THE PREACHING OF SEDITION

Dominion, Volume 19, Issue 44, 16 November 1925, Page 9

THE PREACHING OF SEDITION

THE RIGHTS OF FREE SPEECH. Sir Douglas Hogg, Attorney-General, speaking at Blackburn recently, said it was eas? to exaggerate the importance of tile divisions taken at the Trades Union Congress and the Labour Party Conference at Liverpool. If it were true that the Scarborough resolutions represented the deliberate policv of the trades unionists of this countrv, the outlook would indeed be serious'. But it was a commonplace that what happened at the Trades Union Congress was not what the rank and file of the trades unionists party believed in or desired. The machine had been captured by a few wilu men, extremists, who misrepresented to a bewildered nation the desire of those whom they represented. As to the Liverpool resolutions, they must remember that, although the methods of the Socialists and the Communists were widely different, the end at fhicli they were "aiming was the same. Speaking of the unemployment insurance scheme, Sir Douglas Hogg said:—“l do not dispute there are possibilities of abuse in what is miscalled the dole, but, whatever possibilities of abuse there may be the dole in thousands of cases proves of immense benefit to men who have lost the work which they really wanted to do through no fault of their own.” Continuing, he said he was afraid there were a number of people going about the country trying to render an amicable settlement in regard to the coal industrv impossible bv preaching sedition and revolution. It was very tempting to take further steps to stop all the mischievous talk, but there was a very real danger of the Government being driven, as it had been in the past, under the guise of preventing sedition, into unduly curtailing the rights of free speech. He thought there was nothing more likely to play into the hands of the Communists than to prosecute a few unknown people who preached sedition at the street corners. He knew he was putting a tax on the confidence and tong suffering of the peonle, hut he asked them to believe that the Government was not unaware of the dangers confronting the country from this menace. If and when it was expedient in the nublic interest either to tighten the law as it now stood, or to ask Parliament for further powers, they would not hesitate to do so. (Cheers.)

The competition between cdncrcte and bitumen for road-making is becoming brisk (says an Auckland exchange. So far Auckland local bodies'have favoured concrete, -while in Taranaki and Wellington bitumen seems to have won the day. A new development has just taken place in regard to the suburban section of the Great South Road. The local bodies favoured concrete, but the ■Main Hi'diwavs Board demurred on account of the high cost, and suggested surfacing with bituminous concrete. The cost per mile of bituminous concrete as required bv the Highways Board is estimated at between £9OOO and £lO,OOO. The cost of a permanent concrete road is estimated at between £lO,OOO and £ll.OOO per mile. At a meeting of the local bodies interested an offer was made bv the Wilson (New Zealand) Portland Cement Company to undertake to construct the road for the distance stipulated and in accordance with the plans at a cost of between £BOOO and £OOOO per mile. This is cheaper than the other method, and has the advantage that ’the material used is a local production, whereas all the bitumen lias to be imported. The local bodies concerned, after considering the offer made, unanimously decided to ask the Highways Board to approve of the proposal, and .also to contribute 50 per cent, to the cost. Old-time Japanese dislike the intrusion of Western ideas in dress and the "radual displacement of the kimono. So intense is this feeling among certain classes that a topical son" has made its appearance to ridicule the wearer of Hie Occid'-nt'’ l dress, tke “Hnik.'ira ‘t-’i,”- ns be i= ,-iicd. "High Collar.” , — ’ ’ c a L-i'nnesc tongue ew.'lv becomes "Hnikara.”