BRITISH ISRAEL ADDRESSES

Southland Times, Issue 23585, 12 August 1938, Page 6

BRITISH ISRAEL ADDRESSES

REQUEST FOR RADIO FACILITIES

NO RECOMMENDATION BY COMMITTEE OF HOUSE

(From Our Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, August 11. The “freedom of the air” was again a topic for discussion in the House of Representatives today when a report was received from the Public Petitions Committee on a request for the restoration of facilities for the broadcasting of British Israel addresses. Two petitions bearing on this point were signed by over 14,000 persons, but the committee reported that it had no recommendation to make. The report if the committee was presented by the chairman, Mr F. W. Schramm (Lab., Auckland East) and Mr A. C. A. Sexton (C.P., Franklin) immediately rose to express dissatisfaction with the recommendation. Previously, he said, the British Israel movement had conducted broadcast addresses through Station IZM, Manurewa, but as a result of the forced sale of that station to the Government permission for the broadcasts had been withdrawn. The position at present, said Mr Sexton, was that there was no freedom of the air in New Zealand. The Controller of Commercial Broadcasting had been permitted to broadcast an address to which countless people had taken exception, but a large body of listeners was denied the right to have lectures broadcast which they desired to hear. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Housing (Mr J. A. Lee): Should we allow broadcasts of fascism? > Mr Sexton: I would not mind if it was fascism or communism or anything else, as long as a considerable body of listeners desired the broadcast. FREEDOM OF SPEECH “We want to get as near as we can to freedom of speech,” Mr Sexton continued. “It is a difficult question, I know, but we should make some attempt to tackle it. I would ask the Government to reconsider the whole) question of broadcasting so that we can have reasonable freedom over the air and so that any considerable body of listeners will be entitled to hear what they want to hear.” Mr W. J. Lyon (Lab., Waitemata), who presented the original petition, also regretted the finding of the committee. The difficulty was one of permitting controversial subjects over the air, he said, but it was difficult to say at what point a subject became controversial. There were over 14,000 signatures to the two petitions and when there was a public demand of that nature a committee of the House should take full cognisance of it and let the matter go forward to the Government for consideration.

“The petition covered practically every part of the Dominion,” Mr Lyon added, “and the submission was that there was a public demand for this particular type of Scripture interpretation. The petitioners are not asking for regular sessions, but only for facilities to put their views over the air from time to time.” The discussion lapsed and the committee’s report was tabled.