AN AUTOCRATIC MEASURE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22903, 10 June 1936, Page 9

AN AUTOCRATIC MEASURE

CONTROL OF BROADCASTING OPPOSITION CRITICISM DANGERS OF NEW POLICY (From Our Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, June 9. “Broadcasting is a national institution, and it is wrong for party politics to come in and control such a service," declared Mr A. Hamilton (Opposition, Wallace), who was Postmaster-general in the last Government, during the second reading debate on the Broadcasting Bill in the House of Representatives to-night. The present form of control, free from polities and free from commercial profit, lie said, was undoubtedly the best system. “This Bill is a far-reaching measure, and one of the most autocratic and dictatorial introduced this session,” Mr Hum.ilton said. “It goes much further than die Postmaster-general indicated to the House.”

The Minister of Transport (Mr R. Semple): Another step towards . Mr, Hamilton: Yes. Another step in the direction of Hitlerism along with the Minister of Transport and his Hitlerism.

The Ministerial control recommended by the committee which reported on the British system, said Mr Hamilton, was only the power of veto over programmes, and had nothing to do with the Ministerial control proposed in the Bill. The Postmaster-general had said it was the intention of the Government to control broadcasting for the people, but the listeners were the .people who had to find the money, and it was they who should receive the main consideration. The Government was grabbing a well-run and efficient service. Commercial advertising was a difficulty, and any Government was likely to land itself in trouble if it played with commercial stations. He advised the Government to step warily in connection with commercial broadcasting. Mr Hamilton said it was one of the fraits of British people to criticise and leave the good points alone, but surely there were some good aspects of the broadcasting service in New Zealand. A good service bad been built up with listeners’ money, a service that would compare more than favourably with any 'll Hie world with the exception of that of the British Broadcasting Corporation. Tlie great desire of the Government was to make changes. Mr D. W. Coleman (Govt., Gisborne): Wc were elected to do that.

Mr Hamilton; You might go out (or the same reason.

Mr Hamilton said it looked very much us it the commercial stations were going to be used as a localised weapon to bring newspapers in different parts of the country into line if they did not report the doings of the Government as it would like.

The Minister of Railways (Mr 0. G. Suili van): Does that frighten you? Mr Hamilton: It is a very doubtful purpose to which broadcasting is going to be put if it is to whip the newspapers if they do not say what the Government wants. If a Government was ever put in bv the newspapers it was the present Government. The Government went in with an anti-Government wave created a good deal by the newspapers. Mr Hamilton said the 8.8. C. represented one of the finest examples of broadcasting in tlie world. No one doubted that except people with no experience of broadcasting. The Government was taking over an asset worth nearly £200,000 net, and he wondered if the finances would be as safe and as well administered by the Government ns they were by the board, A national service with no idea of profit was the correct basis on winch to own and control the broadcasting service. It would be impossible under the system contemplated by the Government to prevent the broadcasting of political propaganda. The B stations, Mr Haihilton said, had given a 'wonderfully popular service in tlic early stages of broadcasting before tlic establishment of the high-powered national stations. Tlic subsidising of privately-owned commercial stations, however, was not altogether in line with the present Government’s avowed policy. “Tliis Bill.” Mr Hamilton concluded, “ is another addition to the absolute and unlimited power being taken by the Government.”