B STATIONS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 133, 7 June 1937, Page 8

B STATIONS.

RIGHT TO LIVE WHAT THE PEOPLE THINK. INTERVIEW WITH MINISTER. Urging listeners to take their one opportunity of showing that their demand for the B station programmes had not evaporated, Professor W. Anderson, who is to preside at the public meeting to be held in the Town Hall on Thursday night, made it clear in a broadcast from IZM last night that this meeting was not a political one. The listeners, ho said, must give expression to their demand by their attendance. Mr. A. C. A. Sexton, M.P., who also spoke, gave at account of an interview which had with the acting-Minister of Broadcasting, the Hon. F. Jones. Mr. Sexton said that on a recent tour of his electorate, Franklin, in which IZM is situated, he had found a unanimous wish that the B stations should be retained. He had represented to the acting-Minister of Broadcasting this desire of the people, pointing out that it was not the B station owners he must consider so much as the public, for it was the duty of the Government to do what the people wanted. The Government's policy, said Mr. Sexton, was to acquire the B stations, but it would not force any of them to sell. At the same time, it was not prepared to state what subsidy it would pay. On tlie question of the broadcasting of the meeting on Thursday, the Minister had stated that he required particulars of what was to be said in the addresses to be «riven and he would then consider the application. "On a question of this kind."' Mr. Sexton asked his listeners, "why should there not be freedom of speech ?" Mr. Sexton considered it was not impossible to work out a scheme whereby listehers could own and control B stations, with other representatives on their control boards. The only interests behind the sponsors of Thursday's meeting were those of the persons and bodies interested in the various programmes, Professor Anderson said. It was not a political meeting, and its promotion bad nothing to do with the general policy of the party in power. Satisfaction was sought on one item in its policy—the future' of B stations. Evidently, said Professor Anderson, the Government's offer to buy was to see if there still existed 011 the part of the owners that enterprise which would lead them to carry on independently, and 011 the part of the public a continued demand for the services of B stations which would justify it in now proceeding to carry out its election undertakings to keep the stations alive.

The Government was apparently relying on the argument that if the* public demand had evaporated in the interval it liacl been relieved by the public from its undertakings. The listeners* one chance of showing that their demand for the B station programmes had not evaporated was to attend the meeting and say so. Only in this way could they ensure the survival of the stations.