AMERICAN MONOPOLY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26619, 15 November 1947, Page 7

AMERICAN MONOPOLY

EXPLOITATION OF CULTURE ACCUSATIONS BY BRITISH DELEGATE \ MEXICO CITY, Rec. 11.45 p.m. Nov. 13. Mr J. B. Priestley (Britain), in a heated debate in the Mass Media Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, to-night accused the United States of trying to impose its culture on the world through the use of all technical facilities at its disposal and by exploiting its participation in UNESCO activities. He maintained that the spreading of information by UNESCO should have priority. The British people had nothing to learn from America on the question of liberality.

Mr Thomas Dunbabin (Australia) said there were many obstacles to-day to free the flow of information and it was likely that there would be more in the future. He mentioned censorship. high postal tariffs and out-moded copyright regulations among obstacles blocking the freedom of information. He said that UNESCO’s appropriation of 358,000 dollars for mass media projects in 1948 was pitifully small and recommended- instead an appropriation of 5,000.000 dollars. Mr Lloyd Free (Uhited States) denied. Mr Priestley's accusation and argued for an immediate discussion of how UNESCO should help to break down the barriers. The committee, after a long debate, adopted a suggestion that UNESCO should survey and try to remove obstacles to the dispensing of information. The General Assembly in a plenary session placed a ceiling of 8,000,000 dollars on the budget for 1948.