PUT OFF THE AIR

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 22 December 1938, Page 7

PUT OFF THE AIR

i LABOUR RADIO STATION i | ONLY A MINUTE'S NOTICE GIVEN POSTMASTER-GENERAL'S ACTION AT SYDNEY fU.P A.- Hv Electric Telegraub-CoDv riebt i (Received 22nd December, 11.55 a.m.) SYDNEY, This Day. Labour’s broadcasting station, 2KY, was suddenly put off the air yesterday afternoon by order of the PostmasterGeneral, Mr Cameron. It is understood that this arises out of the dispute between the Minister of Defence, Mr Thorby, and the Opposition Leader, Mr Curtin. One minute’s notice was given the station that it was to be cut off the air and 2KY had no opportunity to inform listeners.

Mr R. King, M.L.C., secretary of the 2KY committee, said that Mr Cameron had complained that the 2KY news commentator, Mr J. Morley, had attacked individuals. Mr King added that Mr Cameron was trying to stifle free speech over the air.

About twenty minutes after the station was cut off the Chief Radio Inspector, Mr W. T. Crawford, arrived at the transmitting station at French’s Forest on the northern side of the harbour, accompanied by a policeman, armed with a warrant to enter the station, and tne transmitter was ciosed.

The Australian Labour Party decided last night to call upon all its branches and workers generally to carry motions of protest.

The Prime Minister, Mr J. A. Lyons, who was in Devonport last night, made telephone contact with Mr Cameron at Ararat and arranged for Mr Cameron to get in touch with the controllers of the station to-day.

POSTMASTER-GENERAL INTERVIEWED

Interviewed on his way to Adelaide, the Postmaster-General, Mr Cameron, said he accepted full responsibility for the withdrawal of the 2KY licence.

He had given a personal warning that action would be taken if that broadcasting station failed to conform to the requirements of his Department. He added: “We expect from commercial broadcasting stations the same standard of ethics as is demanded from the newspapers.”

It is understood that correspondence between the Postmaster-General’s Department and 2KY had been going on for two years concerning the transmission of statements regarded as objectionable by the Federal Government, particularly upon international affairs. The officials of 2KY expressed amazement at the suddenness of the Post-master-General’s action, which is attributed to views and statements emanating from their news commentator upon the pig iron dispute at Port Kembla and the controversy between Mr Thorby and Mr Curtin, one remark picturing Mr Thorby as trying to run Australia with a spittoon in one hand and a smoking gun in the other.