PROMISES AND PROTESTATIONS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23206, 2 June 1937, Page 8

PROMISES AND PROTESTATIONS

Promises, like chickens, come home to roost. If the Government was suffering from any delusion that its pre-election promises regarding the future of B class radio stations had been forgotten, the public meeting in the Concert Chamber last evening must have convinced it of the error. Certainly there was no particular unanimity of thought among the decidedly vocal section of the public which attended the meeting as to its specific desires concerning the B stations, though its wish that they be retained was expressed in a resolution which was declared by the Mayor to be carried. But the audience made it clear that the Labour Party was considered guilty of a breach of faith in reversing its avowed intention of protecting the stations if- it came into office, and it was not to be persuaded by members of the Government that no change of policy had taken place. This, however, was almost incidental to the most interesting revelation of the meeting, namely, that the Government, without so much as a backward glance, has blandly reversed its policy again. Before the meeting was an intimation from the Acting Prime Minister that the Government had no intention of closing down B stations which refused to sell to it, but would subsidise only those which it considered essential to broadcasting. In addition, Dr M'Millan, speaking presumably with the authority of his party, stated categorically that the B stations have never been endangered by the Government, and that none would be forced to sell. Furthermore, the Government would “ discuss ” with the operators of those stations which did not care to sell the question of subsidies to enable them to continue operations. This statement goes just sufficiently further than the Acting Prime Minister’s to suggest that the volte face is complete, unless, of course, we could accept Dr M’Millan’s assui - ance that the Government never had any intention of dishonouring its pre-election pledge. In that case, however, the owners of the B class stations and the listeners who have joined with them in protesting against the Government’s proposal to acquire these properties must be charged with the most extreme foolishness, since obviously their violent agitations, .including the lively meeting last evening, were entirely superfluous. It now remains only for the Government to convince these people that the whole of their battle for retention of their right to operate their stations was due to a gross misapprehension, and to persuade the public generally that it never had any intention of deviating from a policy enunciated from the Opposition benches and reiterated on the hustings. That done, nothing will be left for it to answer for, unless it is to convince the Labour electorate in New Zealand that the subsidising of pri-vately-owned services, which in effect are in competition with a Stale-owned form of public utility, is in harmony with the best interpretation of the practice of Socialism, and in harmony also with the general policy of the Government, as evidenced, for example, in the sphere of transport.

THE NEW BRITAIN DISASTER Unfortunately the earlier reports, fragmentary as all the reports have been, concerning a volcanic eruption of considerable violence in New Guinea seem to have not exaggerated the effects of the disaster. Rabaul, which is the seat of government of that part of New Guinea—formerly German New Guinea —over which the Commonwealth Government now exercises a mandate, is actually facing a threat of destruction. So far as has yet been determined there has been no loss of life, a fact that may be due in part to the prompt action taken by the Administration for the evacuation of the populace to a safer region removed from the coast, but it is apparent that there are grave dangers of the complete submergence of Rabaul. The whole of the area administered under the mandate, which embraces the north-east portion of New Guinea proper and the extensive region known as the Bismarck Archipelago, including New Britain—on which Rabaul is situated—New Ireland and the islands adjacent to both. is notoriously subject to earthquake end volcanic disturbance, and the fact that the present upheaval is described as the most severe in the history of the territory should be sufficient to show that Nature has manifested herself in one of her most terrifying moods. It is staled that two volcanoes are active, and that Vulcan Island, which originated in a tremendous submarine eruption some 60 years ago, lias been forced up to a considerable height and has dosed the entrance to the harbour of Rabaul In (he presence of such a gigantic play of natural forces human effort is mocked, but the knowledge that the warning signals were sufficient to allow of the orderly retirement of both the

native and the white residents from

the danger zone affords grounds for genuine satisfaction. The interruption of the means of communication has deprived us of all but the barest indication of the measure of the devastation that has occurred. That the losses that have been suffered are very extensive is clear, but it may be hoped that they have been confined to that area from which it has been possible to transmit reports of the tragedy.