RADIO BROADCASTS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22030, 9 February 1935, Page 14

RADIO BROADCASTS

AMENDMENTS OF ACT BOARD TO BE! ENLARGED CONTROVERSIAL MATTERS WITHDRAWAL OF REGULATIONS [by TELEGRAPH —P]:i:ss association] WELLINGTON, Friday Before leaving f>r Australia, tho Postmaster-General, the Hon. A. Hamilton, issued a statement regarding proposed amendment i to the Broadcasting Act. "It is proposed to sum end the Act by enlarging the board from threo to seven members," sj id tho Minister. "With a hoard of seven an advisory council will be unnec'iisary. The present regulations regarding controversial matters will be withdrawn and discretion in this matter left tn the judgment of the board. Broadcasting in New Zealand will therefore be under the control of tho board, eueept in such matters as licensing find wave-lengths, which necessarily muiiit be retained by the Government."

Following the passing of the Broadcasting Act in 393.. appointments to the New Zealand I-Toadcasting Board were announced by the Hon. A. Hamilton in December of that year. The members appointed were Mr. H. D. Vickery, of Wellington (chairman), Mr. G. R. Hutchinson, y! Auckland, and Mr. L. R. C. Maclarlane, of Canterbury. Under the terms of the Act the chairman was to hold office for a period not exceeding five rears, and was to receive a salary of £650 a year. The two other members Tore each to receive £350 a year, and the Act stated that one member was to hold office for not more than four years and the other for not more than three years. In all cases subsequent appointments were not to exceed three years. The Broadcasting Act also provided for the appointment of an advisory council to the New Zealand Broadcasting Board consisting of eight members, five from the North Island and three from the South Island. These appointments were subsequently made. The provision relating to the broadcasting of controversial matter is Contained in regulatioi. 138 of the radio regulations. It is provided that "a broadcasting station shall not be used for the dissemination of propaganda of a controversial nature, but shall bo restricted to matter cf an educative, informative or entertaining character, such as news, lectures, useful information, religious services, musical or elocutionary entertaii iinent and other items of general public interest as may be approved by the Minister from time to time."

Recent subjects bi .nned as a result of the regulations regarding controversial matter were a lectura from station IZS, Auckland, by Mr. W. D. Kilpatrick, of Detroit, a member of the Board of Lectureship of the First Church of Christ, Scientist, Boston, Massachusetts, on "Christian Science, God's Answer to Humanity's Cry for Freedom"; the reading of the epilogue to Mr. G. B. Shaw's 'Androcles and the Lion,'' from 3ZM, (Hiristchurch, at the conclusion of a reading of the play; lectures by Jiddu Kr: shnamurti, the Indian philosopher; a lecture by Professor W. A. Sewell, professor of English at the Auckland 'CJnirersity College, on "Religion and Philosophy as Manifestations of the Spirit of Western Civilisation"; three talks on,'."The Age of Machinery and the Great Society," "Marxism and the ]dea of Equity" and "Fascism," by Mr. H. D. Dickinson, exchange lecturer ii economics at the Auckland University College; and talks broadcast twice weekly from IZM, Manurewa, by the Auckland BritishIsrael Association. The ban on the latter talks was removed after three weeks.

It was stated last May by the Post-master-General, in reply to a deputation, that he had been discussing for some time with members of the Broadcasting Board the qi lestion of how "controversial" should be interpreted. Nearly all controve ruial matters were interesting and somr> were entertaining, said Mr. Hamilton, but there were a few that were offensive. It was not desirable that controversial matters that were offensive sliouli be allowed on the air. The Minister subsequently announced that as soon as he received particulars of the polio? being followed by the British Broadcasting Corporation the whole question would be carefully reviewed.