Signatures grow for ‘T.S.T.’

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33775, 22 February 1975, Page 5

Signatures grow for ‘T.S.T.’

A total of 6850 people — many of them women and elderly people — had by noon yesterday signed the petition being organised to retain “The South Tonight” in its present form.

“We have approximately 40 organisers covering Christchurch and the area from Culverden down to Twizel,” said one of the petition organisers, Mrs Jennifer Parker, yesterday.

She, Mr R. Heuff and Misses Shirley Linton and Wendy Barker planned to go to Wellington on March 14 to present the petition she said. But Mrs Parker is not sure at this stage to whom she should present the list of signatures. “We had a telegram from the Minister of Broadcasting (Mr Douglas) who said it was no longer his responsibility, and that we should get in touch with TV-1 or TV-2,” Mrs Parker said. “We may have to go to the Prime Minister. We don’t know yet.” Today, the petition will be available for signing at a stall in Cathedral Square. “We are aiming at 25,000

signatures because we ceratinly want to retain this excellent TV programme," she said. Mr Allpress said yesterday that he was sick of the uncertainty over the future. “But we are not the only two who are uncertain,” he 1 added. “We are the meat in the sandwich and feel as though we have been left high and dry.” He said there had been a general lack of support for what he was doing. During the last four years his announcer’s salary had been increased by only $lll a year. ■