Pamphlet ‘not approved by Social Credit’

Press, 29 August 1980, Page 4

Pamphlet ‘not approved by Social Credit’

Assertions that SocialCredit literature is being distributed through the League of Rights have upset Social Credit’s leader (Mr B. C. Beetham). A newspaper report yesterday said that a Social Credit pamphlet listed the address of die New Zealand president of the League of Rights (Mr Sydney Wood) as a contact address for more Social Credit literature. The report said that the pamphlet, “Origins ,of Social Credit Philosophy,” was obtained from the Social Credit headquarters in Auckland. Among the four supply addresses listed were two Post Office box numbers for Western Destiny. Publications, Hamilton, and the Institute of Economic Democracy, Tauranga.

The Tauranga Post Office was reported as saying that there -was no ■ box-holder under that name, but that the League of Rights held that box number.

■Mr Beetham said at the Social Credit conference at Lincoln College last evening that the pamphlet was not an official Social Credit publica-

! : tion: it had not been ap- • proved for general printing ■ and widespread distribution. I • It had been produced by a . member of Social Credit’s education committee, Mr D. . Bethune, as a “prototype” for possible widespread use. If ' the pamphlet proved popular ’ it would be submitted for ; official approval. The pamphlet contained ' nothing that was objectionable. There were no references to racial, fascist, anti- ; Semitic or conspirational philosophy. If the pamphlet had got to • the stage of being officially ■ approved then someone ' would have picked up the • address as being that of a member of the League of 1 Rights. . It would seem that, the pamphlet had been offered to the Institute of Economic

Democracy as a distributor of political literature. Mr Beetham said he believed that the author and members of the education committee did not know that

the institute was a front for the League of Rights. He admitted that it -was "a bit naive” of members not to check the address.