ARBITRATION PROBABLE

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 83, 24 April 1937, Page 5

ARBITRATION PROBABLE

TalegraDh— Press Association. f

(By

WELLINGTON, Last NightThe Minister in Charge of Broadeastings, the Hon. F. Jones, stated today that a deputation of representatives of B station interests had waited

upon the actdng-Prime Mnmter, th» Hon. P. Fraser, and himself, m> the te» sult of the offers recently made by the ' Government for the acquisxtibB: of private broadcasting stations. Messrs Green, Mackay and Walls, stated the case of the B fatationa and after pointing out the servxcesi they had rendered to the community, contended that the amount* rgqently offered hy the Government for their «tations were inadequate. In reply, both the aoting-Prime Minister and Mr Jones pointed out thai the Government was desiroua of being iair fco B stations, and was therefore prepared, if the owners were dissatisfied with ihe amounts offered, to aubmit the questions to arhitrationi. Individual owners were also offered the opportunt ity of discussing the matter on tho basis of the offers made, and the Min* istex's readHy agreed to an extension of time, if this were desired, for con-t sideratxon of the offers. In reply to a question whether thej Government wonld subsidise sucfi of the B stations as were not requiredjj the Ministers replied that subsidies wonld be granted only where justified in the Kght of the reqairements of the broadcasting}. service as a whole- While it was made clear that the Government desired that broadcasting should be a national nndertaking, it was indicated that no compulsion to sell' would be exercised upon the owners of private Nations. Mr Jones further etated that eeriwa B stations had already aocepted the Governmmt5s offer to purchase^ and that it was expected that as the result of the negptiations now proceeding other stations would take the opportonn ity of disposing of their undertakingi^