MR SCRIMGEOUR

Grey River Argus, 16 January 1940, Page 5

MR SCRIMGEOUR

AND FARMERS’ UNION HEADS Mountain Made of a Molehill [Per Press Association.] WELLINGTON, January 15. The Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage, has replied to a letter sent to him on December 6 by the Dominion President of 'The Farmers Union, Mr W. W. Mulholland. The letter concerned statements that were said to have been made by the Controller of Commercial Broadcasting, Mr Scrimgeour. The Prime Minister wrote: I have to acknowledge receipt of your letter, in which you draw my attention to your complaint concerning a statement made the Controller of Commercial Broadcasting. Your representations on this matter have been carefully noted, and also your explanation that the conference at which the question of organised opposition to the Government was discussed was held in July. I feel that the occasion does not .warrant the action which you suggest. There is, evidently, a good deal of confusion over what was actually said on the air, and I notice that, in your letter, you do not refer to the very positive statement made by the Controller of Commercial Broadcasting in favour of the farmers, and expressing the view that, far from being regarded as ‘Public Enemy No. 3,” they were ‘Public Benefactors No. I.’ This statement, has, obviously, escaped your notice. I can assure you that the Government will, at all times, use every endeavour to safeguard the interests of all sections of the community.” Mr Mulholland to-day sent the following further letter to Mr Savage' ‘‘Your letter avoids dealing with matters I raised, and introduces questions entirely outside those to which I referred. I must point out I had no intention of making the explanation that our annual conference was held in July. I desired to protest that this fact was suppressed, and an inference deliberately given was that the conference had occurred since the war broke out. I did not mention the conference at which the question of organised opposition to the Government was discussed; nor did I make any reference to ‘Public Enemy No. 3.’ My letter dealt with a specific offence by the Controller of Commer cial Broadcasting, and there is no confusion over what was" said by him. as he quoted from ‘The Standard,’ and it was to material quoted that I took exception. My letter to you dealt with a particular attack on the New Zealand Farmers’ Union, and I asked you definitely to dissociate your Government from this action, and these untrue statements, and that you instruct the officer concerned to re -5 tract completely without further comment statements and inferences complained of, and make that retraction with an appropriate apology in the same manner as he made the attack, and finally that you cause the Controller to cease such unseemly conduct as he indulged in. You state you feel that the occasion does not warrant action which I suggested. I must point out that this refusal of any redress definitely associates the Government with calumniation of a large section of the people. I am, however, very reluctant to believe this attack was made at the instance, or with the approval of the Government. I appeal to you, Sir, to tell me this is not the case, and that this unwarranted, unjustified attack was not made on behalf of the Government, that the Government regrets it was made, that it has no desire to provoke the farming community, that the Government will take the action I urge, and that it will do nothing to render difficult co-operation of the farming community with the Government which the present emergency renders so necessary.”