BROADCASTING EXAMINATION

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 36, 5 November 1937, Page 3

BROADCASTING EXAMINATION

-Press Associntion I

THE FR1ENDLY ROAD "JAMMING" Member Issues Challenge To Government "UNCLE SCRIM'S" SALARY . t

(By TeteernpH-

Ar .WELLINGTON, Last Night. ; f On fte motion of the Prime Minister pa. the House to-day urgency was grantpd ihe passing of the Broadcasting Umendment Bill. After it haa been topposed by the Opposition and forced jte & division, the motion for urgency earried by 47 to 15. - Bev. C. L, Carr, proceeding with his jMCond-reading speech which ■vras injterrnpted by the adjournment last Jaight, aaid both the commercial and inational sercvices had a distinct and ■eparate function and- to a certain exjtent a distinct public to cater for. He Mngratolated Mr . Holyoake • on his cransparent honesty in admitting the jBltimate xesponsibility of Hon. A. * Hamilton for the jamming of the jpriendly Boad station. All of the veiled Insinuations made concerning the conjtroller of commercial broadcasting, said Mr Carr, had been searchingly inprestigated and the controller had come put of it with flying colours. Even his jprivate papers had , been. investigated tnd demonsftrated plainly that there nras no truth in' innuendos. . I Mr f. P. Endean held that the Htting up of two controllfaig offlcers for jbroadcast created extra expense as well V jfcg inefficiency and the clashing of serrices. If arrangements wero made by tue Prime Minister ■vrith Mr Scrimegour had been carried out Mr Scrimegour would have been receiving £10,500. Mr Savage: That arrangement ha« Kt been carried out. It was stopped at t reverend gentleman's own xequeBt. Mr Endean continued that public bpinion had been aroused over the jnatter of this high salary and he stated that as well as Mr Scrimegour, whose salary waB £1500, the saies manager of the commercial service received £1500 and the director of broadcasting also received £1500. Speaking of the jammiwg of the Friendly Road station, he .suggested there might have 'been a •"fr&me-up" between certain departimental officers and the principal of the jPriendly Boad station. He said if the Government set up a Boyal Commission, headed by a Supreme Court judge, t# inquire into the jamming and that tht- judge found that the leader of the Opposition, who was then the Minister in eharge of broadcasting, had ordered • the jamming, Mr Endean woiild give £50 to charity. Mr Lee: "Why did he aceept the rejsponsibilityl : Mr Endean:; Because he is a generous iman.

The debate on the second reading of tho Broadcasting Amendment Bill was continued when the House resumed by jMr Endean, who attacked some of the jbroadcasts by Mr Scrimegour, which he jcharacterised as unsuitable for being ipnt over the air. He also criticised the ■method of letting radio advertising rights for New Zealand in Australia and stated the Government had pursued its socialistic policy of eliminating private enterprise by wiping out the B stations. The Prime Minister, Bt. Hon. M. X Savage, said during the 18 years he had been in Parliament he had never known such tactics as had been adopted by the Opposition against Mr Scrimegour. They conld say whatever they like about him (Mr Savage), he said, because he had the right of reply, but such did not apply in the case of an individual out-' . side the House. Mr Scrimegour had been appointed on hi3 (Mr Savage 's) recommendation, and he had no apology to mahe for the appointment, becanse Mr Scrimegour happened to be the only man with a thorough knowledge of- commercial broadcasting. He outlined the ^ arrangements which had been made in connection with Mr Scrimegour 's remnneration and said the controller had come fo him and told him the returns from commercial broadcasting had exceeded his wildest expectations, and had asked to be placed on a salary. A member of the Opposition had asked for a Boyal Oommission. He would not get it, but honourable members could see anything connected with broadcasting at any time .they wished. Mr Savage continued to defend Messrs Scrimegour and Stannage. With ^eference to the attacks on the former, he was of the opinion the reason for such hostility was because Mr Scrimegour was the director for a service which was striking at certain vested interests. "Those interests had fought when commercial broadcasting had first been mentioned in the House' and the newspapers were fighting now. Let them go on fighting. He did not mind that. Mr Savage expressed the opinion that the radio listener was getting more for his 25s now than* he had ever received before. Badio licenses 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. Beferring to the jamming of tho Friendly Boad Station, Mr. Savage read the report of the Director-General of the Post Office xelating to the matter. The report stated, in effect, when the Minister was informed at the time there was a likelihood of Mr. Scrimegour broadcasting politics, and it wasfelt. he would disregard any instruction not to do so, the only alternative Was jamining. ' The Opposition had also raised the queetion of sectarianism over the radio. For heaven's sake let- them be men and leave sectarianism out of it, Mr. Savage stated. He would not mind putting Mr. Scrimegour on the platform with any member nf the Opposition, he would Wip.e t\> floor jyith them.