SPEECHES OVER THE AIR.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LV, Issue 256, 26 September 1935, Page 9

SPEECHES OVER THE AIR.

FREEDOM SOUGHT. BY OPPOSITION LEADER. Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, Sept. 25. In the House of Representatives tonight urgency was accorded the passing of the Imprest Supply Bill and the House went into Committee of Supply. Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates, Minister of Finance, explained that it was intended to take supply for £4,954,000 for two months.

Mr M. J. Savage, Leader of the Opposition, said he wondered whv supply Avas taken for two months while the House Avas sitting. He proceeded to deal Avith broadcasting and said the public had only themselves to blame for the position that had arisen. Broadcasting Avas sloAvly but surely being muzzled. He said there should be absolute freedom of the air and added that one heard often of the freedom of the Press, but he had not seen it very much yet. According to the neAVspapers nothing the Opposition to the Government said had anything in it. The

newspapers appeared to him to have special concern for vested interests. The public interest did not come into the picture. He bad hoped someone starting a neAVspaper Avould give the Ainvarnished truth, but he Avas gradually losing hope in that direction. No matter Avhat neAVspaper they picked up the same side of the picture Avas presented and ho Avondered Avhat Avas going to happen to broadcasting. He Avas just a little afraid that Avhat happened to the neAvspapers Avould happen to broadcasting if the House alloA\-ed it. He could see no logical reason for preventing anyone avlio bad anything interesting to say from saying it. He kn«Av some members said people did not Avant to hear speeches, but that Avas not his opinion. Mr Savage said the B stations Avere being crushed. They had helped to build up the services that had been built up and bad helped to popularise broadcasting. The freedom of the Press did not exist. The Press expressed the vieAA's of those in control and gave very little publicity to the vieAA'S of the Opposition, and be Avanted to see some alternative means of publicity. If he ever came into control he Avould see that that alternative Avas provided and he Avould encourage B stations and broadcasting. He admitted there must be intelligent control, but be did not think the means of publicity should be muzzled. Broadcasting in other countries Avas being encouraged, Avhile in NeAV Zealand it Avas being starved out of existence. He asked tire Postmaster-General if be bad anything in bis mind to help B stations" meet the illegitimate demands of those Avho held tlie copyrights. Mr Savage said the Government said controversial matters should not be broadcast, but Avho Avas to judge Avhat Avhat controversial ? Public questions AA’ere discussed in the columns of the daily neAvspapers. Why. should they not be discussed over the air? He thought there Avas a stopping place to the issue of licenses. That was governed by coverage, but stations that had been in operation for some years should not he forced out of existence.

DEMOCRAT DISAGREES. Mr W. A. Veitch did not agree Avith Mr Savage in his almost complete denunciation of the Press. Ho admitted there Avere some neAvspapers that Avere not Avorthy of a place among the newspapers of the Dominion, but there Avere a great many giving valuable service to the people. He did not agree Avith Mr Savage regarding the control of broadcasting and feared some Avould not receive the same opportunity in placing their views before the electors as others. He thought they AA-ere in danger of one party having almost a monopoly of privilege of expressing its vieAvs over the air during the forthcoming election campaign. He made a plea for a change of policy regarding broadcasting and urged that the Avidest opportunity of self-expres-sion should be given to young people on the air and equal opportunity to all political parties to express their vieAA's over the air.

VARYING RATES OF PAY. Mr W. E. Parry, supported Mr Savage in his charge against the Press and publicity for the vieAvs of the Opposition. He referred to Mr Coates’s proposal to pay married men more than single men and asked if that policy Avas to be carried into the rest of the community. Was it to be expected that a single grocer should sell groceries cheaper than a married grocer? Win' Avas the original policy of paving a single inan the same as a married man for the same AVork departed from? A single man had his future to consider. That principle, continued Mr Parry, Avould lead to competition betAA’een tlie single man and the married man and everybody kneAV that employers 'generally Avould give preference to the single man to the exclusion of the married man. He Avished to protest immediately against such a stupid principle. Was 12s per day to be the standard Avage on public Avorks? If so, it Avas not sufficient. It Avas not a living Avage. Mr Purry also dealt Avith tlie exclusion of five-year-old children from the schools and said it Avas one of the greatest blunders the Government ever made. The Government’s refusal to encourage kindergartens was also mentioned by Mr Parry. Avho expressed the hope that the day Avas not far distant Avhen kindergarten AVork Avould become part and parcel of the education system. It avus too important a AVork to be left to charity. DEVELOPMENT OF INDUSTRY.

Mr R. Semple urged greater development of coal carbonisation. Britain had encouraged the industry of obtaining oil from coal as the sources of supply might be cut off in the event of Avar and Noav Zealand avus in exactly the same position. New Zealand industries Avere becoming more and more dependent on oil. He produced samples of oil secured from the Orepuki shale deposits and said it Avas a shame that such deposits should be shut doAvn and not developed. He said the deposits were held by an oil monopoly and Avere shut down to force NeAv Zealand to secure oil from foreign companies. The extraction of poAver alcohol from Avaste timbers Avas another industry that should be encouraged. He said a ton of sawdust yielded as much as 40 gallons of poAver alcohol. There Avas also ail excellent tanning liquid Avhicli could be obtained from the Southland beech forests. Mr Semple urged research to ascertain Aidiat Ncav Zealand was capable of producing and Avliat industries Avere Avorth being developed. He asked the Prime Minister to give the House an outline of Avhat he had learned of the Ncav Zealand Avoolpack Avhile in Bradford. He thought there Avas a great opening for that industry if it received a little assistance from the State. He suggested that the Department of Industrial and Scientific Research should be reorganised and a trained chemist placed at the head of it. Mr F. Langstone also dealt Avith the policy of the Press and broadcasting. He said the Press dominated the policy of the Government and tlie country, and alleged that nothing could be broadcast until it had already appeared in the daily Press. The Press Avas stifling broadcasting in this country. He contended tlie Press had a guaranteed price and received a bountv.from the Government in the shape of telegraph concession rates. Mr Langstone said that as soon as B stations Avere alloAved to broadcast all matter the people Avould see Avhere the poAver of tlie Press really lay.

Mr H. T. Armstrong did not think Mr Langstone had exaggerated the position as far as the Press of Neiv Zealand Avas concerned. The yelloAv Press of America “liad nothing on” the Ncav Zealand Press. He said the newspapers did not dare publish Labour’s side of the case. The onlv people not alloAved to broadcast AA-ere Laliour Party candidates. He thought the people Avanted to hear both sides. He contended the concerts broadcast by the YA stations Avere not as attracth-e as they used to be, because thev did not mnko use of local talent, but preferred to bring performers from Australia. and other places. He alleged the appointments to the Broadcasting Board Avere political appointments. A

knowledge of broadcasting was not necessary. He said New Zealand had been turned, into a laughing stock for the rest of the world. POLICY DEFENDED. Hon. A. Hamilton, Postmaster-Gen-eral, said he thought the Broadcasting Board was fairly representative of the community. It was not a political board. If Mr Yeitch. could suggest a . scheme by which politics could be discussed over the air he might be helpful. Mr Hamilton said he had discussed the matter with Mr Savage and others as to how they, might discuss politics over the air during the forthcoming election, but it was not as easy as it looked. Mr IV. E. Barnard: Is the Minister genuine in desiring to reach some arrangement? ? Mr Hamilton: Quite genuine. The Minister went on to say the newspapers had to consider what was of interest to their readers and the Broadcasting Board had to consider what- was of interest to their listeners. Mr Hamilton asked how many B stations Mr Savage would license.. Britain had only 12 stations, and he thought the British system was the admiration of the world. New Zealand had 20 stations. Was it wise to expend money building up that many stations? One of the evils that occurred in Australia was political candidates buying their way on to the air. That could not happen in Britain. They had to decide whether broadcasting was to be owned nationally or commercially. Most of the B stations originated commercially. The Government had to watch that the air did not become choked and it was a question of whether B stations should be allowed to grow nnd wield great power over the community as some American stations had done. Regarding: B stations’ troubles over copyrights, that was a very difficult question and it was very complicated. Mr T. H. McCombs said that _ although Britain had only a few stations British listeners were in touch with Continental stations. He said electricity was being wasted in New Zealand. It could be used to •manufacture carbide and nitrates and other things that were needed. He contended that students in New Zealand were wasting their time on research work which had no relation to real life when they could deal with subjects that would be of use to New Zealand.

Mr A. S. Richards also dealt with the treatment of B stations.

The Bill was put through all stages and passed and the House rose at 12.10 a.m.