Speaker’s View Of Broadcasting

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVIII, Issue 23315, 26 September 1945, Page 4

Speaker’s View Of Broadcasting

IN the opinion of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Hon. F. W. Schramm, the broadcasting of Parliament in New Zealand is being “overdone.” It has been obvious for a long time that the policy of keeping Parliament on the air has done more harm to the standing of this institution in the community than good. The broadcasting of the trivialities of Parliamentary routine have created in the intelligent public mind a completely wrong impression of the manner in which the business tif the House is done. Every idle interjection, every hoarse laugh, every grunt and groan comes over the air. There may not be many case-hardened listeners who still persist in having their sets tuned to Wellington, but damage has been done to Parliaments reputation in the minds'of those who have long since grown tired of the experience of hearing legislators al their minor chores. The value of these broadcasts would be increased, and public interest would be maintained, il selected debates were broadcast. With fewer opportunities of speaking to the country in this way speakers might be encouraged to prepare their matter better and strive to improve the content and manner of their speeches. To say this verges perhaps on the idealistic, but still the experiment would be worth trying. In passing, Mr Speaker paid a tribute to a body of men who have always been the best and most charitable friends of Parliament: the Parliamentary Press Gallery. These reporters, while maintaining unfailing standards of accuracy, kindly remove the blemishes from Parliamentary oratory with a result that the printed version of speeches is more pleasant to read in. retrospect than to hear at the time ol utterance. Being so well served by the Press ol the Dominion, Parliament could to its own advantage go on the air lesfrequently.