PUBLIC SERVICE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22878, 5 November 1937, Page 13

PUBLIC SERVICE

GUARDING REPUTATION VIEWS OF MR. FORBES JUSTIFICATION OF INQUIRIES [BY TELEGRAPH —SPECIAL REPORTER] WELLINGTON, Thursday "Tlie Prime Minister is the guardian of tlie reputation of the Public Service, and it is his duty to see that there is not a breath of suspicion attached to any individual in the employ of tlie State," said the Rt. Hon. G. \Y. Forbes (Opposition—Hurunui) during the dehate on the Broadcasting Amendment Bill in the House of Representatives to-night. Members of the Opposition, he added, were fully justified in asking for information about the allegations that had been made against the Controller of Commercial Broadcasting. The Prime Minister, said Mr. Forbes, had resented the inquiries of the Opposition, it was the duty of the Opposition to act as watchdogs in such circumstances and the Prime Minister should give all the information he could to the House. The Prime Minister had talked about the Opposition making innuendoes but no greater innuendo had been made than that levelled at the Leader of the Opposition, the Hon. A. Hamilton, over the "jamming" incident. "No one can dispute the fact that the controller of,the commercial service broke the agreement he had with the previous Government, that no propaganda was to go over the air," said Mr. Forbes. "By doing that he betrayed a trust and the conditions of a licence issued to him in good faith. That was done for the benefit of the Labour Party. Now that be has a friendly Government, can we be sure his service will not be used for one-' sided political propaganda against the Opposition?" "I have never known of a Prime Minister so sensitive to criticism," Mr. Forbes remarked. He said tlie newspapers had stated the policy of the Government fairly and squarely. The only criticism had been of the I weaknesses of the Government.

COSTS AND EFFICIENCY

EFFECTS OF NEW SCHEME MENTION OF HIGH SALARIES [BY TELEGRAPH —SPECIAL REPORTER] "WELLINGTON, Thursday There was sufficient machinery in the existing legislation for the control of broadcasting and the efficient running of the system, said Mr. W. P. Endean (Opposition—Parnell) in the debate on the Broadcasting Amendment Bill in the House to-day. The setting up of two separate offices would only mean increased expenditure and lack of efficiency. Dealing with the original arrangement made for the payment of the Controller of Commercial Broadcasting, Mr. C. G. Scrimgeour, Mr. Endean said that under that scheme the controller would have been getting a salary of £SOO a year and per cent on £140,000. That did not sound like an arrangement made by a Socialist Government.

The Prime Minister, Mr. Savage said the arrangement had been altera at the request of Mr. Scrimgeour.

"In any case, there is another gentleman in this commercial service who is getting £looo a year—that is the sales manager," added Mr. Endean. "Now we have the Director of Broadcasting, the Controller of Commercial Broadcasting and this sales manager all getting £ISOO a year. What private firm in Now Zealand would have such a multiplicity of managers, such division of services and such high salaries?"