SCRIMGEOUR CASE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25301, 11 August 1943, Page 2

SCRIMGEOUR CASE

REASONS FOR DISMISSAL DISCLOSURES IN THE HOUSE (F.0.P.R.) WELLINGTON, Aug. 10. “I have never been enamoured of commercial broadcasting, and I do not know if the country would lose anything if it disappeared,” said the Prime Minister, Mr P. Fraser, in the House of Representatives to-night, when the Broadcasting Account estimates were being discussed. He was replying to requests by Mr W. J. Poison (Oppn., Stratford) for information concerning the dismissal of Mr C. G. Scrimgeour, the former controller of the Commercial Broadcasting Service. Mr Poison said that provision was made in the vote for the salary of the controller of commercial boardcasting, when everybody knew the late controller was no longer in control and that he was in camp. The public was entitled to know the facts in regard t.o his dismissal. The controller had been allowed to say what he liked about the Opposition and the Government had applauded. He had said on one occasion that the members of the Opposition would be no fouler if they were dragged through a sewer from the North Cape to the Bluff. The Minister of Internal Affairs: Mr W. E. Parry: That is not true. He never said it. , Mr Poison: A record was taken, l heard him say it myself. Record of a Party

Not only did the controller go out of office, but a mysterious and secret record was taken of a party, and the Minister of Broadcasting, Mr D. Wilson, was inviting the people along to his office to hear it, Mr Poison said. “In fairness to members and the country, we should have the record played over on the floor of the House to let us hear it,” he added. "The House and the country does not know what is in that secret record, and whether it justifies a Minister of the Crown in taking parties round to his office to hear it. The whole business is distasteful to the people of the Domin--10 Replying, the Prime Minister said he himself happened to be a candidate in the same electorate In which the recent Controller of Commercial Broadcasting was also a candidate. That put him in a difficult position. I would have preferred that the member for Stratford had left the matter alone, he continued. “For extraordinary reasons a record was taken of a drunken oigy in the headquarters of the Commercial Broadcasting Service—in a Government office—in which the man in charge took P£ Mr A. G. Osborne (Govt., Onehunga): Who made this record? The Prime Minister: The controller airanged for it to be made. Mr Fraser said it was a most disgraceful thing that anyone would want to perpetuate such filth. The reasoning behind it was difficult to underSt "Anybody who takes part in such a drunken orgy and takes a record of such filthy, obsedne, and blasphemous language is not fit to be in charge of a Government department,” added the Prime Minister “ That was not why action was taken If I, as Prime Minister, had known that this was going on I would not have tolerated it for two seconds. Communists who are organising an election campaign on this war are those who had been trying to organise a freedom station in New Zealand and to suborn the staff of the service and try to control it. The Government would not tolerate such a thing.” Controller’s Purpose

The Prime Minister added that he was away from Wellington, both when the controller was appointed and when he was dismissed. He had been shown the prospectus of a company which the controller proposed to float to exploit the rights of commercial broadcasting in New Zealand—a type of racketeering. Recounting the circumstances of the controller’s suspension, reinstatement, and subsequent dismissal, the Prime Minister said he could not agree that he had been harehly treated. Tf a public servant would not obey the Minister concerned and the Government, then he had to go. The Government had been long-suffering. Repeated warnings had been, given, but apparently the controller wanted to dominate the service for his own ends and purposes. „ Mr J. A. Lee (Dem. Lab., Grey Lynn) said that' if the Pharisees could have hanged everybody who had used the language complained of there would be few men inarching with our army to-day. The Prime Minister said that the amalgamation of the two broadcasting services was under immediate action. Discussing other aspects of the broadcasting vote Mr Fraser said there would have to be a man controlling each service, but the whole thing could be amalgamated with a great saving in staff.