UNDER THE LASH

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 136, 6 December 1939, Page 19

UNDER THE LASH

THE REIN ON NEWS

BIBES IN PARLIAMENT

"TRUST THE PEOPLE"

(By Air Malt, from "The Post's" London Representative.) LONDON, October 13. In Parliament again, the Ministry of Information (or as it had been called by Mr. David Low, the "Mystery" of Information), has come under the lash of criticism. Mr. A. Greenwood, Deputy Leader of the Opposition, maintained that the question of news dissemination and the repeated statement of Britain's case here and abroad constituted the fourth arm of defence —it was as .important as the fighting Services. The Ministry could fortify: the morale'and spirit of our people and give them new inspiration ahd could have profound importance iri connection with neutral countries in stating our case. "I think," he said, "that the Government have shown a woeful lack of imagination and drive." The Ministry was overrun by civil servants, and there were too few men experienced in newspaper, film, and broadcasting work. Something had to be done about "this strange Department." "I understand that in some quarters," he continued, "the Ministry is described as 'Minnie.' I cannot believe that a Department so described is regarded with affection. (Laughter.) y 'Minnie' is now apparently under the weather." THE PRESENT POSITION. f "What is the position in this Ministry! of Information now?" Mr. Greenwood asked. "I understand that it is apparently now a factory for the production and distribution of leaflets, posters, and pamphlets, and that for the rest it is a mere landlady letting furnished rooms to other State Departments and a district messenger boy for the Service Departments." (Laughter.) Censorship and news distribution were now controlled by Si." Walter Monckton. "T6 put into the charge of a man news distribution and give him the responsibility for killing it did not seem to be wise organisation." First-class newspaper correspondents from foreign papers had left London in complete disgust because they could not get information or because they got it too late to use. These people were kicking their heels, sick at heart, only too desirous of putting over the British cause. That situation was intolerable and was doing damage in friendly countries at a time when we needed all the support we could gather. "Does this Government not trust the people of this country?" Mr. Greenwood asked. "The people have got to be taken into confidence. You cannot do without them. You have got to tell them everything whether it is ill or good, and as soon and as fully as possible. We must do the same in other lands so as to rally the spiritual forces of freedom and end this flat-footed system which has been adopted hitherto. Britain ought to become, as she can become if she speaks with the voice of the people, an inspiration to the world. That inspiration we have not had. I hope we shall have it soon." I.^'h^X "MUSEUM MUMMIES."; :' :> ' Mr. McLaren (Labour) noticed that the museums were suddenly closed, and he wondered what had happened to the staffs. When he heard the museums were empty and the Ministry of Information was full, he naturally made his own conclusions. He knew one gentleman at the Victoria and Al= bert Museum, but he could not say what his job was. He asked where he was, and the reply was "at the Ministry of Information." (Laughter.) When he got the list of the headquarters staff of the Ministry he looked to see if he could find his man. There he was. He was described as a civil servant, and his salary was given as £1161 a year. He would not mind if the man had three or four times that salary if he had the talent for the job he was called upon to perform. He likened the whole thing to what might happen if Lord Beaverbrook sacked the whole of his staff and went to the British Museum and carried to Fleet Street all the mummies he could lay his hands on. Sir S. Reed (Aylesbury, U.) held that the. Censorship Department was now run with efficiency and consideration.' An amazing collection of people had come into the Ministry at fantastic salaries—a horde of pensioners looking for. cushy jobs and intriguers who battened on the Administration. That must stop, and the only way to do it was now to give notice to terminate all engagements except those of the civil servants essen- j tial to administration, and then to re? cruit a small body of competent men to carry on the work. WASTED ENERGY AND SKILL. Major Astor (Dover, U.) thought it was only fair that something should be said in defence of the Ministry, which had had to work under great difficulties "and under conditions for which in the main they were not responsible. The Ministry had two important functions to perform. First, to issue official news, aiid, secondly, to censor information which might be of value to the enemy. Their purpose should be to co-operate with the Press and do their part with a minimum of delay, disturbance, and interference with the existing machinery and conduct of the Press. The Ministry started out to do far more than he had suggested. If their function had been to suppress existing newspapers and set up a new organisation a staff of 999 might not have been too many. But the Ministry had wasted a good deal of energy and skill on work for which there really was no need. The recurring criticism against the Ministry was that they gave out too little news. It had also been suggested that they had suppressed news. Admittedly, there had been some cases of delay, which should have been avoidable, but in most cases difficulty was that the Ministry was not receiving the news and could not extract it from the Departments concerned. In the circumstances, owing to the absence of war news, the Ministry seemed to have thought that it was their duty to manufacture a substitute. It might be fair to criticise the Ministry for what they produced, but it was not fair to criticise them for what they did not produce, because they could not get it. Now. the responsibility had been more fairly placed in the right quarters. The Departments were to issue their statements direct to the Press, and he hoped that they would find it possible to issue more news than hitherto. Speaking as a member of the Advisory Council, he wished to pay a tribute to Lord Macmillan and his officers for the way in which they had striven to meet the complaints and for the readiness with which they had acted on suggestions. They had succeeded in achieving order where there had been confusion and misdirected effort. Lord Macmillan would be first id acknowledge the help he had