FREE SPEECH.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 46, 24 February 1936, Page 9

FREE SPEECH.

"NO PADLOCKED LIPS."

ALL THOUGHTS WELCOMED

GOVERNMENT ATTITUDE,

(By Telegraph.—Press Association.)

WELLINGTON, Saturday

The value of free speech and an untrammelled interchange of thoughts was stressed by the Minister of Public Works, the Hon. R. Semple, at the annual dinner of the New Zealand Society of Civil Engineers, at whicli he made it clear that the Government hoped to encourage development in this direction. During his speech Mr. Semple said: "If a man serves a nation, the nation should lie big enough to give liim the right to express his free and unfettered thoughts upon every question that faces the nation, and I want to tell the public servants of this country that they arc going to get that right —a free and unfettered right. I want them to look upon ine, not as ji master, but as a mate. I do not want to put a padlock on their lips.

"When they have something that I should know, that the Government should know, that 'lie nation should know, T ask them to come to me. They may rest assured that we will not say: 'Get into your dug-outs and shut up.' We will say: 'Hallelujah!'

"We want the thoughts of men and women. It is only by free and unfettered thoughts that we can solve the problems ahead of us. We are passing through a transitory stage. There was never a period in the history of mankind when the thoughts of everyone would he more welcome than tiiev are to-day. No man need be muzzled; no man should be muzzled. The thoughts that men and women give devel f :is the result of their work and their experience and are the gifts of God. and they should be given to their fellow creatures and the Government of to-day will encourage them to do so."