FILM AND RADIO

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25514, 19 April 1944, Page 4

FILM AND RADIO

HARMFUL TYPE OF PROGRAMME EFFECT UPON SCHOOL CHILDREN “ To-day education is up against definite factors which are fighting against it, and two of the factors are the type of radio programme and the type of kinema picture which are being allowed in this country,” said Mr D. Forsyth at the monthly meeting yesterday of the council of the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce. A large percentage of children in all the education board areas, he said, were listening to serials for which business men were paying, and the result of their listening was reproduced in the schools. Mr Forsyth said that some of the radio programmes which were sponsored by the business community and some of the kinema films which were allowed into New Zealand had an injurious effect upon school children. Any talk of improving radio programmes was just a pious platitude so long as business men continued to sponsor the type of radio programme which they were doing. A survey had been taken in Auckland, he added, and of 10,000 children it was found that 25 per cent, of Standard I pupils were still listening to the radio at 9.15 p.m. Mr C. J. Darracott said that the censorship purported to say that certain films were suitable for adult audiences and some were suitable for universal exhibition, but at present the censorship seemed to be a dead letter. This was a matter which might be taken up by the Chamber of Commerce.

The president (Mr J. B. Stewart) said that the executive had sent a letter to the School Committees’ Association commending its efforts to secure an improvement in the radio programmes, particularly at times when such programmes were listened to by children. The executive had also sought the assistance of members of the chamber with a view to securing an improvement in programmes over commercial stations.