BROADCASTS BY CANDIDATES

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27498, 4 November 1954, Page 14

BROADCASTS BY CANDIDATES

INDEPENDENT CONTROL SUGGESTED

The Canterbury Council of Civil Liberties considers that in future, the allocation of broadcasting facilities to

political parties should be regulated by statute or by some independent commission. according to a statement released yesterday by the council’s president (Mr P. H. T. Alpers). The statement appeals to the Government for one more broadcast for the Social Credit Political League. Copies of the statement were sent yesterday to the Prime Minister (Mr Holland) and the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Nash). “The Canterbury Council for Civil Liberties appeals to the Government to grant at least one more broadcast so as to give a right of reply to the Social Credit Political League in the current series of election broadcasts, says Mr Alpers’s statement ‘This series began on October 18, and is to conclude on November 12, and at present the league is confined to one broadcast (on October 27), compared with 15 to each of the present Parliamentary parties. The league is contesting 80 seats. x “The council is aware that the granting of this request would not do full justice to the principle of equal rights of access to electors for all parties,” says the statement. The council considers access to .broadcasting to be of the utmost importance and, since broadcasting is a Sate monopoly in this country, it is essential to civil liberty that broadcasting facilities should be fairly distributed. “The council therefore urges that their allocation should not, for the future, be left to the Government in power, or to the parliamentary parties for the time being, but should be regulated by statute or by some independent commission so that parties have rights of broadcasting according to the number of candidates they put up and other relevant details. Where stand in only a few localities it should be possible ,Jo Provide local broadcasting facilities, the statement concludes.