RADIO BROADCASTING

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 263, 5 November 1937, Page 8

RADIO BROADCASTING

DEBATE IN THE HOUSE REV. SCRIMGECUR’S POST STATE POLICY CRITICISED HIE PRIME MINISTER’S DEFENCE I [ Per Press Association. J WELLINGTON, Nov. 4. In the House this aiternoon, on the jotion of the Prime Minister (Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage) urgency was granted the passing of the Broadcasting Amendment Bill. After it had been opposed by the Opposition and forced to a division, the motion for urgency was carried by 47 votes to 15. The Rev. Clyde Carr (Govt., Timaru), proceeding with his second reading speech, which was interrupted by the adjournment last night, said that both the commercial and national services had a distinct and separate function, and, to a certain extent, a distinct public to cater for. He congratulated Mr. K. J. Holyoake (Opp., Motueka) on his transparent honesty in admitting the ultimate responsibility of Mr. Hamilton for the jamming of the Friendly Road station. All of the veiled insinuations made concerning the Controller of Commercial Broadcasting, said Mr. Carr, had been searching investigated and the controller had come out of it with flying colours. Even his private papers had been investigated, and they demonstrated plainly that therfe was no truth in the innuendos. Mr. W. P. Endean (Opp., Parnell) held that the setting up of two controlling officers for broadcasting created extra expense as well as inefficiency and clashing of services. If the arrangements made by the Prime Minister with the Rev. Scrimgeour had been carried out the Rev. Scrimgeour would have been receiving £10,500. The Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage: That arrangement has not been carried out. It was stopped at Jhe reverend gentleman’s own request. Mr. E'.idean continued that public opinion had been aroused over the matter of this high salary, and he stated that as well as the Rev. Scrimgeour, whose salary was £l5OO, the sales manager of the commercial service received £l5OO, and the Director of Broadcasting also received £l5OO. Speaking of the jamming of the Friendly Road station, he .suggested there might have been a “frame up between certain departmental officers and the principal of the Friendly Road station. He said th”.*; if the Government £*)t up a Royal Commission headed by a Supreme Court Judge to inquire into the jamming, and that Judge found that the Leader of the Opposition, who then was Minister in Charge of Broadcasting, had ordered the jamming, Mr. Endean would give £5O to charity. Mr. J. A. Lee (Govt., Grey Lynn): Why did h'j accept responsibility? Mr. Endean: Because he is a generous man. The debate was interrupted by the adjournment. The debate on the second reading was continued when the House resumed at 7.30 p.m., by Mr Endean, who attacked some of the broadcasts by Mr Scrimgeour, which he characterised as unsuitable for being put ever the air. He also criticised the method of the letting of radio advertising 4ghts for New Zealand in Austarlia, and staled that the Government had pursued its socialistic policy of eliminating private enterprise by wiping out the B stations. The Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage) said that during the eighteen years he had been in Parliament he had never known such tactics as had been adopted by the Opposition against the Rev. Scrimgeour. They could say whatever they liked about him (Mr Savage), he said, because he had a right of reply, but such did not apply in thecase of an individual outside the House. The Rev. Scrimgeour had been appointed on his (Mr Savage’s) recommendation and he had no apology to make for the appointment, because Mr Scrimgeour happened to be the only man with a thorough knowledge of commercial broadcasting.

Mr Savage outlined the arrangements which had been made in connection with Mr Scrimgeour s remuneration, and said that the controller had come to him and told him that tne returns from commercial broadcasting had exceeded nis wildest expectations, and had asked to be placed on a salary. A member of the Opposition had asked for a Royal Commission. He would not get it, but honourable members could see anything connected with broadcasting at any time they wished. Mr Savage continued to defend the Rev. Scrimgeour and Mr Stannage. With reference to the attacks on the former he was of opinion that the reason for such hostility was because Mr Scrimgeour was director for a service which was striking at certain vested interests. Those interest;: had fought when commercial broadcasting had first been mentioned in the House, and newspapers were fighting it now. Let them go on lighting. He did not mind that.

Radio Licences Increase. Mr Savage expressed the opinion that the radio listener was getting more for 25s now than he had ever received before. Radio licences had increased by 118,000 since the Labour Government came into office two years ago, and the service was in a better condition than it had ever been. Friendly Road Station. Referring to the jamming of the Friendly Road station, Mr. Savage read a report of the Director-General of the Post Office relating to the matter. The report stated in effect that when the Minister was informed at the time there was a likelihood of Mr. Scrimgeour broadcasting politics and It was felt he would disregard any ’instruction not to do so; the only alternative was jamming. The Opposition had also raised the question of sectarianism over the radio. “For tieaven’s sake let them be men and leave sectarianism out of it,” Mr. Savage stated. He would not mind putting Mr Scrimgeour on the platform with any member of the Opposition, and he would wipe the floor •vith them. Mr Scrimgeour had come out of the investigations into the in-

nuendos against him with flying colours, and he (Mr. Savage) had the greatest confidence in him. Sir Alfred Ransom: Have you confidence in McArthur? Mr. Savage: No, McArthur’s activities will be examined very closely. The Prime Minister went on tae speak of the co-operative spirit existing in the Cabinet, and outlined how other Ministers had assisted him in his duties, instancing the fact that the Minister of Lands was administering Native Affairs for him. He outlined the procedure adopted in connection with the appointment of the Director of Broadcasting and his present position, and said the appointment of the Controller of Commercial Service had 1 been entirely a different matter altogether. The Government already had [ the man they wanted, and it was un- I necessary to call for applicatidns in the latter case. Mr. Savage continued to criticise the publicity given the Government by the press of the country, and said the Government was now in a position where it had other means of publicity at its command. An Opposition interjection: You have had good service from the press. Mr. Savage: Yes, too good to be true. He said he did not wish to say anything in a personal way about the editorial writers of the press. Those men were not paid to sit and write a “sermon on the mount.” They were paid io write for the policy of their papers—vested interests. However, he added, he would leave those gentlemen in their editorial sanctums. Mr. Savage said the commercial stations were not there for the purposes of political propaganda, but for a commercial service, and he said there might be the possibility in the future of reducing the 25s licence fee. He also stated that there was no division in the control of broadcasting, as had been stated by the Opposition. The Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes (Opp., Hurinui) referring to Mr. Scrimgeour, said it was the duty of the Prime Minister to see that there was no breath of suspicion about any civil servant in the country. The Prime Minister had talked about the innuendos of the Opposition, but there had been no greater innuendos than had been voiced in connection with the jamming incident. Mr. Scrimgeour, he said, had broken his undertaking, when he had received his license for the Friendly Road station, not to put political propaganda over the air. The man who broke such an undertaking was not the man on whom reliance could be placed, and he considered that the commercial stations would be used for the dissemination of poliicatl propaganda directed against the Opposition at the next election. The Prime Minister, said Mr. Forbes, was very sensitive concerning the newspapers. He reminded one of a crayfish which had shed its shell. (Laughter). Mr. Forbes considered that the Prime Minister had had a very fair run from the papers. What did he want, asked Mr. Forbes. Was it admiration? He had said that if the Government did not get enough attention from the newspapers it ‘ would use other means of publicity. That meant it would use the radio. The Radio Broadcast Fails Mr A. S. Richards (Govt., Roskill) stated that while the Prime Minister ? had been speaking just a few minutes a fault had developed in ; the broadcast. A humming sound had . developed over the radio and the broadcast was transferred to 2YC. As ; scon as the Prime Minister had ceased . speaking the noise had ceased and the ex-Prime Minister, Mr Forbes, had > the advantage of a clear transmis- . s;on. Mr Forbes: I must have fixed it. (Laughter). , The Leader of the Opposition (the . Hon. Adam Hamilton) rose to a point of order, and asked what the Prime Minister intended to do about the in- ’ vestigation of the fault which had ' developed. He contended that Mr Richards had practically made an acJ cusation against the Opposition that ; someone had interfered with the broadcast. The Opposition knew nothing about it, but they wanted to - have the matter cleared up, and he » asked the Prime Minister that this E should be done. 2 The Speaker (Hon. W. E. Barnard): 1 I do not think the Honourable Memi ber has made a charge against any r member of the House. He proceeded - that an investigation could not bu 1 made into the matter at that stage. Mr Richards: I did not make a statement that the interference came - from any member of this House, or - any member of the Opposition. I - made no charges against anyone r whatever. I merely stated a fact, as t it had been reported to the Prime _ Minister and me. It was merely a _ statement of fact that an incident 2 had occurred and was made in an 2 good faith. 1 Continuing his address, he stated t that the press of the country enjoyed _ a very strong position with regard to ♦ the charging of high advertising rates, and they were afraid, and e rightly so, of the commercial radio , service in which advertisers hau “ demonstrated they had every confio dence. Mr Richards thought the v quality of the radio service would e continue to improve. a The Postmaster-General (Hon. F. “ Jones) at this stage said that inquiries ~ -had been made into the failure of the radio during the Prime Minister’s 1 speech. It was learned that the cause e of the fault was a blown fuse at 2YA ’ station at Titahi Bay. i Sir Alfred Ransom said that if the I Prime Minister had known as much of the Rev. Scrimgeour as did the general public he felt sure that Mr. Savn age would not have agreed to his ap- = pointment. He did not think the 1 Prime Minister was doing himself justice in failing to agree to the apr pointment of a Royal Commission, as 0 had been suggested. It left them only a to draw an inference that the Prime r Minister was afraid of the disclosures which might be made as the result of such a commission and their effect, either on the Government or on Mr. e Scrimgeour himself. If the Prime e Minister had nothing to cover up he j saw no reason why he should refuse to appoint a Royal Commission.