SUNDAY BROADCAST

Wairarapa Times-Age, 11 August 1938, Page 7

SUNDAY BROADCAST

MR JUSTIN POWER REPLIES — , CASE FOR INQUIRY STATED AT GREYTOWN. A SUGGESTED POLITICAL CANDIDATE. The opinion is widely held, Mr Justin Power (Wellington Divisional Secretary of the National Party) told an audience at Greytown last night, that Mr C. G. Scrimgeour has resigned the position of Controller of Commercial Broadcasting in order to contest a seat as a Labour candidate at the coming elections. Mr Power spoke'of his criticism of the Commercial Broadcasting Service at- Kaikoura some time ago. That statement, he said, had caused him to be branded as “an unmitigated and malicious liar.” “I don’t need to say very much about the famous Sunday night broadcast,’-’ Mr Power- added. “Things have come to a pretty pass in this country. A Wellington newspaper merely draws attention to the fact that the number of employees in the Commercial Broadcasting Service, operating four stations, is greatly in excess of the number employed in the National Service, operating many more stations and asks why. The only explanation it gets is to be told ‘to mind its own confounded business’ by the .Controller of Commercial Broadcasting, who spoke over the air in a socalled religious or social justice service. “The paper did what it had every right to do, and had the information been given frankly, together with any satisfactory explanation, the matter would have ended. However, every time an enquiry is made into this service, even by members of the National Party in the House, it is met by abuse and vilification. Take the case of Mr Broadfoot, who merely wanted to know about an Australian radio expert at present in New Zealand and why 7 he was here. His enquiry was met by remarks of “sewer”' and so on from the Labour benches. Is that the way for a Government to go on? Are not members of Parliament entitled to information regarding- State undertakings? “You will all remember that serious charges were made by a leading newspaper some time ago regarding this service and the National. Party asked that they should be investigated by a' Royal Commission. That was so that every one. capable of giving information on the matters could be called to give evidence on oath, and the newspaper concerned could be asked to substantiate the charges. This was refused, and because I had the temerity to ask why, I was vilified and branded as an unmitigated liar by the controller who issued an empty challenge to 1 sue him for libel. “He was careful, however, to keep inside the law,” continued Mr Power. “The libel challenge means nothing because a libel must be written and .published. He spoke, and' there is no libel in the spoken word, which comes under the category of slander. I have been advised that had it been a case of libel I would have had cause for action, but not under the heading of slander. However, the point is that just because a man dares to suggest—not that there is anything wrong—but merely that there is something that should be investigated, he is vilified and attacked by a public servant. I suggest that he had very sound legal advice before he made that statement. I would take any case at all if I could get him into the witness box. If he will tell his thousands of listeners that he is prepared to go into the witness box I will have him on.” (Applause). In his concluding observations, Mr Power said it was stated openly by Labour people in Wellington, and had been said even before Sunday’s broadcast, that Mr Scrimgeour would resign and contest the seat of one of the Government’s foremost critics.”