"A TRAVESTY."

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 142, 18 June 1938, Page 7

"A TRAVESTY."

FREEDOM OVER AIR. COMPLAINT BY SPEAKER. ELECTION PLEDGE BROKEN. "Freedom over the air under existing circumstances is simply a travesty," t-aid Mr. A. K. Kobinson. seeretarv of the Ancklu'nd branch of the New Zealand Farmers' I'nioii. commenting thi* morning on the regulations by the broadcasting authorities that all scripts of talks to lip given o\er the air shall lie submitted for approvol. He was referring specifically to the fact that the acting-Minister of liroadca*ting, the Hon. ]•'. .tones, had written to the proprietors of station IX.T stating that if they did not submit scripts for talks over their station it would lie closed down. Mr. Kobinson said lie was to have given u talk from that station. Then, about a week a fro. Mr. Kobinson '•out inued. lie, as secretary of the Auckland branch of the union, received a letter from the Director of Broadcast ing, I'rote-t-or .lames Shelley, saying that he (Mr. Kobinson) would not lie allowed to broadcast from Minimi IZM. but that a farmers' session would be arranged, the speakers to lie appointed by the National Kroadcast inir Service. Kven then the manuscripts would be required to be • tibinit ted. "Kven though I have made it clear that 1 am speaking in my private capacity, and not as one connected with the Farmers' I'liiiiii. the letter was sent to the secretary of that body." Mr. Kobinson added, "and the fact that 1 happen to (ill the position lias nothing to do with it. Professor Shelley should have communicated with me privately.'' Innocuous Subjects. He added that the talks he had give:i were quite innocuous. They had been subjects like "Women on Farms." "Horse v. Tractor," or "Farming in Other Lands.'' "And the extraordinary thing is," he said "that such talks those verv ones 1 have mentioned, in fact have been allowed in Auckland, but refused to be allowed in Cisborne. "1 consider." he added, "that it is a special attempt to prevent me from saving anything over the air. 1 claim that I have not been allowed to say what 1 wanted to sav at anv time. I have been barred from speaking on such topics as taxation, the guaranteed or the compensated price, or any other matters affecting <hiverninent policy. That is wrong." On the other hand, the Government policy regarding taxation was given over th<' air in the guise of news on many occasions, and he stated that information so given could be shown to be false. et. there was no chance of replving through the same medium. They are using the air for party political purposes.'' lie said. "The < Government has not lived up to its election promise of freedom over the air."