GREATER FREEDOM

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 112, 7 November 1935, Page 11

GREATER FREEDOM

RELIGIOUS PUBLICITY

BROADCAST SERVICES

The attitude adopted by the Govern- " ment" towards broadcasting was criti- . cised by one of the speakers who took s part in the discussion on the broad- - casting of church services at the ■ General Assembly of the Presbyterian ' Church today. 1 One of the recommendations brought down by the assembly's committee on 1 broadcasting was as follows: "Affirm • that broadcasting is becoming far too important and powerful a factor in modern life to be allowed to develop into a monopoly. While recognising the necessity for control, declare the assembly's determination to use all its power to obtain a reasonable measure of freedom for the purposes of re- ; ligious publicity by responsible ! organisations. To this end, authorise , the broadcasting committee to take • steps in conjunction with the representatives of other churches to obtain time from the national stations.'1 "A GREAT NEW FACTOR." The Rev. J. D. Smith (Dunedin i said that in broadcasting the Church [ had a great new factor in the method :of the Church. It was something that [ was even more significant than the in- ■ vention of printing, and he did not ; know that very many of the people in ■ the Church had awakened to that significance in relation to the life. of the Church. Because it was a new invention and there were factors in the direction of the exercising of stricter control in the infringement of liberty,' Governments were taking steps to use this means for themselves, and were preventing individual* from exercising a control in the matter, and were also preventing community organisations from using them. "What would we say," continued Mr. Smith, "if the Government took away from us the right to use printing as we think fit for the development of our work? There would be a . hue and cry everywhere, and yet here is a means which is far more important than printing, which the Government is taking to itself and is determining that it is going to have the sole right to say who is going to have the use of this. We recognise that there is necessity for control, but also that there is necessity for the exercise of liberty in this matter, and that where there are responsible organisations which are exercising a powerful influence for the welfare of the community it is inimical to them that this new means of the proclamation of the Gospel should be circumvented by rules and ' regulations so that it cannot be de- . veloped to the fullest extent in the pro- ' pagation of the spiritual and moral j work of the community. The whole tendency is to crowd out private stations and have only Government sta- \ tions. and these can only be used in ' the ways that are determined by the Government." ' , THANKS FOR FACILITIES. i "There is one thing I think the As- s sembly ought to remember and do," said the Rev. L. M. Rogers (Christ- : church). "We ought to remember that 1 already we have facilities from the Broadcasting Board, and that they are 1 very generous to us." He said he did ' not say that they should not ask for j' more, but he did think the Assembly l should express its appreciation of the 1 facilities already granted. r

The recommendation, as brought down by the committee, was, adopted, and later a resolution was passed thanking the Broadcasting Board for the facilities already in existence.