“Compass”

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31187, 11 October 1966, Page 16

“Compass”

Sir,- —While the Labour Party tries to make all the capital it can from the “Compass” business, the plain truth is that for this type of programme Wellington should hand over to Christchurch. Austin Mitchell is rude and a bore! He could learn from Bernard Smyth and Bob Lowe, of “Town and Around,” how to be funny and in good taste. Let CHTV-3 take on these programmes and lift them from the politicians— Yours, etc., L. E. GOODWIN. October 8, 1966.

Sir, —Wouldn’t a discussion on decimal currency prices be a slight anachronism at this stage? The Government is still working out prices to create a fair balance of increases and decreases which

are inevitable in a change of currency. Discussions by electors before, or during, the election could have no foundation in fact, unless published officially by the Government. The opinions of the man in the street would be nothing but election hysteria —very confusing to uninformed electors and detrimental to all parties and to individual contestants. Regarding the presentation to Gordon Bick, was it intended as a joke, or an insult?— Yours, etc., C. CARPENTER. October 11, 1966.

Sir,—A. B. Cedarian is wrong. Censorship, as imposed by the N.Z.B.C.’s ban on “Compass” and other programmes, makes a farce of democracy, just as in Nazi Germany. In 1961, the N.Z.B.C. was set up by the Tories to free it from alleged political control, but its board of directors has been kept full of businessmen devoted to the cause of vested interests which supply the advertising revenue. Mr Kirk is not mare-watching, as alleged by A. B. Cedarian, but is protesting against the suppression of criticism and discussion of important political issues such as decimal coinage, because the Tory Government is worried about its rapidly approaching defeat.— Yours, etc., DISILLUSIONED NATIONAL. October 9, 1966.