"JAMMED" BROADCAST

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 129, 27 November 1935, Page 10

"JAMMED" BROADCAST

OFFICIAL STATEMENT

MR. SCRIMGEOUR'S

COMMENTS

(By Telegraph—Press Association.)

AUCKLAND, November 26.

A statement by the Rev. C. G-. Scrimgeour concerning the interferference with reception from Station IZB, "The Friendly Road," on Sunday night, was broadcast from the station tonight by a member of the staff. Extracts are as follows:—

"It may be considered by many that this.is merely a matter which rests with the Department," the speaker said, "but the police now have it in hand, and it will be expected that the persons responsible for the instructions being given, as well as those carrying out the outrage, will be prosecuted. Mr. McNamara's statement that the interference was purely accidental will be immediately discounted by those who are acquainted with the facts. In my opinion it is utter rubbish. There are too many coincidences in the whole matter for even myself, who aims always to see what good there is in everybody. If this matter had been accidental, why should every official have obstructed investigations and by evasion and falsehood endeavour to mislead us? One after another Post and Telegraph departmental officers contradicted each other. The man who was in charge of the radio department at Auckland stated to me in front of Mr. Coates that the radio apparatus in this shed was a shortwave receiving set erected for the purpose of getting football results, and when we entered and found a powerful transmitter, can anyone blame us for thinking that something exceedingly sinister had taken place? If this was an accident, and the Department had nothing to hide, why this campaign of secrecy and evasion? We make no bones about holding the Post and Telegraph Department, including those high officials, guilty of interference with a broadcast which would have caused no one any offence. We leave it to listeners to judge .for themselves."