MINISTER’S REPLY TO DEBATE

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 269, 10 August 1938, Page 12

MINISTER’S REPLY TO DEBATE

Commercial Service

NO NEED FOR ROYAL COMMISSION Efficiently Conducted An assurance that the affairs of the Commercial Broadcasting Service were efficiently conducted was given by the Postmaster-General and Acting-Minister of Broadcasting, Hon. F. Jones, in winding up the discussoin on broadcasting in the House of Representatives yesterday. No undue significance could be attached, said Mr. Jones, to the meeting of directors of commercial stations held in Wellington recently and addressed by the Prime Minister, Rti Hon. M. J. Savage. It was a meeting in connection with normal departmental activities. Tlie Prime Minister had expressed the wisli to talk to those attending the meetings. He had not lectured them, but had simply told them that anything in the nature of propaganda over the air would not be tolerated. He also drew their attention to-the necessity of exercising care with regard to broadcasts by persons from overseas, who might express personal views regarding foreign countries. The Prime Minister’s advice had been fully appreciated. “During the last 12 months the service has been running very smoothly,” said Mr. Jones. "However, the controller apparently resented all these insinuations which have been made against him and be decided to hit back.” Mr. Jones’s Surprise.

Mr. W. J. Broadfoot (Opposition, Waitomo): He bad resigned before then. Mr. Jones: The hon. member has been one of the worst at making insinuations.

Mr. Broadfoot: And you had his resignation in your pocket for seven days without telling anyone about it. “Tlie resignation had not been considered up to Sunday,” said the Minister, “and we did not know what lines the controller proposed to follow in his Sunday broadcast. Personally I was.rather surprised at the lines which he did follow. “I do not see that there is.any need for a Royal Commission to investigate the commercial service,” Mr. Jones continued. “All the necessary safeguards are iu operation and members of the staff are working efficiently. When it is considered that none of these men has been trained in the civil service and that we have.had to recruit from outside, it will be recognised that the service has been run iu au efficient manner.”

It was impossible to give the freedom of the air to everyone, Mr. Jones added. Normally it was the practice to read the script of addresses which were to be broadcast.

Script Not Seen.

An Opposition member: Did you see Mr. Scrimgeour’s script? Mr. Jones: If we had seen the script of this particular address it would not have gone over tlie air. At the conclusion of Mr. Joues’s speech the time had come for the dinner adjournment and the Rt. Hou. J. G. Coates (Opposition, Kaipara) asked if the debate would be continued during the evening sitting. There were several members, he said, who still desired to speak. The Prime Minister: It will not be continued. When tlie House resumed after the dinner adjournment the debate on the Financial Statement was continued.

LATE MR. RUSSELL

Tributes In Legislative Council Tributes to the Hon. H. A. Russell (Hawke’s Bay), whose death occurred recently, were paid in the Legislative Council yesterday. The Council recorded its sense of the faithful service to New Zealand by Mr. Russell, extender! its sympathy to his family, and adjourned as a mark of respect. 'The Leader of the Council, Hou. Mark Fagan, after reviewing Mr. Russell’s career, said that when he died be left behind him not one enemy. “He was a very tine type of New Zealander in the very best sense in which that term is used,” Mr. Fagan said. His life bad been occupied principally as a farmer and he had given much encouragement in the breeding of sheep, horses and cattle and to agricultural and pastoral associations. As a sportsman, stakes and dividends were always a secondary consideration with him. IL- would be rememberer] .as a kindly man with strong yonvictions. Tributes were also paid by the following members: Hon. J. Alexander (Auckland), Hon. E. ,R. Davis (Auckland), Hon. V. A. Ward (Wellington). Hou. W. Berry (Wellington), Hon. T. Bloodworth (Auckland). Hon. J. Cotter (Auckland). Hon. A. Burns (Auckland).

FREEDOM OF PRESS

Dr. McMillan On Right To Criticise “If there is one institution in New Zealand that cannot stand criticism it is the Press,” said Dr. D. G. McMillan (Government, Dunedin West) during the Budget Debate in the House of Representatives last nl.L'lit. “If anyone dares to criticise the Press it is immediately construed as an attack on the Press and there is immediate talk about the curtailment of its freedom. Dr. McMillan said he had no wish to curtail the freedom of the Press, but he retained his right to criticise it. He had no quarrel with the staffs of newspapers. It was the persons who owned them who were responsible for the policy. A prominent feature of the newspapers, especially toward election time, was the number of anonymous letters from one political angle that appeared.