Muldoon stance on orchestra not Ministers’

Press, 19 June 1979, Page 6

Muldoon stance on orchestra not Ministers’

PA Wellington The Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon) yesterday rejected the suggestion that any funds from the Government should go to support the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. Announcing cuts in the broadcasting budget last week, the chairman of the Broadcasting Corporation (Mr lan Cross) said the corporation would ask the Government to contribute two-thirds of the net costs of maintaining the orchestra. “Let me make it quite clear: they are not going to get it, regardless of whether they ask for it or not,” Mr Muldoon said at a news conference. “There is no way that’s going to be done.” His comments came after statements by the Minister for the Arts (Mr Highet) and the Minister of Broadcasting (Mr Templeton) indicating that the Government might look favourably on any approach from the corporatior about support for the orchestra. “As Minister for the Arts I can assure music lovers that support will be forthcoming,” Mr Highet saic last week. Mr Templeton told Parlia-

ment last week that the orchestra was the “jewel” of The broadcasting system, and that he would take any request for assistance to the Cabinet. But Mr Muldoon said last evening that he did not think the corporation needed assistance to maintain the orchestra. Mr Muldoon said he had not been surprised when told of the statements by Mr Templeton and Mr Highet. “I can tell you the Minister of Finance will be totally opposed to it, and I guess I can recruit a few around my side of the Cabinet table,” Mr Muldoon said. The various cuts the corporation had made would put it into a financial surplus provided the corporation was soundly managed and “they go out after the income that is there for them to get,” he said. > Mr Muldoon, who is. Minister of Finance, suggested that the corporation needed a general manager ( to look after the over-all’ financial management. He said- this was not a criticism of the present chairman or directors-generaL but a “mild criticism” of the system.