RADIO AND PRESS

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 133, 2 December 1937, Page 36

RADIO AND PRESS

LABOUR RAID PREDICTED

A strong attack upon the radio policy of the Labour Party in Australia was •made during a recent debate in the Senate in Canberra. • • ■ . • •

In the course of a lengthy debate the Leader (if the Country Party, Senator Hardy, said that if the Labour Party was r.uccessful- at- the ■ elections, it. .was; its intention to, carry out the greatest raid ever perpetrated in the history of the radio industry. The spoils of the election fight were the B class radio stations of the Commonwealth. The Labour Party was going to nationalise the B class stations, and follow the policy that had been adopted, by the Labour Party in New Zealand. • ■ • . ■ ' ■

In the Dominion the Labour Party did "not" nationalise the' stations... If was much more peaceful .penetration. The Labour Party said: "We will only take some of you over to the Government, and' some of you. can operate under private enterprise.". . Senator Hardy said that the New Zealand sta-, tions that were left to private enter; prise were called C class stations, with power of 100 watts and a radius of five miles. Today in New Zealand' the B class stations, were controlled by the Government with commercial, advertising. That was how the' Labour' Party could achieve its purpose in Australia. It would begin with' the most powerful B class stations. Labour believed, that control of the radio stations would enable them to wage ruthless competition with newspapers.