PUBLIC FREEDOM.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 228, 27 September 1938, Page 13

PUBLIC FREEDOM.

TOTALITARIAN TREND.

MR. ENDEAN'S WARNING.

BROADCASTING PROPAGANDA.

. Emphasising that the issue for the electors was that of socialism or private enterprise, Mr. W. P. Endean, Nationalist candidate for Remuera, opened his campaign befoie an overflow audience in the Remuera Library Hall last evening. Mr. L. K. Munro presided.

"There is too much sob stuff being put over by the Labour part.- to capture the minds of the people," i,e declared, 'out the public will not stand for it." A Voice: Give us your policy. Mr. Kndean: I have sat for nearly three years in Parliament—

Another Voice: What did von do?

Mr. Kndean: I have seen the rapid drift of this country towards socialism. I have heard Mr. Nash sav when a hill was passed in the House: ""Here we are one more step along the road."

Voices of protest and challenges were fired at the speaker, and for two minutes he engaged in a lively contest with his interjectore. Then the chairman intervened and warned the offenders that if they persisted further thev would be ejected. (Hear, hear, and applause.)

Continuing, the candidate declared that he still believed he wus living in a free country, but there wa« danger to that freedom in the Acts passed by larliament. The Transport Act, the Internal Marketing Act and other Acts revealed the trend. He described the Transport Act as a violation of the rights «nd traditions of the British people, in that the Minister was the final authority for the hearing of appeals. °

People's Liberties in Danger. "If you don't take care vou will have a totalitarian state here "in New Zealand," he said. "Further attempts will be made to curb and trample on the liberties of the people." In support of this statement he quoted from Mr. J. A. Lee's book on Socialism in New Zealand.

Next he referred to the threat to the liberty of the Press when legislation was framed to require all editorial comments, contributed articles and correspondence published in the newspapers to be signed. "Here is an attack on the freedom of the Press, which has been the bulwark of our liberties throughout the centuries in every part of the Empire," he said, amid applause. Dealing with broadcasting control, he declared that no one could regard it as just. It was not British fair play to have the director of commercial broadcasting indulging in political propaganda over the air. Neither was it fair to have a bulletin from the Prime Minister's Department issued at 7 o'clock every night for political purposes. The last Government had not permitted any political broadcasts or messages of that kind in 1935. (Applause).

Orgy of Expenditure. Criticising Government expenditure, Mr. Endean said, "This country is run riot and amok in an orgy of expenditure which no country in the world could stand." "There is a great similarity between Mr. Lang's regime in New South Wales and Mr. Savage's in New Zealand," he continued. "We hiive an example in the extravagance on the railways."

"We are the highest taxed country in the world," he said.

"Give us your policy," called a voice. Tee, 111 give it to you," replied the candidate, and when he proceeded to refer to loans for homes and furniture there was a fire of ironic banter.

"We must populate or perish," he persisted, "we should be a young, virile nation, but we find that there are more people going out of New Zealand at the present time than are coming in." When Mr. Endean said the National party would abolish compulsory unionism the audience loudly applauded. "Are you going to stop Scrim?" asked a voice. "If I had my way, the first fellow who would get his running boots would be the said gentleman," Mr. Endean replied, and again there was vigorous applause. * He expressed the determination of the National party to enable the people to have houses at reasonable rentals and declared that the present rents for State houses were too high for the workers to pay. A woman's voice: That's a He. The candidate repeated that it was impossible for many workers to secure homes on the Government estates. "Country Quota** Threatened. He issued a warning that the "country quota" would be abolished if the Labour Government went back. "When we ask for an assurance that it will not be touched, the Prime Minister and Cabinet Ministers evade the challenge," he said. In his references to superannuation and health insurance, the candidate said the scheme was so unwieldy that it could not be carried into effect. "I believe in giving the pensioners as much as the economy of the country can afford," he added, "but the Government has ignored the advice of its most competent advisers." Satisfaction that Mr. W. J. Jordan, High Commissioner for New Zealand, had recently made it clear at Geneva that in the event of war the Dominion would be behind the Mother Country was expressed by Mr. Endean, It waa about time, too," he remarked. *rhs Government had done "a good. job" in air defence in New Zealand, he said, "but it was epurred on, to it by the Opposition.". . During his address Mr. Endean ehowed his ability to deal with lnterjectors, and at the conclusion he waa accorded a vote of confidence. A number of Labour supporters gave counter cheers for the Labour Party.