“Pirates Simply For Profit”

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31167, 17 September 1966, Page 16

“Pirates Simply For Profit”

(N.Z. Press Association) AUCKLAND, September 16. Pirate radios did not set out to provide a public service, they were established simply to make a profit out of other people, Mr F. Gillard, director of sound broadcasting for the 8.8. C., said in Auckland tonight. Mr Gillard, speaking at Auckland airport a few minutes before he left for the United States and Canada, said that while he did not advocate the adoption of gunboat techniques against the pirates, he had little sympathy with their cause. Radio, he said, should not I be used simply for private ■ profit. Mr Gillard said the grind-I ing out of endless records ■ and tape music over pirate.

radios gave no reward to anybody except the pirates. “They use all the effort which has gone into the making of these records at the expense of the artists and companies concerned. They have no obligation to make payments to anybody,” he said. “People say you get a choice of programmes with pirate radios competing with established stations. This is just not true. One station will bring something out and straight away the other tries to match it and you are back where, you started with one programme.” Mr Gillard said an example of this were the “ragbag” of private stations in Australia. All of them were grinding out the same sort of thing.

He said the bill now before Parliament in Britain would “lay siege” to the pirate radios off the coasts of Europe. “The pirates are, it is true, operating in international waters,” he said. “However,

similar legislation is being adopted by all the northern European nations and it will be international law. “The legislation will prevent the pirate radios being ; victualled —even with fresh ;

water—it will prevent them being maintained and it will stop all aid and succour,” said Mr Gillard. “The British legislation will also make it an offence for any British subject to arrange or have any part in arranging advertisements for them.” Mr Gillard, who arrived on Wednesday, has been having talks with senior executives of the N.Z.B.C. in Wellington. He visited Australia before coming here.