ADVERSE PUBLICITY

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLIII, Issue 20679, 18 March 1937, Page 11

ADVERSE PUBLICITY

COMMERCIAL MEN’S PROTEST REPLIES RECEIVED At a meeting last month the executive of the South Canterbury Chamber of Commerce decided to protest to the National Broadcasting Service, the Health Department, and the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association against the adverse publicity Timaru had received as a result of the epidemic of infantile paralysis. At a meeting last night it received replies from those three bodies. The Director of the National Broadcasting Service (Mr James Shelley) stated that he was unable to trace from the records of the Service any of the broadcasts complained of. No doubt the Chamber would have particulars of the broadcasts complained of and if it let him have those he would be glad to reply more usefully to the Chamber’s communication. The Newspaper Proprietors’ Association advised that a copy of the Chamber’s letter had been forwarded to individual members.

The Health Department stated that it was unfortunate that the epidemic had caused a considerable dislocation of the usual Christmas holiday traffic but, as poliomyelitis was a disease which, in many cases, had such tragic sequels, every precaution which it was possible to take had to be taken in the interests of the children of the Dominion. The Chamber had stated that the publication of negative cases had been the cause of a boycott of Timaru and South Canterbury, which was an opinion with which the Department could not agree. The number of positive cases in South Canterbury was warning that the district was infected and parents had naturally taken cognisance of that. Regarding the attitude which the Department should take in the matter of publicity, it was considered that the public had a right to know the actual conditions prevailing. Publicity such as was given was not peculiar to New Zealand. Mr C. E. Kerr said it was given out over the radio that Timaru was an infected area. Mr J. Anstey remarked that the announcers invariably stated that the news was presented by courtesy of the city newspapers. Mr W. I. Tait referred to the fact that lessons were being broadcast for schools in Timaru, Otago and Southland, and it could be inferred that the Timaru schools were closed, which was not the case. It was pointed out by Mr J. A. Norrie that the broadcasts were for Timaru district, which included Walmate and Orari, where schools were closed. The correspondence was received.