THE FREER CASE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 273, 17 November 1936, Page 6

THE FREER CASE.

The Australian Minister of the Interior, Mr. Paterson, complains that the case of | Mrs. Freer "is being given prominence out of all proportion. ... It is being elaborated in some quarters into a matter of Empire importance." But is it not a matter of Empire importance? It would surely indicate an alarming apathy if the case of Mrs. I reer attracted no public attention, if it were accepted as ordinary. Whether the Minister can justify his action or not —and so far his attempts to justify it. have been Jess than convincing—ther»« can be no gainsaying the fact that he has made an extraordinary use of his official powers. It is admitted that the Commonwealth Government has a right of control over persons entering its territory; the question at iseue is whether in the exercise of its right it is justified in excluding, apparently in response to a private complaint, a British subject who has committed no legal crime. It has done so, on the asserted ground that the person concerned is "undesirable" —a , word that is capable of a wide variety of interpretations. If the action was justified, then another Minister of the Interior may exclude persons whom he considers "undesirable" for reasons altogether different, It is not necessary to feel any sympathy with Mrs. Freer to appreciate the importance of the principle here involved.