Party Politics on the Air

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 48, 19 November 1937, Page 6

Party Politics on the Air

■Press Association.) %

ELECTION PERIODS Prime Minister Refuses to Restrict Broadcasts RADIO PRIVILEGES

(By Telesraph-

/ - WELLINGTON. This Bay. ' Qn the motion of the Pxime Minister, Urgeney was granted the passing oi geven clauses of the Estimates when the Honse of Eepresentatives met this morning. In, discussing the vote of £9811 f or the Eleetoral Department, the Leader .«£ the Opposition, the Hon. A. Hamilton, said that under the xecommendation ®f the Eleetoral Boundaries Commission the South Island lost a seat to the North 'island. The xeadjustment of jglecloral bonndaiies in the South Island some huge electorates as far as *rea was concerned, and South Island electorates carried an average of 380. mere electors than those "in the North Island. He thought it would be fair if the law had been such as to have left the seat in the South Island. ' Mr S. G. Smith (Nat., New Plymouth) asked the Prime Minister if he yvould apply the same restrictions to broadcasting as were applied* to the. Sssue of pamphlets. tiekets, etc., tnree days befor.e the election. The Attorney-General, the Hon. H. Ur. E. Mason, explained that there was » popular fallacy xegarding the issue of pamphlets three days before an .election. The only restriction in this respect xeferred to modk ballot-papers . which xnight tend to mislead electors. Pamphlets and tichets could be issued light np to the day of the election. He also xeferred to another popular iallaey, which " held that people could not loiter about poEingrbooths on jelection day. There was no difficulty ontside booths. LegaBy, he said, one conld stand there as long as one did not Interfere with people. Mr E. A. Wright (Indepdt., Wellington Suburbs) nrged thlat there should be no party politics broadcast for three jiays before an election. He Would _Agree. Mr J". A. Lee (Govt., Grey Lyatt): )HTould yon'also apply that to the newspapers? Would you prevent them itoih pnblishing political leading articles and go on three days before an election? 1 Mr Wright: Yes. I certainly would -agree to that. It would only be fair that such a law should apiply to the newspapers if it also applied to broadcasting. \ The Prime Minister, the Et. Hon. M; J. Savage, in xeplying, said he did not thihk it would be the right thing to do to prevent poEtical broadcasts for three days before elections. It would also mean that the newspapers could not say anything either, and he did not thihk that would be right. He did not mind what was said about him as long u he knew who said it or wxoto it. He thought they sHould have broadcasting right up to midnight on the night before an election. As far as broadcasting was eoneerned and the Opposition's complaints that they were not allowed the same facilities for the nse of this service as the , Government, he had made the offer several tknes that the Leader of the Opposition or any member of it could speak every week over the radio as long as a member of the Government spoko either immediately before or after. The point was that the public should hear both sides. That was a fair ' offer, he said, and he added that he conld not stop people from saying things three days before a poll.

Eight of Reply The Et. Hon. G. W. Forbes, in referxing to the Prime Minister proposal to have political broadcasts up to midnight before polling-day, said that some slander might be put over the air on the night before an election and the candidate concerned wonld not have the right of xeply. . Time should be given for a person to xeply to chaTges made against hlm. Mr Lee said he would ask the Opposition just one question. How wero they going to prevent a lying advertisement from being pnblished showing the Post Office Savings Bank closed because a Labour Government had been elected? Mr Smith said that the Opposition did not have any faith in some of th*» officers controlling broadcasts. The vote was passed In ^discussing the Printing and Staiionery Bepartment vote of £238,000, Mr. H. S. S. Kyle (Nat., Riccarton) Mferred to the question of overtime and ;.meal allowances, which had inexeased from £3000 to £6000, and said that the Government should nof, be paying go mueh in overtime when young men were on sustenance. Mr. S. G. Holland (Nat,, Christ-^ churcli North) asked why the present Government Printer had been appointed to the position from another department while" senior officers in the Printing Department could not get into . other departmenfs. Mr. G. H. Chapman (Govt., Wellingtoja Noxth) regretted tliat it had been found neeessary to nppoint an accountant to the position of Government Printer instead of a practical printer, and he eonsidered that the Government Printer atid some of the ofher officers should he paid more than tliey were- at present., The Minister in charge of the department, the Hon. P. C. Webb, said that an additional 130 men had been employed and that it was definitely im possib'e to gct any more into the present bnilding, Plans for a new building wero ulmost eompiete, and be hope'l to ge.t ]1 siarted next year. The new bnilding ia.uld be quite sufficient for -presenf. reqnirements and future expap moa. The Government Printer had f>een appointed hy the Pu^lic Servire dornmissioners after all applications 1 fcad been eonsidered, and he wag doing jQXeellenb work. It would be of valuo ^ have a- a ,

branches of printing, but it was alse essential to have a man with a trajned business mind. Goid Prospecting. The vote was passed and the Honse proceeded to the consideration of the Mines Bepartment vote of £44,000. Mr. W. A. Bodkin (Nat., Otago Central) asked if the Government waa doing anything in ,the direction of explaining the deep level of alluvial deposits. - The Minister of Mines, Mr. Webb, stated that no Government had done sa much in fhe direction of oxganised prospecting as the present Administration. They had, however, 1500 men fewer on prospecting to-day than previously, and he hoped that the number would be still iurther reduced, because the Government wished to discourage the haphazard type of prospecting, somethnes over ground that already had been thoroughly prospected. The Government also wanted to .protect tlie public from "dummiesM that should never have been started. The Government wished to have discontinued the practice of prospectors going over ground prospected 50 or 60 years ago. No eifort of ours today had disproved the work of those old miners; they knew more about gold than ever we couid hope to learn. However, Mr. Webb stressed tke fact that he was very keen on the discovery of gold and would do everything in his power to assist it. The next vote to be eonsidered was, £333,040 for the State Coal Mines Account. * In reply to queStions, Mr. Webb stated that the State coal mines had increased the price of coal to the people less than any other mines, but, despite that fact, they were showing a profit of over £14,000. i The vote was passed, »