MAIN POINTS EVADED

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 110, 5 November 1937, Page 8

MAIN POINTS EVADED

The Government's response to Opposition requests for explanation and justification of its broadcasting policy was anything but satisfactory. No adequate reason was given for separating control 6i the national and commercial services. As we have pointed out, there is cultural and educational scope in broadcasting (as the Government has many times emphasised) and the use to be made of the opportunities presented by commercial broadcasting should be decided by the director of the national services. There should not be two aims and two standards. On the controversial aspect, there is eveii more need for unity of control. If propaganda is to be regulated from one set of stations on certain principles and different principles are to apply on other stations, there will be confusion and trouble. The | adoption of one principle for controversial matter and one standard for the entertainment or instruction given over the air can be assured only by giving one director authority over all stations, unless the Minister is to be constantly intervening and directing. And that, the Minister of Education has said, is not the intention. ,

To these arguments and to Opposition criticism of the method of appointing the Controller of Commercial Broadcasting the Government made a very weak reply, with evasion of the main question, retaliation regarding the jamming of the Friendly Road station, and unsupported allegations that the Opposition criticism was inspired by vested interests. Yet when the Opposition suggested a Royal Commission to investigate all charges, including the jamming incident there was a pointblank refusal. Of course there can be no effective protest against such a refusal. The Government, with its majority can be quite safe in declining to accede to any demand. At the same time, it would have been wiser for the Government to have met the challenge and permitted a thorough and open investigation of all complaints.