A VEILED THREAT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23333, 27 October 1937, Page 5

A VEILED THREAT

THE UNEMPLOYMENT POSITION MINISTER'S RECENT STATEMENT INADEQUATE PUBLICITY SUGGESTED (From Our Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, Oct. 26. An allegation that a small amount of publicity had been given by the press generally to the statement dealing with unemployment recently issued by the Minister of Labour (Mr H. T. Armstrong) was. made by Mr C. L. Carr (Govt., Timaru) in an urgent question which he asked Mr Armstrong in the House of Representatives to-day. Mr Carr inquired from the Minister if adequate steps were taken by him to make copies of the statement available to newspapers over a wide area. Mr Armstrong said that as a desire had been expressed by a number of members of Parliament and by many newspapers to be supplied with the latest information concerning the unemployment position in New Zealand he had prepared a full statement and had made special arrangements to ensure its publication in full throughout the Dominion. Copies had been posted on October. 15 direct to 140 newspapers all over the country in such a manner as to ensure that they reached a large number of them simultaneously. "I am informed,", the Minister continued, "that copies of. the statement were enclosed in official envelopes and that their receipt and despatch by the Post and Telegraph Department have been verified. The evidence available indicates that the statement reached every newspaper to which it was addressed. Steps are being taken to obtain verification on this point. A report which I have received indicates that of the 140 newspapers to which copies were sent only 25 of them had published the statement by October 22. "I understand," Mr Armstrong said, "that the method of posting copies of Ministerial statements of special importance direct to newspapers is a well-established one. The completion of the inquiries now being made may disclose some reasonable explanation of the fact that 115 out of 140 newspapers declined to make public information for which so strong a demand had been expressed. In the absence of any such explanation it certainly appears that consideration may have to be given to finding some other medium of supplying important public information to the people." Mr J. G. Coates (Opposition, Kaipara): An inspired question, well rigged up!

The statement referred to was published virtually in full in the Daily Times on October 19. It occupied more than one and a-nalf columns of our space.