School book advt complaint lodged

Press, 23 September 1981, Page 6

School book advt complaint lodged

A written complaint about the use of a political advertisement in a primary school exercise book has been lodged with the returning officer for the Fendalton electorate. Mr P. J. Lindsay yesterday confirmed that he was investigating the appearance of an advertisement for the National Party candidate for Fehdalton, Mr P. R. Burdon, inside the back cover of an exercise book that was distributed free to Burnside Primary School pupils. The information had been brought to his attention by the Labour candidate for Fendalton, Mr D. C. Close. The complaint was under section 142 of the Electoral Act which made "treating” an offence. Mr Lindsay said he had sent a report to the chief electoral officer (Mr P. Horne) and was waiting for a reply. While he could not give a legal opinion. Mr Lindsay said, his personal belief was that there had been no breach of the act. Mr Close said that the intrusion of political advertising into schools would set a bad precedent. He was also concerned

about the design on the cover of the exercise book, which he said closely resembled the National Party’s flag logo. Mr Close said that there was a distinction between “legitimate" advertisements, such as those published regularly in newspapers, which were available. to everyone and had to be paid for, and advertisements in free publications available only to certain groups, such as Burnside Primary School pupils. The supplier of the exercise book in which the advertisement appeared is Academy Publishing, Ltd. It introduced a scheme in which advertising would pay for the costs of producing the exercise books, which could then be distributed free to schools. A quarter-page advertisement reaching one school costs $B4. The company's manager, Mr P. D. Collins, said that the exercise books with Mr Burden’s advertisement had been withdrawn from the Burnside Primary School last week. It had been distributed only to the Burnside School and no complaint had been received from parents. To keep faith with the company's advertisers the books would, be reprinted

without the advertisement, said Mr Collins. Mr Burdon said the complaint was trivial. It was arrogant to suggest that children should be protected from political awareness, as though politics was a “smutty” activity. The advertisement had obviously been aimed at parents. He said the Labour Party was being hypocritical in its complaint. In Auckland, the Labour Party had complained because its speakers were not allowed to address pupils in secondary schools: Mr Close said last evening that Mr Burden’s assertion that the complaint was trivial was disputed by the Burnside Primary School and by the North Canterbury Education Board which had arranged for the immediate withdrawal of the book. He could see nothing wrong with political candidates speaking in secondary schools, as long as other parties had similar opportunities. But he said it was not helpful for any political advertising to be angled at primary school pupils because they were too immature to grasp politics.