BILL IN COMMITTEE

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXV, Issue 78, 15 March 1935, Page 9

BILL IN COMMITTEE

Position of B Stations By Telegraph—Press Association WELLINGTON. March 14. The House of Representatives proceeded with the committee stages of the Broadcasting Bill. The amendments circulated by the Minister provided that two members of the Broadcasting Board shall be persons nominated by organisations recognised by the Minister as being representative ot holders of receiving licenses in New Zealand. The other amendment dealt with the control of programmes. Mr M. J. S'nvnge (Leader of the Opposition) said that the amendments meant nothing. He criticised the Government handing over its responsiblelies Io the board, which, he said, would consist of men of a certain political colour who would do as they were told by the Government. The Post and Telegraph Department had men who eoul I d (1 al! that was required. The board could not do it. He also opposed restrictions on B stations, for which, tie said, the people were crying out. Mr A. E. Ansi'll (Coal. Chalmers) said that B stations were sat slit <1 wiGi the regulations that existed in the past, except finance, but he sought an assurance from the Minister that their rights would not be further interfered with. Mr W. E. Barnard (Lab. Napier) raid that the fact that the Minister bail amended the Bill fairly substantially showed that he had listened to the representations which had been made to biin, and it was evident that the lasi word had not yet been written into the Bill. He appealed to the Minister to make still further alterations and make the measure, which was a nonparty one, suitable to all sides of Flic House. He and other members appealed to the Minister to give listeners the right to elect two representatives instead of leaving it to the Minister to appoint them. The Hon. A. Hamilton said he ha 1 said that he would take suggestions into consideration. Any reasonable requests would be heard. Several deputations were heard and only one suggested that listeners’ representatives should be elected. That would be difficult but it. could be done. The clause governing programmes had been loosened in response to repre-

} sentations. The main purpose of the amendments was to loosen up controversial matters, J and the right was given the board a.reasonable men to say what should or should not go over the air- The present regulation dealing with controversial matter would be withdrawn. A new board was not being set up. The board was established three or four years ago. The Minister said that all the board would have to do with B stations would be the superiision of their programmes. The Bill did not say it was setting out to kill B stations, was it was wonderful how so much assumption and suspicion had arisen. He believed the consensus ot opinion in the House was that a good national serviie under Government monopoly was the best. They had guarded I againgst commercialising broadcasting, and they did not want to encourage spending money by B stations when they did not have the source of revenue. Great difficulty had been experienced in allowing sponsored programmes, and if they were not very careful the Australian or American system would creep in. lie had every respect for the B stations, who had given good service and had, no doubt, been responsible lor the sale of many licenses, but now the board had subsidiary stations in four chief cities and several subsidised B stations. Mr Hamilton added that tlfc're was nothing to stop a listeners’ club running a B station ami if the board deemed it advisable to subsidise a L station it could do so. There were 31 stations in New Zealand nt the present time, 26 being B stations, and he thought that enough. There was nothing in the Bill to stop the transfer of station licenses.

Hig idea was that anything that was educative and entertaining but not propaganda should be allowed, lie did not consider political matter propaganda. That was debate. The Leader of the Opposition had said that the board w r ould know nothing about broadcasting. Mr Havago: I was just judging the Government ou its past, record. Mr Hamilton said it might be possible Io secure men who knew more about broadcasting than I’arliatneiit. For a long time the Government had protected licensees from patent rights, but that arrangement, was now cancelled nnfl the Government cast on to tho trade their right to purchase a patent right. It was not right for the Government to interfere between gramophone record manufacturers and B stations. Nir Ansell: What if the manufacturers refuse to allow records to bo used ? Mr Hamilton: We have never experienced that. Mr W. Nash (Lab. Hutt) again suggested that arrangements should be made for broadcasting the proceedings of Parliament, but only under conoitions that the people could listen in n they wished. Progress was reported and the House rose at midnight.