PRESS MONOPOLY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22903, 10 June 1936, Page 10

PRESS MONOPOLY

LABOUR MEMBER’S ATTACK “SUPPRESSION AND DISTORTION” (From Oub Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, Jude 9. References to what he described as the monopoly of the press of New Zealand were made by Mr C. L. Carr (Govt., Timaru) during the debate on the second reading of the Broadcasting Bill in the House of Representatives this evening. Mr Carr indicated his belief that the Government was going to “ cut the claws of this monster.” “ Which is the better in any case—a private monopoly or a public one?” asked Mr Carr, when discussing radio advertising. “One or the other is inevitable. One is here with us now. That is the private monopoly of the press of this country. It is the biggest monopoly in New Zealand and this is the only country that has it.” The member for Wallace (Mr A. Hamilton) had admitted the power of the press of the country, Mr Carr said, when he said that it was able to guide the opinion of the people in a way which was responsible for the defeat of the Government at the elections. Then he complained because the Government wanted to cut the claws of this monster. Mr Carr said he remembered an occasion when the Minister of Public Works (Mr R. Semple) had made a speech from the Opposition benches about the flax industry. He made such a striking speech that members had rushed from all parts of the House to congratulate him. Next morning not a word appeared about the speech in the Wellington morning paper. That was the sort of thing from which the former Opposition had suffered. The Government was not going to suffer the present monopoly and the policy of the press of suppression and distortion. DEFENCE OF NEWSPAPERS GOVERNMENT FAIRLY TREATED (From Our Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, June 9. The opinion that the press of New Zealand had accorded generous treatment to the Government, especially in the amount of space devoted to the publication of its views, was expressed by Mr J. Hargest (Opposition, Awarna) during the second reading of the Broad casting Bill in the House of Representatives to-night. “ ft is clear,” Mr Hargest said. “ that the Government wants to use broadcasting to promulgate its own policy throughout New Zealand, and that it wishes to use the radio against the newspapers. We, on this side of the House, feel that the press lias been fairer to the present Government, both when it was in Opposition last year and as the new Government, than it has been to ns. I think that no newspaper in the country was unfair to the Labour Party Inst year, but that newspapers were unfair to us. They are being very fair to the Government to-day. Government news gets first claim. “If the Government thinks the attitude of the press to-day is the justification for this Bill,” Mr Hargest added. “ then I contend that the lender of the Government is under a misapprehension.”