Jones phone hot

Press, 1 December 1987, Page 1

Jones phone hot

PA Wellington Mr Bob Jones’s telephone was running hot yesterday with people keen to respond to his strong views on poverty expressed on the television programme, “Te Kupenga,” on Sunday evening. The discussion programme, hosted by Hone Kaa, focused on poverty, the reasons why it appears to touch such a large percentage of the Maori population. Mr Jones’s view that poverty was largely a state of mind and .therefore a trap that could be escaped by a change of attitude was hotly disputed by most in the audience.

But most of yesterday morning’s callers agreed with him. Some prominent names were among almost 100 telephone calls received yesterday morning and the consensus was that it was high time the viewpoint was expressed, he said. Mr Jones said he expects there will be some nasty anonymous letters in the mail but those who rang, were in support. Calls and telegrams had been coming from all round the country. Mr Jones said he did not think much of the programme as a forum for discussion. “It turned into a circus,” he said.