PUBLICITY FILM

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23369, 8 December 1937, Page 10

PUBLICITY FILM

MAJOR PUBLIC WORKS OBJECTIVE QUESTIONED "POLITICAL PROPAGANDA" (From Our Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, Dec. 7. A motion picture film portraying the operations of some of the major public works in New Zealand is shortly to be released by the Government for exhibition in theatres throughout the country. This was announced by the Minister of Public Works (Mr R. Semple) when questions were asked about a vote of £4OO for a kinematograph film during consideration of the Supplementary Estimates of the Public Works Department in the House of Representatives to-night. In reply to an inquiry by the Leader of the Opposition (Mr A. Hamilton), the Minister said that the object of having the film made was to enable the people of New Zealand to see what was being done by the Public Works Department on some of its major wdrks. As taxpayers they were entitled to know how and where their money was being spent. The film would be released to theatres throughout the Dominion. "Hardly Cricket" "This is a means by which the Government proposes to use the taxpayers' money to seduce them into believing that, because they see a lot of extravagant machinery, all must be well with the department," said Mr W J. Poison (Opposition, Stratford). "No doubt it would be a charming thing to look at, but it hardly seems to be cricket to use public' funds to provide a film for the entertainment of those who cannot analyse the oosition for themselves. Pictures of the Minister's machines hard at work would create an impression in the mind of the unthinking person that the department is doing wonderful work." The Minister of Lands (Mr F. Langstone): A lot of these films will be shown outside the country, where those who see them will not even have the opportunity of voting for the member for Stratford. " I am not attacking the Minister,'' Mr Poison said. "I am attacking the principle by which this sort of thing is allowed to go to the theatres and create a wrong impression, thereby making an instrument of political propaganda. I am inclined to think that this is the thin edge of the wedge, and that before long large sums will be spent on political propaganda." "A Mare's Nest" "The honourable gentleman has discovered a mare's nest," the Minister said in reply. "Itis a simple film showing the methods of construction, and if the honourable gentleman desides to draw on his imagination and talk about extravagance, he is welcome to do so. I challenge the Opposition to show that the purchase of any of these machines represents extravagance Every one of the machmes used on the major public works has paid for itself. This is a simple film without any bands playing or drums banging, and there is no political propaganda about it. The. Labour Government did not invent these machines; it just had brains enough to use them."