COMMERCIAL RADIO.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 63, Issue 247, 29 July 1943, Page 2

COMMERCIAL RADIO.

REMUNERATION OF DIRECTOR. MORE DENIALS GIVEN. (P.A.) WELLINGTON, July 28. A denial that he had been concerned with the appointment or remuneration of the former Director of Commercial Broadcasting Service was made by the Minister of Finance (the Hon. W. Nash) when the House resumed this afternoon. Mr Nash asked leave to make a personal explanation regarding a statement made by Mr J. A. Lee (Democratic Soldier Labour, Grey Lynn) during the debate the previous evening to the effect that the “Prime Minister knows who fixed the £7ooo'a year. It was fixed by the Minister, of Finance, and against my will.” Mr Nash said that such a statement, if correctly reported, was entirely incorrect. He (Mr Nash) had been absent in the United Kingdom at the time. He had taken no part in the discussions on the subject, nor was he party to any agreement in that connection. He did, when he came back, have something to say about the compensation to be paid for the IZB station in Auckland. Mr Lee said he had been charged on the pi-evious evening with being responsible for the big salary and the big commission that had been fixed for the Director of Commercial Broadcasting. He had stated that he had had nothing to do with the mattei\ He certainly had been of opinion that the Minister of Finance had something substantial to do with determining whether 20 per cent, commission should he paid, and had been present at the initial negotiations. If the Minister said such was not the case, he would accept his assurance that he had nothing to do with the matter. Mr Fraser’s Statement. 1 However, said Mr Lee, he had himself been charged with being responsible for something for which the Cabinet alone was responsible, and he suggested that the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. P. Fraser) should retract the charge he had made. Mr Fraser said that what he had said was that Mr Lee had always stood for high salaries, and he did not recollect liis objecting to the £7OOO. Mr Lee: The implication was that I was responsible. Mr Fraser said he had not said anything of the sort. He added that the hon. gentleman was associated with Mr Scrimgeour in promoting not only the arrangement with the Government, but also a company to take over the whole rights to run the concern, and members of the House were approached in the matter. Mr Lee said that this statement was incorrect, and should not have been made without evidence. Both Mr Lee and the Minister of Finance were prevented from pursuing the matter further by Mr Speaker, who ruled that the discussion had gone far enough, and the position was getting out of order.