COMPLETE HOLD on Radio Broadcasting

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXVI, Issue 148, 8 June 1936, Page 7

COMPLETE HOLD on Radio Broadcasting

GOVERNMENT PLAN Taking Power To Do Whatever It Wants To FATE OF B STATIONS (By Teleciaph—Special to “Tribune.") WELLINGTON, June 8. Far-reaching provisions are contained in the Broadcasting Bill to be introduced into the House of Representatives, “Our promise to the B stations was to make it possible for them to carry on,” said the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage this morning. “The B stations were to live. That is what I said. In carrying out that undertaking it becomes a matter of how are they going to live. Either they have to be subsidised, allowed to advertise or be purchased by the Government. Our job is to make the best arrangements possible with them. At present I do not know what stations are to bo taken over, but the Bill will give the Government power to make arrangements with B stations,” continued the Prime Minister. “The Government will be master of the situation.”

There would be a Minister in charge of broadcasting, Mr. gavage continued, just as there was a Minister of Transport. "And it is such a big thing that the probability is that the Minister who is placed in charge will find that hia hands are very full.”

The Prime Minister indicated that broadcasting would be one of the features of the Government’» publicity policy, a publicity scheme having been decided upon as one of the activities of Ihe Government. "Boiling it all down, it just comes to this,” said Mr Savage. "The people must be kept in touch with the best and the worst of what we can do. We will be muck more on the air than ever before. We aim at giving the public music and information at the same time. It seems to me that people cannot get too much information of what is happening in Parliament. They are entitled to know what we are going to do about certain things. We will talk to the public.

"The man who broadcasts for the Government will say, for instance, ‘There seems to be a feeling that so and so ix being neglected. The real position is so and so.’ One geti an odd letter occasionally which indicates that the writer does not know what the Government is doing, although in practically every case the letters I have had have been complimentary, but there is a stray correspondent here and there who obviously does not know why we are doing certain things. Naturally everybody wants his own case considered, but, as I have said again and again, before anyone can be helped we must lay the foundation.” Mr. Savage said that the Government. would take over some of the B stations. Asked >f it was intended to go to Australia or elsewhere for a director of broadcasting, Mr. Savage said that the Government would get the best men available and they would probably be found in New Zealand. Mr. Savage said that under the Bill tha Government would take power to advertise, but that, would only be permitted with Government stations. In conclusion the Prime Minister said that the Government was taking power to do whatever the Government wanted to do in respect of broadcasting generally.