ARE THEY HARMFUL

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue LXIX, 21 September 1938, Page 14

ARE THEY HARMFUL

BROADCAST ITEMS.

EFFECT ON CHILDREN.

CRITICISM OF PROGRAMMES. (By Tcli-^rnph.—Press Association.) CHKISTCHURCH, Tuesday. "Absolutely degrading, both to adults and children," was the description of certain unspecified items broadcast by fiovernnient stations by Mr. A. A. Buckley, an Auckland delegate to the annual conference of the Dominion Federation of School Committees' Associations, which opened in Christchurch to-day. The conference agreed that the description was cori«ct, but there wassome dispute about whether the National Commercial Broadcasting Service or the National Broadcasting Service was to be blamed and whether a remedy should be sought from the authorities or in the home. Mr. Buckley moved the following resolution: "That the attention of the Minister of Education and the Minister in Charge of Broadcasting , be drawn to ihe undesirable nature of some broadcast programmes put over the air by the National Commercial Broadcasting Service. This conference is definitely of the opinion that 'American gangster, murder and kindred programmes' are detrimental to the morals of the rising generation, as is often demonstrated by records of crime among youth in our Police Courts."

After some heated disagreement among the delegates, the reference to commercial stations was deleted, also the reference to crime records. Resolution Amended. The resolution as amended was as follows: "That the Ministers' attention be drawn to the undesirable nature of some items on broadcast programmes that adversely affect our children."

"Who can tell what damage is being done to the characters of children?" asked Mr. Buckley. An effort was being made to eliminate offensive magazines, and if these "diabolical magazinee" were being dealt with it was time action was taken against similar "matter on radio programmes.

"Why pick on the national commercial stations?" asked Mr. A. E. Morgan, of Greymouth. "They are not solely responsible for all the tripe that comes over the air." He asserted that the YA stations were equally responsible.

Mrs. F. W. Monntjoy, of Auckland: I do not think that ie so. I do not think the others are so bad. They do not put over the diabolical rot we hear from the commercial station.

"I think we are on dangerous ground," said Mr. T. Nuttall. "Are we to set ourselves up as censors of public morals? If we are going to criticise the programmes of the commercial and the YA stations—and my personal experience is that I have heard more bloodcurdling rubbish over the YA stations—then to be consistent we must condemn a lot of the literature that is printed." Several delegates: We do.

Mr. Nuttall said that the parents should take the responsibility of keeping harmful matter from their children.

Afr. Morgan: Sometimes we have got to save the children from their parents' indifference in the matter.