"HE JAMMED IT."

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 136, 10 June 1936, Page 11

"HE JAMMED IT."

ZEALOUS OFFICER.

FRIENDLY ROAD STATION. MR. HAMILTON EXPLAINS. (By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, Tuesday. The Friendly Road station was mentioned by Mr. Hamilton, former Post-master-General, when speaking in the House to-night on the Broadcasting Bill. Mr. Hamilton said the station was granted an extension of 28 hours per week following the receipt of a petition, and it enjoyed a privilege that no other station enjoyed. It had the right to appeal over the air for money to finance itself. Many other religious organisations desired to have the same privilege that the Friendly Road enjoyed. The station desired more hours, but in view of the fact that no other organisation had the same privileges, the request was not granted. The station started to break the regulations and bothered the Government. It was warned, but took no heed. When it broke the regulations it was closed for a week. From statements that had been made, Mr. Hamilton said, he had anticipated some trouble during the election campaign, and he gave instructions that if it started propaganda of a political nature it was to be stopped. He had given that instruction to the DirectorGeneral. The instructions were that the station was to be advised the next morning that its license was cancelled. The station knew quite well that it was breaking the regulations. ■An inspector was asked to take notice, but the inspector took his own method of dealing with the station, and he jammed it. "I don't know what machine did the jamming," said Mr. Ha/nilton. "I gave no instructions for jamming whatever." Mr. Hamilton said that he, as the Postmaster-General, had to accept responsibility for the incident because an o(lieer thought that he was acting wisely. The Minister of Public Works (Mr. Semple) : Do you justify the methods adopted? Mr. Hamilton replied that he did not have to justify them. He said that fie believed that* the incident had some effect on the election. The whole result was a very unkind reward for what the Government had -done for the station.