FREE SPEECH.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 67, 21 March 1938, Page 15

FREE SPEECH.

" BECOMING NAZI-ISED." GOVERNMENT CRITICISED. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) ' TIMARU, Sunday. "Free speech in this country is rapidly becoming Nazi-ised," said Mr. S. G. Holland, M.P. for Christchurch North, when speaking at the National party rally at Cave yesterday. He made this comment when referring to the action of certain members of the audience at a National party meeting in. the Theatre Royal, Timaru, on Friday night, in keeping up a running fire of interjectione with the object of upsetting the speakers. Mr. Holland said that he had spoken at public meetings and at garden parties, but on Friday night he spoke at a new type of meeting—a "bear garden party." "I stand for the preservation of the pffeeious rights of freedom which' have been handed down to us, freedom of the individual and freedom of speech," Mr. Holland added. "However, free speech in this country is rapidly becoming Naziised. The only difference between this country and Germany is that, in Germany a man may not speak at all unless he is in agreement with the Government. In this country—and this was evidenced by the hooliganism in Timaru on Friday night —one is not permitted to speak unless one is expressing sentiments which find approval with Labour supporters. "The Government will not, and has not, raised a finger to etop this thing and give its opponents the right to discuss matters with their fellow countrymen. What are the police doing? They have their instructions and they are not allowed to remove a man from a meeting unless they have written instructions from the speaker beforehand. ■,