HARBOUR CAMPAIGN

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXIV, Issue 196, 2 August 1934, Page 4

HARBOUR CAMPAIGN

Board Chairman’s Broadcast ‘OBVIOUSLY CONTROVERSIAL’ ’ WELLINGTON, August 1. In the House of Representatives recently Mr A E. Jull (Govt—Waipawu) asked the Postmaster-General, the Hon. A. Hamilton, whether the regulations in respect to the broadcasting of controversial mutters had been varied and, if not, was he aware that permission was given bv station 2ZH, Napier, to the chairman of the Napier Harbour Board to broadcast a speech urging people to vote for the harbour loan at the poll the following day. Mr Hamilton tio-day replied that the regulation covering the broadcasting of controversial matter has not been altered. As the speech referred to was obviously controversial the licensee of station 2ZH, Napier, should not have permitted it to be broadcast from his station. Suitable notice would be taken of the licensee’s failure to observe the regulation in this instance. Mr W. E. Barnard (Lab Napier) said ho hoped that the Minister's reply was not in the nature of a threat. It was a decidedly unsatisfactory answer, ft so happened that the speech was carefully prepared and that a copy was made available to an officer of the Post and Telegraph Department before it was delivered.

There was nothing in the speech which could bo considered obviously controversial. The keenest election fight was in progress, and Mr Jull was one of the protagonists in the struggle. The chairman of the board in his speech had confined himself to facts concerning the harbour. He was performing a public duty in his capacity of chairman, and had taken the greatest care in the preparation of the statement because he realised that the licensee ot the station, and not he, would be held responsible for the broadcasting of controversial matter. He had made no attempt to convince listeners on the issue

The poll had resulted in Mr Jull's proposals being soundly beaten, and it would have been better if Mr Jull had allowed the matter t<> rest when the people had decided in such an emphatic way.