RADIO PUBLICITY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23577, 13 August 1938, Page 21

RADIO PUBLICITY

COUNTY COUNCIL MEETINGS POOR SUPPORT FOR MEMBER'S SUGGESTION DESCRIBED AS LUDICROUS (Special to Daily Times) INVERCARGILL, Aug. 12. Only two councillors voted for a motion debated at to-day's meeting of the Southland County Council that the proceedings of the council's meetings should be broadcast for two hours once a month. Cr L. A. Niederer gave notice at the last meeting of the council to move that the National Broadcasting Service should be asked to have the meetings broadcast. His suggestion was not well received by some of the councillors, one of whom said he regarded it as a joke, ■ An attack on the.alleged spafsity of the reports by the press was made by Cr A. S. McNaught, who seconded the motion, but no other councillor supported his allegations. " I don't think any harm would be dohe if we asked for our meetings to be broadcast for two hours once a month, for the two hburs of the most important work of the council," Cr Niederer . said. " Broadcasting is modern and has come to stay, and if 1 we don't get it this year we are bound to get it later." .

Tastes of Listeners

There was no doubt that the people of Southland County were interested irt how their money was spent, Cr Niederer said. Just recently Professor James Shelley. Director of Broadcasting, had spoken of the difficulty in building up broadcast programmes to cater for the tastes of all listeners. Seventy-five per cept. of the people had radio sets, and what suited one did not suit another. The introduction of a broadcast of the council meetings would help to relieve the situation. Some might say that the council meetings were held in the afternoon, and that the fanner ratepayers would be too busy to listen to the broadcast, but there was such a thing as afternoon tea, even among the fanners, and they could listen to the business of the meeting while they were having a cup of tea. • • i "We know that the press is in attendance at our meetings, but we also know, that it is utterly impossible for them ,to publish everything that goes on here, Cr Neiderer said. " They take what they consider is interesting and important. It is the same in Parliament/ It would require the production of newspapers every five minutes to publish everything spoken and done in Parliament. The press publishes what is of interest. "There is a lot done which is of interest to our ratepayers, and does not get into the papers just the same," Cr . Neiderer said. " The meetings are open to the public, but they do not come to them, and so we should go. to the public. .1 believe it would be better it the listeners heard for themselves. what we do and how the money is spent I do not think that 10 per cent, of the ratepayers in Southland County know what business is done by the council. I think it would be a good thing to. have these matters broadcast. I also think it would be a good thing If the' Southland Progress League had its meetings broadcast. It is a public concern spending public money,; and there would be enlightenment for the people to know how the business is carried out;? '.:;. ■ . Cr Neiderer moved that the National Broadcasting Service should be asked to broadcast the proceedings of the council for two hours once a month. Criticism of Press "It has become necessary to do this," Cr' McNaUght *said, seconding the motion. ■" I* have been on the' council for six years and I have been a consistent advocate for more publicity of the work done by.the council-so. that the ratepayers can learn a little more about the business of the country. "Ratepayers have been asking why there are not better reports of meetings in the press, and I. agree with their complaint" Cr McNaught said. " The ratepayers always are interested in the work of the county, but -they do not got it. reported as they should.. We' are the - poorest reported county in the whoje of New Zealand."

Members: No, no! You are wrong there. .'•'."■

Cr McNaught: I get reports of county meetings from all over New Zealand. Some of them get three and four columns.' We don't get that here. If wc can't get publicity through the press we wul have to try another way. , ■<?I!do not hold the same point jf view-as the previous speakers," Cr J. McNeil said. "I think the suggestion is absolutely ridiculous and I am sure the broadcasting management will say thai; it is out of all reason to start to broadcast Ideal body meetings.'''. "There is too much broadcastmg already," Cr McNeil added. It is costing the country too much and we don't want any more. What good will it do? I hope we.won't hav«? to listen to members talking for two hours. We are getting good reports In the press. It has to be remembered that we start here about 9 o'clock in the morning and finish as late as 4.30. I do not think 2 per cent, of the ratepayers will listen to us between 2 and 4 o clock. There is too much time taken up with talking already without bringing in a broadcast to encourage more of it l hope we do not get it." "Feast of Propaganda" "As it is now, we have had such a feast ot the broadcast of Social.st propaganda that the public already ;s fed up," Cr T. Golden said. "We know that Cr Niederer has Socialist leanings, and we have heard his Socialistic outbursts at this table on occasions As for the suggestion that farmers would unyolk their teams and come in to listen to a broadcast of these meetings/ I think it is ludicrous. Even if they were to do so, I think they would be so displeased with what they would hear that they would put an axe into their sets." ~ Referring to the statements made about the press. Cr Golden said he had always found that anything worth reporting had been taken by the reporters. ■ • • t . "When Cr Niederer gave his notice of motion at the last meeting. I took it as a bit of a joke," Cr W M. Norman ca'd. "As a member representing one of the largest ridings and as a more or less ' silent * member I don't think I would have much chance of being heard if the meetings were broadcast."