WANTED OR NOT?

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 208, 3 September 1935, Page 7

WANTED OR NOT?

POLITICS BY RADIO.

DIVERSE OPINIONS.

PROBLEM FOR THE BOARD.

PARTIES AND CANDIDATES. Whether political speeches should be broadcast during the forthcoming election campaign is a subject on which many divergent views were expressed tliie morning by representatives of many classes of the community. Similar lines of thought were found to lead often to vtery different conclusions, while the opinions of some people whose political views normally are as wide apart as the poles, have in thie instance concurred. Various opini&ns have been based on widely different arguments —advertising, freedom of speech, education. One point, however, is agreed on by all: That all parties should have equal rights and equal opportunities.

Mr. J. A. C. Allum said broadcasting would permit a man to set out his policy for those who wished to hear without risk of continued interruption. "My experience hae been," he said, "that while a political party, through one of its candidates, tries to enunciate a policy at a political meeting, there eeeme to be a email section which is determined that it shall not have that opportunity." Hβ referred to inordinate heckling and interruption. "The thing is so stupid," he said. "The average man has the right to hear. I have listened to such use of the air in other countries, and it has been successful." Mr. Allum said that there would have to bo some control, and he mentioned three aspect* where control would be necessary—the choice of the speakers, whether all candidate* should have the opportunity or only the leaders; the length of time, and the limitation of the number of broadcasts. He pointed out that while the average elector would be interested to listen for a short time, he would not be content to do so for the same as he would sit in a hall. Short pithy statements would be of most value and long enough. Then programmes would have to be arranged, so that the normal broadcast would not bo prejudiced. "The radio is to-day the obvious way by which one may reach the public ear," said Mr. B. Martin, deputy-Mayor of Auckland, "and I certainly think that when the Labour party gets into power the radio will be used for that purpose much more than it is at present. Ido not mean, of course, that it should be, or will be, at the disposal of everyone. Some control is necessary and facts, not private opinions, should be broadcast." Wider Freedom Wanted. Dr. E. B. Gunson also approved, but his approval of the broadcasting of politics was only part of a wish for a wider freedom in the broadcasting of other topics. "Broadcasting at tne present time," he said, "does afford for listeners an expression of views and opinions which, though perhaps not controversial, have many aspects. It is very desirable that they should be looked at broadly and in the interests of listeners, in so far as subjects which have more than one angle are allowed, they should be fully covered.

He said that that applied to political matters, but no more. The public looked for information and had the right to expect it on matters of general sociological interest. But the inauguration of such a policy lay in the hands of the Broadcasting Board. So long as a problem was plainly and clearly set out there was no aspect that was too abstruse for the general public to grasp, Dr. Gunson added, and the public had the right to expect to be instructed in such problems and to be kept in touch with advanced views. Tt.&t was, in his opinion, why a high standard of broadcasting- was necessary.

Interest of Working Man. "Absolutely the best way at the present time of setting views out," said Mr. Bernard Clews, secretary of the Local Bodies' Labourers' Union. "There may be some who say that the working man would not be interested in politics. If that opinion should be held, then I would refute it at tfre outset. As a matter of fact it is my opinion that the working man is the more keenly interested in politics, both local and national, fhan any other man. In any political meeting you will always find that a large number in the audience are the so-called working men. It is this class that has always been interested ill politics—witness the success of Labour in the recent local body elections. It was the interest of the local bodies' union members, together with the inter-, est of others who hold views similar to ours and tho ability to work together, which accounted for our success. We are now putting a policy into operation. This I mention as proof of the Interest of the working classes in politics. "Yes, I say let us have a broadcast of political opinions by all means, but such a broadcast would want to include all shades of opinion. And," he added, "five minutes is time enough to speak. A man can say all he wants, succinctly and clearly, in five minutes."

A splendid idea —with reservations--was tho opinion of the Rev. W. W. Averill. "A splendid idea, provided all political opinions are given equal freedom," "said Mr. Averill. "One knows there is always the temptation for those •on the box seat' to deny to others tho privileges they would claim for themselves." Ho added that the restrictions on the B stations was evidence of that. "It should be a great opportunity for electors to judge for themselves." In England freedom of speech over tho air had been an established principle for a long time, and the New Zealand Broadcasting Board had fallen behind in not conceding it in New Zealand.

"Of course people would listen," said Mr. Averill. "There is a greater listening public than those in authority realise." He stressed again that the average man would have nothing but contempt for the political organisation which denied the same use of privileges that it claimed for itself. Based on Freedom of Speech. "I most certainly agree that politics should be broadcast during election time," said Mr. J. O. Liddell, secretary of the Auckland Tramways Union, "and that especially during election time each party should have an equal chance of using the microphone, such party to nominate its own speakers. In fact, I, being a believer in free speech, contend that the radio should be the chief means of enlightening the people on all subjects. Debates, in my opinion, by people who know their subject, tend to get the ear •of listeners more than ordinary speeches; and I am satisfied that thousands would listen to them." He suggested that no topic should be barred that was of interest; and people would listen to most subjects provided they were served up in good form and. not too often.

On the face of it, politics had ae much right to be broadcast as any other topic, football, for example, said Mr. Harper White, secretary of the Auckland Listeners' Club, who made it clear that he was giving merely his personal view. He said that in the iuterim between elections the public was apathetic to politics, but when ejections were drawing near there was a compensating feverish interest. The judicious use of the air by politicians would serve as a political education for the mass of the people. Such broadcast, of course, would have to be properly controlled and each party would have to have equal opportunity. He could sec difficulties in deciding what each speaker would be allowed to say, both by the Broadcasting Board and his own party. "Free Use Not Desirable." "The free use of the air by politicians on controversial matters is, in my opinion, not desirable," «aid Mr. A. T. Pycroft, president of the Auckland Institute and War Memorial Museum. "Opinions on these, sujecte arc now available all through the Press. If it were possible for information on matters oi general policy to be broadcast by the leaders I would consider the innovation worthy of a trial."

"Lee Fore Brace," an experienced radio speaker, writes: "Under no circumstances should radio broadcasting be the sole monopoly of any section of the community.. If one political party be allowed to broadcast, its views then all other parties should be allowed a similar length of time on the air to refute their arguments. When in Australia I listened with keen interest to many political speeches coming over the air and never once did I hear anything said that would hurt the susceptibilities of anyone. It can be truly sail that many of these political addresses were highly educative and all of them extremely interesting. It has been suggested in New Zealand that only the leaders of the various political parties are to be allowed to broadcast. That idea is grossly unfair to the rank and file of the various parties, especially to those political candidates who are heartily sick of party and intend to stand a* independents. It has been said that the New Zealand Broadcasting Board is following tne policy of the 8.8.C. in its control of radio. If that is so then why not follow the British Broadcasting Corporation's example of allowing all shades of political opinion to be broadcast over its system? If listeners do not like the platitudes and promises that arc being broadcast it is an easy matter to turn the dial."

Arguments of the "Noes. , * Amongst a group of half a dozen business men who," over their morning tea at 10.30 usually discuss their radio sets and the. programmes they "pick up," only one was in favour of political speeches being , broadcast, and hie approval was strictly qualified. "If the Government does the fair thing, all candidates will be given an equal time on the air," he remarked, "and tho multiplicity of candidates is such that the four national stations will not be able to give them the time without totally cutting out all other programmes. Therefore the B statione will have to be called in to take some of the load, and, having once given the B stations such recognition, the Government—if it ie returned —will have to ease tip on its persecution of them. There are a lot of 'if s,' of course, the vital one being that the Government should give every candidate a 'fair go, , which is unlikely." "The suggestion arises purely out of the cowardice of the Government members," said another. "They won't face the electors."

Agreeing in part with the first speaker, another member of the group pointed out that if only leaders of the respective parties were allowed to speak, tho Independents of all classes and Communists, who had no avowed leader,, though they had candidates, would be debarred from the air, while if they were all given an equal opportunity, there would be such a spate of political opinion that he would either confine his attentions to the Australian programmes or switch off his set for the duration of the campaign.

"Only So Much Advertising." "But the outlining over the air of a political party's platform is only so much advertising, designed either to obtain jobs as M.P.'s for that party's members or to keep the party's members in jobs," complained a fourth member of the group. "It will be all right for those that make a hobby of politics, I suppose," said the next contributor to the debate. "But when I go home I want to forget politics. I don't want to hear anyone defending the sales tax, the unemployment levy or any other of the wretched impositions that have nearly sent me bankrupt. Nor do I want to hear anyone criticising them. I know more about them than most of the candidates that will bo babbling about them. I turn on the radio to get a little relaxation, a little pleasure that will take my mind off tho worries of existence; and if I can't get them from New Zealand stations, I will stick to the Australian stations until the campaign is over. People who want to listen to political doctrines can surely go out to hear them."

Quoting from an American magazine devoted to the technique of advertising, another of the coterie said that politicians in America had learned,, from the experience of commercial broadcasting stations, to be very sparing in their use of the radio, for otherwise listeners said, "This man (or this party) talks % too much. Blow them," and voted for 'the 'opposition. "If they let even,- speaker have his say we will have 24-hour political programmes from all four A stations; if they don't, we will have a tremendous squeal of 'favouritism' from those who are cut out. For me, it means 'no politics on the air, or I'll stick to Australian stations until after the election.'" This summary of their combined opinions met j with the approval of all-