What Headers Think Letters to the Editor

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVI, Issue 23013, 3 October 1944, Page 3

What Headers Think Letters to the Editor

VICTORY CELEBRATIONS Sir, —Your comments on the public meeting convened by the Mayor of Timaru (Mr A. E. S. Hanan) will be fully approved by all sensible citizens. To ' discuss victory junketings before the war is won, and while our men are daily dying horrible deaths, seems all wrong. The members of the committee should promptly withdraw from such an invidious position. As you so rightly remark, carnival gallivantings are not the appropriate way of celebrating triumph over the mortal challenge of an enemy who sought to destroy or enslave the freedom-loving peoples of the world, and it is time that the more responsible members of the community should refuse to be pushed around at public meetings on any and every subject.—l am, etc.. JOHN BLUNT.

VATICAN AND PEACE

Sir,—The Pope’s appeal for a negotiated peace is criticised by the Bishop of Chelmsford, who alleges that this solicitude was lacking when London was enduring the hammer blows of the Luftwaffe. The implication of this criticism is that the Vatican accepts this as a religious war; let Protestaxitism be subdued and the Catholic Church will come into its own. In enlarging on the Bishop’s statement the New Zealand Communist organ accuses the Pope of fomenting trouble between Poland and Russia, and of using his influence in the military sphere in favour of Franco’s Catholic Spain. A monopoiised religious intervention in warfare must inevitably have but one reflection: that of religious parochialism. The competitive power of one Church cannot typify world freedom. If this moral irregularity is to be countenanced, or even tolerated, then let us drop all pretence to a new order.—l am. etc., R. W. ANDERSON.

SOCIAL CREDIT IN ALBERTA

Sir, —Alberta, the most prosperous and progressive province in Canada —I would say within the Empire—has returned a Social Credit Government to office with 51 out of 57 seats, a glorious victory, over organised opposition and orthodox finance. It clearly shows that the peop’e were not to be sidetracked into sabotage of the great benefits they have enjoyed under a Social Credit policy. I have before me the results achieved by the Governments of Alberta and New Zealand since 1935, and I find that although Alberta has not been allowed to implement her full policy of Social Credit, she has increased production and decreased her national debt, whereas here our production has decreased and our national debt has increased. The critics now say Alberta’s Government is 90 per cent, religious and 10 per cent, political. Thank God we have men who are prepared to put into operation Christian principles. We do not seem to have any here. —I am, etc., TEMUKA STUDENT.

AMERICAN RADIO SERIALS

Sir, —In “The Timaru Herald” of September 8 Mr Lloyd Lamble stated that American serials are being “dumped’’ on the New Zealand market and should be banned. Mr Lamble is apparently misinformed on the radio transcription situation in this Dominion and is unwittingly doing a grave injustice to United States producers, actors, writers and musicians, who have made many hundreds of programmes available to broadcasting stations, free of charge, through the Special Service Division, for the entertainment of United States and Allied servicemen. All of. these programmes have been made available to the national and commercial broadcasting services in the Dominion without cost. Regarding radio programmes produced in the United States and soid to the Broadcasting Service or sponsors in New Zealand, a glance through the current “Listener” reveals the inaccuracy of Mr Lamble’s statement. A rough check of the programmes on all stations on Monday. September 25, reveals that there were 32 Australian and 11 American transcribed programmes, and the ratio on Tuesday, 26th, was 34 Australian to 10 American; these figures, which appear to be about average, do not indicate any “dumping” of American features. In connection with gangster type of serials, to the best of my knowledge no American-produced programmes of this type are currently being broadcast from any of the stations in the Dominion. In a recent debate in the House of Representatives reference was made to one serial in which the locale and characters are American, but this particular programme was entirely produced in Australia. It is a fact that there Is an extreme shortage of American transcribed programmes available for purchase at the present time and any danger to local production because of “dumping,” as alleged by Mi- Lamble, would appear to be much more probable from Australia than America. In conclusion, we would state that if listeners have gained the impression of a preponderance of American programmes, it would be due entirely to the broadcasting of free programmes for servicemen previously referred to. and not to programmes purchased either by the Broadcasting Service or , commercial sponsors.—l am. etc., HOWARD C. BROWN American Imnorting Company, Wellington.