QUACK REMEDIES BROADCAST

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

QUACK REMEDIES BROADCAST

ADVERTISEMENTS ON THE AIR OBJECTION RAISED IN PARLIAMENT (Special) WELLINGTON, September 5. The suggestion that there should bt» a censorship of advertisement for “quack remedies” put over the air by the Commercial Broadcasting Service was made by Mr H. S. S. Kyle (Nat., Riccarton) in the House of Representatives today when the Broadcasting Estimates were being considered. An amendment by Mr Kyle that the vote be reduced by £5 as a protest against such advertising was lost on the voices. “Day after day we hear all this rubbishy stuff being broadcast,” Mr Kyle said. “And chemists tell me there is a run on these remedies next day, a run on stuff that costs about 3d ana is sold for 3/6.” A Government member: Would you censor advertisements in the newspapers, too? “Why should the Government not be firm and get rid of all this?” Mr Kyle asked. “The poor, silly, gullible people run away and buy some old root or some concoction after hearing these advertisements. I think the Minister of Health who is trying to bring in full benefits under the Social Security Act should be the first to see that this sort of thing should be got rid of.” Mr Kyle suggested that medical officers of the Health Department should be asked to give talks over the radio on important questions of health. Mr A. S. Richards (Lab., Roskill) said he was not altogether satisfied that more stringent control of the radio advertising of health remedies should not take place, but if Opposition members got the first wedge driven in they would try to drive more in and ruin the service.

The acting Prime Minister (the Hon. W. Nash) agreed that some of the advertisements that came over the air were not of a type that should come over to induce people to spend their money. He said that he would like to cut out a lot of patent medicine advertising.

The Minister’s statement was greeted by cries of “hear, hear” from both sides of the House.