POINTED REFERENCES

Chronicle (Levin), 18 September 1948, Page 7

POINTED REFERENCES

Press Assodation )

Personnel Of Mr. Fraser's Department

(Per

WELLINGTON, Sept. 17. Pointed references to the activities and eXpenditure of information and publicity seetions of the Prime Minis ter's Department were the features of the debate on the Estimates in the House of Representatives this morning, Opposition criticism evoking iittle more than Government retorts of "Nonsense!" "Bosh!" and similar nutbursts. Mr. F. W. Doidge ^Nat., Tauranga; said the Opposition wanted the Prime Minister to justify the increase for the nuuiber of peraons employed in the Prime Minister 's Department from three, when the Government took office, to the present total of 345. Mr. Doidge aaid that broadcasts in the Maori language prepared in the Prime Minister 's Department were ' ' blatant propaganda. " Mr, T. P. Paikea (Lab., Northorn Maori) : That '11 be the day. Mr. .Doidge said that what the Opposition wanted to know was what would taxpayers get for their money. National Film Unit. Mr. Ormond Wilson (Lab., Palmerston North) said the item of £119,293 for the National. Film .'Unit was not uearly enough, and he hoped the amount would be inereased. The wofk of the unit should be supported and inereased in the .newsreel and documentary field.. The important thmg was that the film unit should be used for propaganda about New Zealand to make us proud of the country. (Opposition laughter.) Mr. Wilson said the film unit would tell the best possible story about New Zealand, and it was important that the world should know what w&nt on he.re, and what had been aeliieved. \V( should also do something to counterae'l the overwhehning itnpression left x>ii theatregoers that the United States wa: the eentre of the universe, and counter act the distortion of Hollywood films. .

Mr. L. M. Bowden (Nat., Ivarori) j said that the film unit was not lieihg 1 uttacked, but tliere. was an attaek on the inept nianagement of tiie unit so I'ar I as its business affairs were eoucerned. J If a balance-sheet were producod the ' public would see what an absolute siuk for money the unit. was. Mr. Fraser: Sheer nonsense! Mr. Bowden said he estiinated ihe loss at £40,000. Mr. Bowden, referring to the information section of the Prime Minister 's Department, said that more staff had been sought by advertisement "to turu out stuff for the next .election. " The use of the section fo.r that purpose was a complete subversion of publie funds for political party purposes under the direct instructions of the Prime Minis ter. •

Mr. R. Macdonald (Lab., Ponsonby): Absolute nonsense! Mr. Bowden: Unfortunately, it's not. Expansion of Publicity. M"r. FraseiV r.eplying,i»said he could hold out no hope that the National Film Unit and the National Publicity Studios would not be expanded. The Labour Government had never U3cd tlipse organisations to«sucli an extenl fbr propaganda purposes as previous Gpy^rnments had. Some niaterial pub- , by the lat'e Mr. Coat.es and otber? was'far and away ahead of what the Labour Government had produced. Mr. Fraser denied that there were 345 persons employed in his dbpartm'ent. "As usual the member for Tauranga I had dOubled up. The total number oi persons is 221." Tlie National Publicity Studios had • done a good job, he said, and if New Zealand were to be publicised abroad • it was esseutial that money he npent on it, and its activities expanded. So far as he was concerned, he could not say hovv niany persons were required / to do the job he wanted done. That was a matter for the Public Service. Coinmission to decide. Above all the publicity studios would tell the people of the British Conimonwealth and of Western Europe what sort of countrv New Zealand reallv was. There was certainly a costing system in the film unit — he would point out to the Oppo sition that when the Government came into power there wa.C uo costing system for public works — and the polioy wa« to expand the film unit. It was essen tial that New Zealand should figurtadequately ;n the world, and to do that we had to have our own film unit. To make it efficient would require the eapenditure of a vast amount of money. So far as tlie informatlon section war concerned, it had obviously proved a terrible embarrassment to the Opposi tion to find the Government well informed. If the Leader of the Oppos' tion wanted informatiou all he had to do was to ask for it. There was a total of 14 persons employed in that seetioa and one jourualist only assisted him The section distributed inforuiation t'i Government members and if the Opposition would use that information in telligently he would see that it was supplied. Useful Lessons, Mr. E. M. Algie (Nat., Remuera': said that if expenditure on publkitv, was neither to be excused nor expiaiued by the Prime Minister it was eas.v for a Fabian Socialist to beconie a fuliblown dictator. It was open to the Opposition to say the Government was teaching it valuable lessons on the usos to be made of the broadcasting servicej of the film unit, and of the information section. The National Film Unit should be under departmental control and roquired to produce an annual report a.ul balance-sheet. Mr. T. E. Skinner (Lab., Tamaki) r said he was disap pointed that there was not more money for publicity. Hc would like the National Film Unit tc make a recording of th^ national orchestra playing the National Anthem, and the film could then be used at the beginning of all cinema programmes. Mr. W. A. Bodkin . ^Nat., . Central Otago) said it was a fradition in all British countries that revenues should be used only for the people as a whole, but certain iuformation gathered bv the staff information section was avaiiable only to Govornment momhors,

making those engaged on this work -M servants of the Labour Party. , ™ Mr. Parry: Just bosh! • J Mr. Bodkin said the Prime Minister ; should define the standard of honour of j the Government in dealing with the public funds as it progressed to its goal , of full Socialism. Mr. M. Moohan (Lab., Petone) said Mr. Bodkin now posed as the guaxdian angel of public funds, but was he not a member of a previous Government which filched funds right, lei't and centre from the people, cutting down their ineomes in all directions. The present information section was not big enough for the work it should be doing. The discussiou was interrupted by the luncheou adjournment.