BROADCAST OF SPEECHES

Taranaki Daily News, 1 May 1933, Page 6

BROADCAST OF SPEECHES

BOARD’S POLICY CRITICISED CONTROVERSIAL MATTER BARRED. CLAIMS MADE BY OPPOSITION. OTHER SIDE OF THE QUESTION. An industrial exhibition under the auspices of the Manufacturers’ Association and Trades and Labour Council Company and a big and. comprehensive industrial display of New Zealand-made goods was opened in the drill hall on Saturday afternoon by Mr. H. E. Holland, Leader of the Opposition. After congratulating Dunedin on its fine display Mr. Holland said he had been informed that the Boadcasting Board had announced that it would not broadcast any portion of his speech that was of a controversial character. The board had made it a condition that if his speech was to be broadcast he must not criticise the Ottawa agreement or touch on any other controversial subject. As a matter of fact he could not help making reference to controversial matters. Indeed, there was not a speech broadcast to-day that was not controversial in its nature. Mr. Coates had repeatedly broadcast speeches every paragraphy of which he claimed was controversial, and if the Broadcasting Board •was to follow out what it stated was its policy in his (Mr. Holland’s) case no speech would ever be broadcast in New Zealand. He considered that all Government pronouncements should be broadcast and he thought utterances from the Opposition side of the House also should be allowed to go over the air so that the people might hear Ix>th. sides of the question. These remarks met with the approval of a large section of the audience.