B STATIONS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 201, 26 August 1935, Page 10

B STATIONS.

BOARD CRITICISED. FRIENDLY ROAD'S FUTURE. MR. SCRIMGEOUR EXPLAINS. The Town Hall was packed and the Concert Chamber was filled with the overflow from the mass meeting of -welcome held yesterday to the Rev. C. G. Scrimgeour, of the Friendly Road broadcasting station. After a Friendly Road religious service, which was broadcast from the IZB station, Mr. Scrimgeour announced that he had an important announcement to make regarding the future of the Friendly Road station. As everything he had said over the air for months past had been taken down in shorthand and submitted to the authorities at Wellington, he would speak "off the air." "The whole position of copyright could be solved in one moment by the New Zealand Broadcasting Board," said Mr. Scrimgeour. "The board is supposed to represent the listeners' opinion of this Dominion and to govern broadcasting on behalf of those listeners. When the board was appointed,' it was appointed without any of the organisations or individuals who have paid the bill for broadcasting in this country being allowed to have a voice. The Minister refused to allow listeners' representatives on that Boardcasting Board. He tried to pull the wool over the eyes of the public of New Zealand by saying that he was going to allow two listeners on that board. But the two listeners' representatives were just nominees of that same Minister who was nominating the other members. And. the New Zealand Broadcasting Board could to-night, if it had the will to do so, save us any further worry whatever about copyright of records or anything similar. Board's Protection Wanted. "I made full investigation of the position in Australia and I was informed there that if the Broadcasting Board extended to us the privilege of protection, as they have been given the prerogative of Government, we would have no* troubles and there would not be any difficulty whatever from the copyright people. The copyright people are perfectly reasonable. They have a just claim and should be paid something. No one but a fool would deny that they should have something. The record people have a claim and they should be met, topi

"But they single out a few little B stations. Those who receive the approval of the Broadcasting Board arc absolved from any responsibility whatever; on the other hand those who do not receive the approval of the Broadcasting Board are, by the action just being taken by the record people going to be Torced off the air—because no broadcasting station can exist unless it uses music. Now, just remember this: don't yoii think that it is only records that are likely to be charged for; every piece of music worth anything is copyrighted.

"Here is an opportunity for the Broadcasting Board to prove that it really represents the listeners' interests in New Zealand, It can to-morrow or at the very first moment extend its approval to all of the B stations and safeguard them from any trouble. I would like you to watch carefully its action in the matter and then you will know whether the Broadcasting Board of New Zealand really represents listeners, or is an authority that desires to do away with B stations by any means whatsoever." Mr. Scrimgeour strongly criticised the Postmaster-General for saying, as reported, "There are about 20 B stations and apart from six or seven that the Broadcasting Board subsidises they are in the anomalous position of having no revenue and no rights." "IZB, the voice of the Friendly Road, is one of those 20 stations," said Mr. Scrimgeour. ."We ha.ve.no revenue and no rights. And as far as it is concerned we can go on having no revenue and, if we dare suggest we should have just a little bit of rights we can be put out of action." "Political Action." Mr. Scrimgeour said that they had been accused of adopting political action. T>'ll tss the broadcasting policy of New Zealand was changed either before or immediately after the election, and advertising revenue allowed for the B stations, IZB was going off the air, and he was going to leave the land where he was born, and might never come back. "I have stood just as much as ever I can stand," said Mr. Scrimgeour. "We are not allowed, for instance, because a man happens to be standing for Parliament to have him come on the air and have him speak about any other subject. If I had decided to stand for Parliament I would not be allowed to broadcast the Friendly Road devotional session on Sunday mornings or at 10.30 any day of the week. I am not going to stand it any longer. lam going to give everything within my power and to ask you to do everything within your power, and to say that if there are any afraid of political action, well let them go. If there are any who say that TJncle Scrim' and the Friendly Road are becoming political, I would reply that the Friendly Road is not political, and the only enemies it will have will be those who make themselves its enemies. Opportunities For Parties. "I am going to suggest as a means of finding out definitely where we stand politically, seeing that our life is intermingled with political threat, that at a later date we have a meeting to which the leaders of the respective parties or their representatives be invited to come and make a definite statement as to what is to be their policy regarding the B stations. I am going to invite them to do that, so that there will be no suggestion of unfairness, no suggestion of political bias on my part, and you yourselves will have the opportunity and ability to judge just what you are offered and what you know to be sincerity, and to. vote on the statement made in the light of the past performance of those who make the statement and of those on benalf of whom the statements are made. You will be able to judge just whether these people are capable of carrying out the. undertakings which they will make to us." (Applause.) Mr. Scrimgeour said he did not want to have to devote nine-tenths of his energies to fighting. He wanted to serve. But he was not prepared to go on being j regarded by the authorities "as a criminal, almost." However, lie did not think there was any chance of the broadcasting position remaining as it was in New Zealand. "I have no fear that I will ever have to say that I am leaving New Zealand and I am not coming back- But it is up to you,"