LESSONS FROM HITLER

Southland Times, Issue 22913, 11 June 1936, Page 6

LESSONS FROM HITLER

Labour Government PROPAGANDA OVER THE AIR FEAR EXPRESSED BY OPPOSITION (From Our Parliamentary Reporter.) Wellington, June 10. An allegation that the Government intended to use the broadcasting system as an instrument for purely Government propaganda was made by Mr W. J. Polson (Nat., Stratford), during the second reading debate on the Broadcasting Bill in the House of Representatives to-day. Mr Polson took exception to the granting of urgency for the passing of the Bill. The Government, he said, had asked Opposition members to speak on other Bills in order to keep the debates going during the last two days, and now the Prime Minister asked for urgency. “The speech made last night by the Minister of Education (the Hon. P. Fraser) was nothing but camouflage,” Mr Polson said. “He tried to remove the impression created by the Prime Minister, who has stated in the Government’s own paper that the new broadcasting station at Titahi Bay is to be used for Government propaganda, and, further, that Government members who do not have the opportunity to speak in debates will be allowed to speak over the air. It is said that the Opposition will get a fair run, but we can imagine what will happen when feeling runs high and the Minister in charge of broadcasting has to say what ’will be permitted. We know the attitude of the Government towards criticism. Because I ventured to go round the country speaking to farmers’ organizations and criticizing the Government policy which runs contrary to the interests of the farmer, the Government made a noise which might have put me off the platform of the country.” The Minister of Internal Affairs (the Hon. W. E. Parry): What about the farmers themselves? Ministers Make Records. “Now we hear that Ministers are going to make gramophone records,” Mr Polson continued. “There are to be records of all Ministerial statements, and I suggest that we shall have to listen to a chorus such as has never been equalled by any body of frogs in any pond in any part of the globe.” Mr Polson said that reference had been made to an attempt by a farming journal to obtain a broadcasting licence. It was only proposed to broadcast lectures by experts and news and information on farming topics. The Labour Party apparently saw danger in that, but saw no danger in putting its own propaganda over from the national stations. There would ’.a control of broadcasting by a party, for a party and in the interests of a party. Mr Fraser had misrepresented the position when he said that advertising could be permitted by the British Broadcasting Corporation. Advertising had been rejected, and it was excluded expressly in the terms of the corporation’s charter. The only provision was that sponsored items might be permitted in the initial stages of television. The New Zealand Government apparently did not share the views of its colleagues in England. The leader of the British Labour Party (Major C. R. Attlee) had stated that there should be Government control of

broadcasting only in a position of great emergency. When Mr Speaker’s bell rang, announcing that Mr Polson had only five minutes before the expiry of his time, Mr H. S. S. Kyle (Nat., Riccarton) rose to move an extension. The matter was referred to the House by Mr Speaker (the Hon. W. E. Barnard) and Mr J. O’Brien (Lab., Westland) promptly objected to the extension of time. “I expected that there would be an objection,” Mr Polson said. “When you begin to get under the skin of the Government there is bound to be an objection.” The broadcasting outlined in the Bill, Mr Polson concluded, was absolutely in line with the system operating in Germany. It looked as if the Labour Government in New Zealand went to the Hitler Government in Germany for its idea.