BROADCASTING POLICY

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 125, 8 March 1935, Page 2

BROADCASTING POLICY

CONTROL BY BOARD CRITICISED. PLEA FOR B STATIONS. (Abridged from Press Association.) WELLINGTON, March 7. In the House of Representatives today, the second reading debate on the Broadcasting Amendment Bill was resumed by Mr J. A. Nash (C, Palmerston) wlio suggested that listeners should have at least one z*epresentative on the Board. He thought that more consideration should be given to the B stations now in existence. Much money had been expended on B stations and they were very much appreciated right throughout the country, but they were denied the privilege of giving the programmes they would like to give because their hours of broadcasting were so limited. If the Government was going to put the whole responsibility on the new Board the Government should giye instructions that B stations should receive more consideration than they had received in the past. If the Government would do that it would end the discontent that existed from" one end of the country to the other. Listeners', associations throughout New Zealand were very insistent that something should be done to encourage B stations. He also urged that the listeners' fee should be reduced to £l. Government Criticised. The Rev. Clyde Carr (Lab., Timaru) said the Government was attacking broadcasting in the same manner as the savage first met the missionary. They were displaying the fear of the unknown. The Government was afraid ->f the small broadcasting stations and so were taking steps to knock them out. The Government said there was no room for any more B stations yet they were calling tenders for a 60 kilowatt station in Wellington which would blot every other station out. He protested strongly against the Government's policy of delegating its jobs to Boards. Already people were elected to deal with public matters. '

The Hon. Adam Hamilton: This is not a public account. Mr Carr: "No, but it soon will be." Before long everybody would be paying license fees. Broadcasting was a public service and it should be the Government's job to handle it. Why could not a committee of the House be responsible for carrying out the Government's policy of broadcasting. There was freedom of speech; why not freedom of the air. The YA stations were soulless concerns and eliminated the little personal touches that delighted listeners. He said that there were too many rebroadcasts and too much of the same sort of thing from the YA. stations. He also thought that advertising by B stations should he allowed. - „ Mr R A. Wright (Ind., Wellington Suburbs) said that n the travelling expenses of the present board were made known the total would be an eye-opener to the public. He protested against seven members being, appointed to the board. He suggested, j that three would be any amount to control broadcasting. One should be a technical expert, one a director with perhaps, theatrical experience, and the third a representative of the listeners. Be claimed that local talent was not encouraged. The Bill signed the death warrant of the B stations. All competition with Government stations was bo be wiped out. He asked the Minister to make known the result of the plebiscite that had been taken some time ago when listeners were asked what class of station they preferred to listen to. He ventured to suggest that decision Was overwhelmingly in favour of B stations, and he claimed that B stations to-day were as popular as ever they were. Many other members expressed their views, the majority being of the opnvion that the B stations should not be allowed to disappear, and that control of broadcasting should be retained by the Government and not handed over to the proposed Board.

Minister's Reply. The Hon. Adam Hamilton, in reply, said he thought that a majority of the people who provided the would just as soon leave it, to the Board to say what should go over the air as leave it to the Minister. Parliament v had the right at any time to amend the Act if the Board was not doing its job. There was much objection to the present method of determining what was controversial matter. That was done by regulation, but the Board could do it in a much freer manner. The Government could still be criticised for the actions of the Board when its annual report was before the House. New Zealand had 34 stations, while Britain had five to serve 46,000,000 people. He did not think that the B stations should be encouraged to extend their services when they did not havo any source of revenue. There was no authority or direction in the Bill for the Board to subsidise B stations. Putting matter over the air was different from publishing it in a newspaper or pamphlet. The speaker could not be attacked, but there was nothing in the Bill to say who should or should not speak over the air. He did not/think that a good representative Board could be obtained by election, but if there was an easy way of electing one or two listeners' representatives suggested, he would consider it. The Bill was read a second time. The House rose at 11.25 p.m.