FREE SPEECH.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 44, 21 February 1940, Page 5

FREE SPEECH.

( NJ9.W. ATTITUDE. i NO SUPPRESSION YET. I . I SURPRISE OVER RZ ACTION. (From Oar Own Correspond, n'.l SYDXEY, February 15. nr^ tr i!i i *, n8 J" re been wmewhat surprised lately by cabled reports of suoGTS . an i p r r cution »« S. Wftere thcT k «»* there is a Labour Government in power which s'n^ 1 *° i- freedom of So far the attitude has been different in New South Wale*. On the ££££ Zjf'-S? P f fa ? Minißter - Mr - Menkes, said: Our institutions of Parliament zi trtSr - tbought ' fms *JS f^r^ y ,f t c J ound wc h * d f °»?ht IZ fT^° m ' * nd thc v * lue of the individual human soul, and won the war onbr to lose thc things we were fighting Qualified Statement. When Mr. Mcnzics was recently interviewed by a Labour deputation about' the censorship, principally as it applied to opposition to sending troops overseas, he again expressed his belief in the necessity of maintaining free speech but this time qualified his statement by saying that he did not wish this to oe taken as meaning that in all circumstances anyone could say exactly what he wished. The "Daily Telegraph" at once took Mr. Menzies to task editorially for this qualification of his earlier state* ment, pointing out that actually there was no such thing a* free Bpeech jf somebody was going to limit it. Free speech was also defended by police action in the Sydney Domain one SuT A f» IUT1 U T * feW hnliim of the 2nd til'li}?* 5* U8 * d trouble at the usual Jp°nrauni*t party meeting. The next.Sunday the police did not ♦«£L P a* but instead mainMraed order and since then there have «*«■ «o rtports of any further trouble.

Housewives' Association Split. A difference of opinion about current events, however, has caused a split ia the Housewives' Association. The president, Mrs. Glencross, recently announced that to Communists would be allowed as members and that the association had even asked members who were only Communist sympathies to re«i"« Following this, the Wollongong branch of the association decided to defv this edict and to seek the support of* other branches of the association in so doinon the ground that the association was a non-political organisation and that thc ban on Communists was merely personal dictatorship by Mrs. Glencross. At Wollongong on Sunday three worncs, representing the 'Hospital Auxiliary and the Pcd Cross, and two representing the Country Women's Agnation, walked out of a peace conference because "instead of Ulkinjr peace. Communist delegates and others criticised the Kmpire. the Government, 8.H.1, and capitalism generally." War Ainu Rejected. The conference carried the following motion, which will I* forwarded to Mr Aleniies:—"This conference reject? Ihe stated war aims of the British and Australian Governments, and declares that the present war can solve no problems in the interests of the peoples of the world. W,. affirm there is no problem relating to the present war which rould not be solved by a World Peace Conference, and we call for the ending of the war. which we declare to |«. a capitalistic one. Recognising the further threat to our liberties and li\i«g standards should it continue, we pledge ourselves to work and organise for peace in every way possible.**