watching the effect of broadcast in a classroom.
Interchange of Broadcasts.
74. It should be possible for Malaya and Hong Kong to interchange scripts and recordings of certain sorts of material, particularly in Literature, History and Geography. The schools in the two Colonies are different in many ways, for example, Kuo Yu is the medium of instruction in most of the Chinese schools of Malaya; and in the 'English' schools the medium of instruction is English from the first year, at age about 6. But there are also similarities. Scripts suitable for Malayan Chinese schools should be useful, with sometimes some local adaptation, for Hong Kong Vernacular Schools, and vice versa. Recordings of certain of the English broadcasts in Malaya would be useful for older children in Hong Kong.
75. The matter of interchange, however, must be approached with caution. The differences are sufficient for there to be many pitfalls. It appears likely that material prepared for standards IV and V in Malaya (ages roughly 11 to 13) is too advanced in English for any but Classes 1 to 3 in Hong Kong, that is to say, for classes already under the shadow of School Certificate and Matriculation. These classes will happily accept one broadcast a week which is not on their mein syllabus, but not more than one; and that one broadcast is likely to be Current Affairs, or Civics, both of which are best handled locally.
76. It is unlikely that records of B.B.C. School Brondcasts will be suitable for Anglo-Chinese schools as regards vocabulary, sentence structure and spoed of delivery. A certain number of B.B.C. scripts, however, can be
adapted for local use.
77.
Theoretically it should be possible for recordings, prepared specially for use in a number of colonies, to be issued centrally by the B.B.C. Differences of local conditions again rear their head, but this is certainly a matter which deserves further exploration. The most promising approach would seem to be by recordings of short historical scenes, travel episodes, etc. which could be introduced and linked together by material written locally; that is to say, the research, the dramatic writing and the performance by a cast of actors,