SPEECH REPORTS

Dominion, Volume 25, Issue 230, 24 June 1932, Page 10

SPEECH REPORTS

Debates in Parliament ANALYSIS OF SPACE Labour Party Answered (By Our Parliamentary Representative) In his speech at Newtown last week Mr. R. McKeen, M.P., complained that the newspapers boycotted the members of the Opposition. How this fits the facts is revealed by a careful analysis of the exact amount of space occupied in “The Dominion” by members of both the main parties during the eleven weeks of. the emergency session which ended on May 10. Reports of speeches by members of the Government, whose membership w 51, occupied a total of 1012 inches during the eleven weeks. There are only 24 members of the Labour Party, and for a considerable time last session there were only 23 present, yet the space devoted to reporting Labour members ran into 948 inches, or only 64 inches less than the space given to Coalition members. In proportion, therefore, Labour members were reported to more than twice the extent of Government members. Actually the average space allotted to reports of speeches by Governpient members was 19.8 inches, while the average space occupied by Labour speakers was 39.5 inches. It is the practice of the Leader of the Opposition, Mr. H. E. Holland, to complain on the floor of the House at least once every session that Labour speakers are being unfairly treated by the newspapers, in that their speeches are not reported to the extent of those of speakers on the Government benches. These assertions are all the more difficult to understand when it is known that Mr. Holland himself is one of the most widely reported members of Parliament, and a fuller analysis of the space occupied by the parties in the columns of “The Dominion” last session shows that the balance isjvery much In the Labour Party’s favour. Of the total space of 1012 inches given to Government speakers, no less than 582 inches, or over half, was accounted for in the reporting of Ministers, whose remarks could not in any event be overlooked on account of the fact that it is by them that the Government’s policy is stated, and that it is around their speeches that practically the whole of the Parliamentary debating revolves. It is to be expected that whenever the Prime Minister speaks he must be reported, for be is the principal spokesman for the Government. Thus Mr. Forbes himself occupied no fewer than 213 inches during the session. When a Minister states a policy on any point he must .also be reported, anil 69 inches were devoted to specific policy statements. In addition a Minister must be reported when he takes part in a debate, for he is usually speakirg for the Government. A total of 300 inches was occupied In reports of Ministers’ speeches ,in debates.

• From this it is seen that whereas the 24 Labour members were given 948 inches in space, Government speakers, apart from those who would be reported in any circumstances, were given only 430 inches. Apart from this, Labour members, because of their persistent interjecting, often occupy more space in the report of a Government member's remarks than the man who is actually making the speech. One report of a speech by the Prime Minister, which occupied 26 inches, ebntained little of the speaker’s theme, being almost wholly occupied with Labour interjections. Another Minister who was reported to the extent of 25 inches was scarcely permitted to state his case at all. In strong contrast with this there are few, if any, interjections when a Labour member is speaking. _____________