CRICKET REPORTS ON RADIO

Press, Volume LXXVI, Issue 22920, 17 January 1940, Page 3

CRICKET REPORTS ON RADIO

Wellington Body Indignant BROADCASTS WITHOUT PAYMENT OF FEE (FBESS ASSOCIATIOX TEIJEGBASI.) WELLINGTON, January 16. Strong exception was taken by the chairman of the management committee of the Wellington Cricket Association, Mr J. H. Phillipps, at a meeting of the committee last night, to the action of the National Broadcasting Service in having broadcast commentaries on the Plunket Shield matches from a house overlooking the 'Basin Reserve after it had declined to accept an offer from the association of £25 for the right to broadcast commentaries of both matches. After the correspondence between the broadcasting service and the association had been read, Mr Phillipps said that though they might not be in a position to take any action, he thought the Wellington Cricket Association should record its amazement that a great State department should adopt tactics which could only be compared to a small boy climbing over a fence to see a match for nothing. On the Monday of the Canterbury match, he had listened in to the.commentaries on the play. ~ ' "It was well known to our committee " he continued, "that they were broadcasting from a house overlooking the Basin Reserve. At no stage on the Monday were the listeners informed that, in order to broadcast they had been forced outside the Basin. It leaves sportsmen amazed that a great State department* in order to avoid the payment of £25, had to resort to such tactics. We can only congratulate those sports bodies, whose grounds are enclosed from prying eyes. It looks very much as if the broadcasting service was pilfering our rights in connexion with cricket, which always contrives to keep the price of admission down to the lowest. I consider we should record bur entire disapproval of the manner m which the broadcasting service obtained its broadcast of the recent Plunket Shield matches at the Basin Reserve. Mr J. Banks suggested that the matter should be brought under the notice of the Minister for BroadcastMr W. A. Baker moved that a letter should be sent to tite Minister on the matter, and copies of the correspondence forwarded to him. The motion was seconded by Mr £.. C. Wiren and carried.