The Waikato Times THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1939 PARTY BROADCAST STATIONS?

Waikato Times, Volume 124, Issue 20738, 23 February 1939, Page 8

The Waikato Times THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1939 PARTY BROADCAST STATIONS?

Refusal of permission to the Freedom Association to use the broadcasting service for critical discussions of the Government's imports restriction policy has given the association material for a fresh campaign and has again operied the question of the Government’s right to stifle criticism of itself over the publicly-owned broadcasting system. The Freedom Association desired to attack over the air the Government s refusal to allow the importers to appeal to the Supreme Court against the import, restriction regulations. The refusals met are regarded by the association as a dictatorial overriding of the authority ol the courts and a denial of civil rights. When the situation is viewed broadly it may be said that the broadcasting service, although it is owned by the public and is financed by license fees collected from all classes of people, has to some extent become the tool of the reigning political party. Can the Government give any sound reason why the Freedom Association or any other body should not be given reasonable facilities to discuss the economic system or the people’s right of access to the courts, even I hough that discussion might be damaging to the Government of the day ? Perhaps the public could, but the Government is committed. It is not the welfare of the present or any other Government that matters, but the welfare of the country.

Had the Government consistently refused to allow political subjects to be discussed on the radio, which was inaugurated for a more pleasant purpose, it would have been thoroughly justified in rejecting the Freedom Association's application, and everyone would have been satisfied. But the Government deliberately adopted the broadcasting service as a medium for the dissemination of political propaganda, and it has only itself to blame if serious complications have developed. Air Savage has frequently said that he desires to see a wireless receiver installed in every home in New Zealand. That wish has almost been gratified, and now the Government faces a grave responsibility. Should that nation-wide service be used exclusively for broadcasts favourable to tile Government politically, or should responsible opposition interests have equal access to the service 1

The whole controversy raises the question whether the political parties, if they desire to broadcast polities, should not erect and finance their own stations and leave the national service to serve its original purposes of entertainment and education. Of course politicians know full well that they must sandwich polities with more entertaining matter, otherwise the receiving sets would remain silent, and the more entertaining matter costs money. A fair test of the public demand for political broadcasting would be the establishment of radio stations at the cost of the political parties. As it is, party interests are encroaching on a service maintained out of the pockets of people of all shades of politics and of a great number who want to hear only entertaining or educational programmes, and not politics, in return for their license fees. It should be remembered that the national broadcasting service does not belong to the Government of the day to be used as a political weapon, but to the people who pay license fees. It would be a happy event for many listeners if their own broadcasting service were rid of the incubus of political controversy.