BROADCASTING OF PARLIAMENT

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21805, 10 June 1936, Page 10

BROADCASTING OF PARLIAMENT

REPLY TO OPPOSITION’S COMPLAINT

[From Our Parliamentary Reporter. 1

WELLINGTON, June 9,

A reply to the remarks made last' night by the Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates • Nat., Kaipara) about the broadcasting of Parliamentary speeches was made by the Postmaster-General (the Hon. F. Jones) when moving the second reading of the Broadcasting Bill in the House of Representatives tonight. Mr Jones said Mr Coates had implied that Opposition members were not receiving fair treatment. However, since the broademtm'* of Parliamentary debates had been instituted this session, the Government had had 19 speakers out of a total of 53 members, 13 Opposition members out of 19 had spoken, and the Independents, who numbered six, had spoken eight times.

“If we said every member had a right to speak once; that means that 36 members on the Government side have not r~oken, while only six members of the Opnosition have not bad that opportunity,” said Mr Jones. “The Independents have gained an advantage through being small in numbers. No one can say that we have treated the members of the Opposition unfairly. As a matter of fact they have received more than they are really entitled to.”