“AN OUTRAGE.”

Waipawa Mail, Volume LXII, Issue 96, 31 July 1935, Page 1

“AN OUTRAGE.”

FORCING STATIONS OFF THE AIR MR SAVAGE’S OPINION. “It is an outrage,” said the Leader of the Opposition, Mr M. J. Savage, M.P., commenting upon the ultimatum of the gramophone companies to “B” radio stations. “There is no doubt about it, there is something behind it. Someone has been trying to ‘get at’ the B stations for a long time now, and this is a hack-handed way of doing it. “I think that the time is coming'— and it is not far off, either—when the public will have full rights to publicity over the air, from the B station, or any other station.”

“I should hope that the House will not stand for this, or the people either. The rights of self-government vanish when manufacturing interests which concern records or anything else have such power that they can issue an edict like this. The position is absurd. How will the sum he paid? Who will see to its collection? What about the retrospective part? Who is going to he able to tell how many times a given station has played a given record?” Mr Savage added that hushranging was respectable compared with such a move. The demand was exorbitant, it could not be paid, and it was tantamount to forcing the B stations off the air. He reiterated that it looked like a back-handed method of doing precisely that. B stations had not been popular for a long time, except with the public. PROTEST MEETING SUGGESTED. “A public meeting of protest should immediatclv he called in the Town Hall and nil local members of Parliament invited,” said Mr S. C. Asquith, secretary of the IZB Radio Club. “In view of the recent decision in a European case I feel confident that the B 1 stations can fight successfully the ease in the New Zealand Courts. All they want is the support of the listeners and there is no doubt that will be forthcoming. “It would be interesting to know what r j.ts the New Zealand Broad-

casting Board has over the records and the amount paid for those rights. It appears that there is an attempt from some quarter to close B stations permanently, hut listeners will not stand for that. They are a big body of the public and their rights must be upheld. There have been far too many threats in the past, and the time has come when the whole position should he straightened out.” SERIOUS FOR LISTENERS. “It will be a serious thing for listeners, because the B stations have provided sueh a big proportion of amusement,” said Mr W. A. Thompson, president of the United Listeners’ Club. He considers the public were much indebted to B stations, as they were really the pioneers of broadcasting- in the Dominion. If anything were done to injure them they would certainly receive support from any movement given to assist them. The United Listeners’ Club had between 2000 and 3000 financial members. “NO NEED FOR ALARM.” “The whole thing sounds fantastic to me, and I do not care to make any further comment until I know the full history of the subject,” said Mr H. G. R, Mason, M.P. He added that he did not think that there was any need for any of the stations to become alarmed. IMPORTERS RETICENT. Importers of the gramophone records which would be affected wish at the present to make no statement about the position. All they will say is that it has been in the air for some time, but they have no exact information as to their future policy.