A correspondent writes: - The suspension of television activities in Britain is one of the first war casualties, and, unfortunately, scientific progress - except of a sinister, death-dealing kind - is likely to be halted at the first roll of the war drums.
In that development Ireland has contributed its share; for Mr Denis Johnston, the Irish dramatist - whose probable transference to Belfast you mentioned yesterday - has taken a leading part in London television activities, and a young Abbey actress, Miss Phyllis Ryan, has also won special commendation for her television work. On the inventive side, Mr Baird was an Irish pioneer in television experimentation.
How far television had progressed was revealed at the recent Radiolympia Exhibition in London. Here, along "Television avenue," one could see about sixty television receivers all showing their cinema exhibitions, complete with sound effects. When I saw them - just before war was declared - they were all relaying "The Ringer," a play by Edgar Wallace, which lasted nearly an hour.
After this we were taken for a tour round the zoo, inspecting the monkeys, the zebras, the camels, the elephants, the giant panda - on his bath night - and, last, but not least, the roaring lions and tigers. Now all this has been drowned in the great roar of war. Television is a marvel of human ingenuity. But war sets up a barrier to the march of science and civilisation.
The Irish Times, September 7th, 1939.