A BROADCAST REFUSED

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21320, 13 November 1934, Page 10

A BROADCAST REFUSED

SPEECH BY LADY BLEDISLOE STATION HAD ITS HANDS FULIi

The authorities of station 3YA last week refused a request to broadcast a speech by Lady Bledisloe to a gathering of representatives of women's organisations. On Thursday Lady Bledisloe addressed a meeting of the women's organisations of Christchurch arranged by the Christchurch branch of the National Council of Women, and permission was obtained from her Excellency to have the address broadcast. The proposition was made to the broadcasting authorities in Christchurch, but they declined to put the speech on the air. It has been stated that the action of the broadcasting officials provoked unpleasantness, but leaders of v the women's organisations concerned deny that there was any criticism of the board, or that the incident caused any unpleasantness at all. The women's organisations realise that they left the proposal till too late for the board to be given a fair opportunity of arranging the broadcast in a busy week, and while they are disappointed that it could not have been made, they bear no ill feeling toward the broadcasting authorities. , Mr J Mackenzie, station director at 3YA, said last evening that there was an interesting story behind the incident. One lady who was concerned with the arrangements told the women's organisations that the station would be glad to arrange for the broadcast. Nothing was said to the station, and the women went on with their end of the arrangements. The day before Lady Bledisloe was to speak a request was received by telephone at the station for the broadcast to be made. It was then too late to make any arrangements, because the hands of the station were full. "The lady who started the mischief, and it was mischief in this case,'had no right to assume that wc could do anything at the last moment," said Mr Mackenzie. The incident created a good deal of trouble, he added, because many women's organisations in other parts of the country were advised by telegraph to listen for the broadcast. It was hoped that on her next visit to Christchurch Lady Bledisloe would consent to broadcast a message to the women of New Zealand.