ADVERTISING BY RADIO

Southland Times, Issue 24533, 6 September 1941, Page 8

ADVERTISING BY RADIO

DANGER OF MESSAGE TO ENEMY MR HOLLAND REFERS TO INCIDENT (Special) WELLINGTON, September 5. The possibilities of the New Zealand radio services being used to give information to the enemy were discussed in the House of Representatives today during the debate on the Broadcasting Estimates. An assurance was given by the acting Prime Minister (the Hon. W. Nash) that there was no chance of any broadcast advertisement giving anything away to the enemy, although interest was roused when the Leader of the Opposition (Mr S. G. Holland) referred to an incident of which he had knowledge. Mr F. W. Doidge (Nat., Tauranga) said a seemingly innocent advertisement might be in code conveying information to the enemy. The Government might well consider the desirability of ceasing that form of advertising during the war. Mr F. L. Frost (Lab., New Plymouth) said that if every possible avenue of information were as hermetically sealed as the broadcasting service, no information would get out to the enemy. If members saw the precautions that were taken they would be satisfied of this. An alteration in the order of one or two words in an advertisement would make any code iseless and this was the practice adopted. MESSAGE ABOUT CAR The Hon. J. G. Cobbe (Nat., Manawatu) said he had been told by one of his constituents, a retired officer who served in the last war, that when a transport carrying New Zealand troops was about to leave a message was put over the radio reporting the loss of a motor-car or cars. The constituent had referred to one message respecting the loss of a white and red car which had been broadcast just before the sailing of a recent contingent. Mr Cobbe said he wished to know whether all messages of that class were carefully investigated before they were broadcast and whether the police were asked to make careful inquiries before any such message was put over the air. Mr Nash said that when the question was first raised it had been gone into meticulously to see that there was not a ghost of a chance of anything being linked up with advertising that would give anything to the enemy. Mr Holland: There has been a case. Mr Nash: If the Leader of the Opposition says that he should have given us evidence. MAN INTERNED Mr Holland: I gave evidence and the man was interned. | Mr Nash: That does not prove that a single word went over the broadcasting system that gave information to the enemy. There is not a shadow of evidence that a message was given over the broadcasting system that would have been consciously of advantage to the enemy. We have tried to stop every hole where a message might get through. Mr Holland said that a broadcast was made and a man was put away. Mr Nash said there had been a case of a man who had lived in Christchurch and later in Lower Hutt being put on Soames Island, Mr H. G. Dickie (Nat., Patea): Was he in the broadcasting service? Several members interjected at this st:.ge and Mr Nash replied: “I do not know whether he was in the service or not, but I know he was one of the most foolish men I have ever had anything to do with. Mr Doidge: That might have been a cloak for cleverness. Mr Frost: Did he ever get anything over the air? Mr Nash repeated that advertisements for broadcasting were subject to censorship. Mr Holland: 1 admit that it has been greatly strengthened.