New Force That Lies Within Grasp Of New Zealand's Government

Radio Record, 12 June 1936, Page 7

New Force That Lies Within Grasp Of New Zealand's Government

Enthusiastic Use of Radio: ‘"‘Old Avenues of Publicity Are Closed Against Us,"

Says Rt. Hon.

M. J.

Savage

Once, newspapers were wooed: or bought by governments for the purpose of putting their policies before the public. To-day there is a far more powerful means of spreading information-a means that dictators and governments alike have been quick to seize upon: broadcasting. AND THE LABOUR GOVERNMENT OF NEW ZEALAND HAS NOT BEEN SLOW.IN REALISING THE POSSIBILITIES OF THE FORCE THAT: LIES WITHIN ITS GRASP. "THE OLD AVENUES OF PUBLICITY-THE NEWSPAPERS-HAVE BEEN DELIBERATELY CLOSED AGAINST US," SAID THE PRIME MINISTER (RT. HON. M. J. SAVAGE) TO THE "RADIO RECORD," "OR THEY ARE FADING AWAY. RADIO, THIS NEW MEANS OF COMMUNICATING OUR WORK AND OUR AIMS TO THE PUBLIC, IS BEING ENTHUSIASTICALLY TAKEN UP BY THE LABOUR GOVERNMENT."

"The big new 60-kilowatt station being built at Titahi Bay, Wellington, will, I am told, be able to satisfactorily cover New Zealand. If this is so we will use it for the broadcasting of Parliamentary debates and for the giving of a service in many avenues-news of international importance, of | sport, talks of a cultural and educational nature. "Should the coyerage by this new station, which is scheduled to be on the air about the end of the year, be satisfactory, it will not be necessary to use the other YA stations for Parliamentary broadcasts. "I’m very satisfied with the way the broadcasts from the House have been handled by the national sta-’ tions," Mr. Savage continued. "And I have been deluged with letters. from all over New Zealand and from many parts of Australia praising this new service. ‘"This Government has got to live-IT IS GOING TO LIVE!-but it cannot do so in the atmosphere of suspicion that is being — created by the daily newspapers. By means of

broadcasting the people of New Zealand are getting the truth right from Parliament, the pure, unadulterated truth." In an interview with a contemporary the Prime Minister said recently: In their display the newspapers had made a speciality of depreciating the work of the Government. In their leading articles. their special articles, their corres-

pondence columns, and their reports of Parliament, not one favourable word could be found. The remedy was to have more broadcasting. The new station at Titaht Bay would be used for whatever was necessary. There was nothing that the Government had done that had not had the authority of the people who sent it to Parliament. "We are doing no more than what we said we would do, and we cannot afford to do less," said Mr. Savage. "Whatever steps are necessary to enable us to tell the people what is being done will be taken. It has not been possible for Government members to take part in the debates, because the work has to proceed," said the Prime Minister, "but it is not too much to expect that the Government will do something, and that its supporters will say something that will help the country along, but up to now anything of that nature has not been acknowledged." All the Prime Minister asked for his party was to be given credit for having a reasonable desire to build New Zealand for New Zealand’s sake. All he asked from his opponents was that they give credit where credit was due.