BROADCASTING

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 137, 11 June 1936, Page 11

BROADCASTING

- BILL IN COUNCIL ATTITUDE OF PRESS 1 LEADER'S TRIBUTE The second reading of the Broadlasting Bill Hvas agreed to on the t voices in the Legislative Council to- t day. . Little, new. ground was broken, ] and members generally did not oppose j the measure. The Leader of tlie Coun- •, -cil (the Hon. -M. Fagan) said that the Press, -had treated- the Government fairly, and had- given it all the space .it should get.- r .. - . . 1 r. ■ Moving the second reading, - the ( leader of-the Council (the Hon, M. . Fagan) "said that though, the board would be abolished,, the same people > t who had,carried -on the work in the 1 past would continue to carry on in the future. j Mr. Fagan said that the Government already 'advertised in the newspapers J 'and on hoardings, and there was no i reason why it should not do so over j •'the air,' ' Dealing with the use' of the radio w as a Government service, Mr. Fagan ] said that if the necessity arose the - Government would unhesitatingly use j the air. However, for every hour used J by the Government a similar amount of time would be available for oppon- ' ents of .the. Government to put their . case over the air. . ' j GOVERNMENT AND THE PRESS. Mr. Fagan said that lje would not ] say that the Press of New Zealand had - been unfair.' "The Government has had all the space it should get and has been treated fairly," he said. The Hori. R. Masters said' that it would-be generally admitted that the BiB.C. system- was the model-system. He deprecated advertising bver the air, and- said that if. Australia and America could-start - afresh • they • would drop advertising. The advertiser had a-hold on the system. The conditions of the Friendly ..Road licence had been disregarded by the station, vWiich;had put political propaganda over the air during the election campaign. The . Hon. JVL Briggs heartily supported'the Bill. The Hon. R. McCallum agreed that the board should be abolished. He protested against the high costs of radio sets.- : Religious addresses on Sundays should be free from sectarianism. The Hon. M.' Connelly hoped that under the Bill there would be an im- , proved service. He pointed out that listeners Were unable to get certain news,-except-"by ; courtesy" of the JPress. .The Press had a stranglehold bri the minds of the people, and the newspapers' had had a' - pretty- good •time for- many--years. " . .--The Hon. J. Cotter, expressed- the .opinion that the Press, had ceased to function in the impartial manner in 'which it hail served the public previously." ' ' . RACE DIVIDENDS. The Hon. E. R. Davis suggested that race dividends -should be broadcast. - The. Htin; T. Bloodworth- said that -the radio would never supplant;, the newspapers; in fact, the tendency had s been for the circulation of the newspapers to increase. -There-had;'also been- a greater : use of libraries, and the sale of books had increased. .' The Hon. L. M. Isitt protested against any broadcasting of race dividends. ■- ' , : The: Hon: W. H. Mclntyre favoured the abolition -of- the board; - - v Th«>sßill- : was:read a: second; time. '' The'Bill "was 1 latW put through its remaining "Stage's 'and passed. ;