THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH. - SATURDAY; AUGUST 15, 1936.
B. B. C. Critics Out in Strength:
Private Lives
SIR JOHN REITH AN EXCELLENT
HITLER
4
Critics of the B.1.C. had their oppor-, through the Postmaster-General, the tunity in the House of Commens cource recommended by the Commit last night, when much of a debates tee would live the disudvantage tut on the Post Office Vole was devoted the affairs of the B.B.C. would, have to the internal affairs of Brood-to be dealt with by two Ministers casting House.
EXCLUSION OF "ADS"
The B.B.C. was described as "not a
lent ler for Dritain."
was made of "Interference private lives."
broadcast
persons who were in the employment Service conditions. Those people
of the Government.
SUNDAY PROGRAMMES The Sunday programmes were being very materially lightened, and steps were being taken towards re- arranging them. Feature programmes
to be included,
should be paid very high salaries, far higher, than the administrative men, for in four or five years their Ideas were exhausted, and they, then went off into a different kind of life. "But," he continued, the dimeul- ties and unhappiness of that institu- not a happy ship- He nsited that those who crilicised tion-and-it-la
arises from the conditions of employ- 300 what had happened in other ment of the administrative technical wha, do not want enormous stair,
the B.B.C. would look abroad, and
systems.
HB
boped they would then be more ready salaries, but security, regular wTHERE'S AN HB COMING OFF THE
to give credit where credit was due They owed a great debt of gratitude to the founders of the B.B.C. for the wisdom and Idealism which hud characterised their work.
M.P.s' COMMENTS Former P.M.G. on "Despotism in Decay"
salary-but above tenure.
all security of
"It is insecurity of tenure which causes win the Corporation a large part of the time wasting, wire-pulling, and intrigue which exists. You can- not get efficiency from men who The in fear."
of
a decision now were
He urged the need for more re gional autonomy. The regional pros grammes should be really is competi happy ship," and Sir John Reith as Dealing with the proposal that od-
Mr. Lees-Smith (Sc., Keighley) : fion with the national programme, and
In
the a man who would make "an excel-vertisements should be excluded from moved the reduction of the Vote by the regional stations should be
He recalled that when the hands of men of independent minds. declared: £100. services, re
subject was last debated many an It was alleged that the B.B.C. staff's "The Government feel tuo the cum-
xielies
As to the relay stallons, both on were expressed as to the insecurity of tenure led to "wire-plete exclusion of advertisements actual conditions of the employment tabiat grounds and on fat reasons pulling and intrigue." and complaint widely approved."
of the higher administrative and pra public service, the substantial reasons The Ullswater Committee recum-fessional staffs of the B.B.C. with
for coming magded that the ownership and opera-
as clear as they could be three years "My conclusions, after my inquiries, hence, and these reasons were over- on of relay stations should be
hensions are well three years at least the inking over the control of their programmes by the system of personal paternity over and allowing the Post Office and the
founded, and that of relay exchanges, and ngainst the B.B.C. Such a change would re- biased accounts of Parliamentary quire the starling of an administrative small family of friends is no longer Corporation between them to deal speeches.
arrangement on the part of the Por suited to this mammoth Corporation. with this service. Omice, and financial issues would arise on the termination of the present licences, which would take some time: to settle.
Protests were also made against the
Government's decision to delay for undertaken by the Post Office and 15 that a great many of those appre; whelmingly in favour of accepting
P.M.G.'s DEFENCE Reasons for B.B.C. Staff
Dismissals
Major Tryon. Postmaster-General, defending the Government's action in turning down the Ullswater Commit- tee's recommendation that the res ponsibility for the cultural side of broadcasting should be transferred to. a Cabinet Minister, said it was matter which raised important, con- stitutional questions.
He asked, "What would be position bf such a Minister? Respon- sibility without real power is intoler- able. The new Minister would find
羅
the
und
My conclusion is that it now bears
many of the marks of what I would rail despotism in decay."
the recommendation of the Committee
FINEST AND CLEANEST
Bromley) said that he took part in Mr. Lansbury (Soc., Dow and the debate first as a broadcast "fan" a member of the and secondly as House.
Be believed that the programmes of
all over
the
country, The B.B.C. had brought in-
It was not enough to regularisc Lord Walmer (U.. Aldershot) said appointments. More wos necdied that not only had the B.B.C., on the There had been a general assertion regarding conditions
of umce.
A whole, provided this country with that there was no recognised method great many of the contracts were the Brest broadcasting service in the of promotion at the B.B.C. and that mande on purely verbal contracts, with world, but they had also provided The debate dealt mainly with the was at the discretion of the the result that a short time after with the cleanest, Ullswater Report on fireadeasting and Director-General, and also that no wards there was a dispute as to what the Government's proposals in con-member of a Trade Union obtained those verbal contracta entalled. In nection with the Report.
n post there. Both statements were crements were given and refused untrue,
without any reason' being assigned, Allegations regarding interfer-That was contrary both to the prac ence with private lives of members tice of the Civil Service and to mast; of the staff were not borne out by of the great commercial corporations, the B.B.C. had been of tremendous detailed 'records, of dismissals. In He understood the dimeully in-advantage to people the space of 21 years there had volved because the Corporation e- been 64 ren;
dismissala, of which 54 had not men and women of very dif- to their homes the amenities of life
na ferent types. relation to private conduct. or the
in regard to music, drama, and in- "You cannot have Stainless Stephen formation geperally which otherwise remalader, six were connected with on Civil Service conditions." financial Irregularities, one was a and then, glancing over towards the
he said, they would not have had. case of intemperance, and the re- Postmaster-General, added. "I am B.B.C. is very largely due to Sir John "In my judgment the success of the maining three arose from divorce sorry to rotice that the Postmaster Relth, but I think he has rather spoil himself more and more obliged to
General seems to be entirely invar- exercise actual control and indepen-(The B.B.C. had paid attention to an ant of the gentleman to whom
of work by what 'piece of dent management by the B.B.C. would officer's conduct only when it had refer.
Ta magnificent' soon be at an end. Such a tendency affected the value of his work, or manise
(Laughter.) He
has been called paternalism, and also
would be contrary to the policy which when the public Interest was
must bu- by his assumption of authority and himself. I would suggest responsiblllly apart either from Par- in that he listens in from 8 till 9 on lament or from anyone ied to the establishment of the B.B.C.,volved. Their future policy would be Saturdays." (Laughter.)
else.".
he and a practice which has had the the sane.
continued. "I have always felt when * approval of this House during the It was the general practice of the "WIRE-PULLING and intrigue" speaking to Sir John that he would
past nine years."
Civil Service, and the Government There was a large number of the in this country--(laughter)-because have made a very excellent Hiler Moreover, 116 technical control were not prepared to require under the Wireless and Telegraph Act B.B.C. to admit less stringent methods programme and variety directors people like myself, though he has the staff of the B.B.C.-musical directors, he seems to have great scorn for would in any case have to be met in this matter than were "applied" to who could not be put under Civil never expressed it to me-(laughter.) It is n psychological kind of feeling that his personality impresses upon you." (Laughter.)
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"On the subject of the private 'lives of members of the B.B.C. staff, Mr.
Lansbury suld, "I understand
man was discovered as being divorced for having been divorced, and he was Usmissed. Then it was remembered that some other chap had been di vorced, and he was dismissed. We know the record of some of our mem bers, but we have not chucked them put. (Laughter.) Sir John Reith in his paternailsm wants to set a higher standard in the B.B.C. than we set in the House of Commons." (Laugh-i ter.)
YOUNGER GOVERNORS WANTED
He advised the Postmaster-General to make a clean sweep of the present Board of Governors and appoint new Governors, ull under 50, and If pas- sible half of them under 30.
Commenting on the employment of eye-witnesses to give a summary of Parliamentary proceedings, he said that one night an eye-witness broad- cast a statement about Mr. Attlee which was unworthy of public ser- vant in any country.
He challenged the right of the Government to allow the B.DB.C. to send men to the House of Commons, and for those men to go outside and give their opinion as to whether whal members had said was sheer rubbish, whether the manner in which they said it was right, and whether they spoke too long or in bad English.
Mr. Marklew (Soc,, Colne Valley) said that Spiritualists had been res fused the opportunity of broadcasting their opinions. Members
ere entitled so long as they minority were entertained their views with sincerity to have equal opportunity with others for the dissemination of their views. He asked that Spiritualists should not be denied, the right given to others to express their views on equal terins MAIN ISSUES SHELVED
Mr. Attlee (leader of the Opposi- tion), winding up the debate, said the Government were shelving some of the main issues raised by the whole question of broadcasting and the position of the B.B.C. As a member of the Ullswater Committee, he had, hoped that their Report would have received more adequate consideration. Mr. Attice said the influence of the Government over the B.B.C. should be an open one and not a hate-and- corner une. There was a tendency to have, certain flow of influence over the B.B.C. emanating from vari- ous Government offices, riot in the. form of orders, but of suggestions.
The Governors should on the whole be much younger, and be able to keep in touch with the younger genera-
tion.
B
There was a feeling about the worl of the B.B.C. which suggested that the pubile was given what the Cor- porallon thought was "nice." "Oc- casionally, he went on, there is tendency for what they think to be nice
to be perhaps a little 100 Victorian. It may get as far as the Edwardian or the Georgian, but I do, not think it has got as far as Edward VIII." (Laughter.)
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