"THE LAST STRAW"

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVI, Issue 70, 20 September 1943, Page 4

"THE LAST STRAW"

MUZZLING OF THE PRESS

"We do not want the freedom of comment of a free Press taken away from us," said Mr. C. M. Bowden, National candidate, Wellington West, when dealing in an address at Makara on Saturday night with matters relating to censorship and control. "There are just too many restrictions today." A recently-published statement to the effect that newspapers should be licensed was quoted to show the opinion of one prominent member of the Labour Party. "To my mind," said Mr. Bowden, "the muzzling of the Press would be the last straw."

A voice: They gave us a good writeup on Monday night. "And you deserved it, didn't you?" put in another. "Well," said the candidate, "there are a lot more people who know where Makara is today." A voice; It put us on the map! Political censorship, which even applied to the internal letter (though, of course,' nothing like all the letters were opened), was a cause of dissatisfaction, said the candidate, and this was also the case with censorship and control of the radio. "Why," he said, "you are not even allowed to comment on Ministers."

A voice: What a pity! "We propose to free the broadcasting system of political control," he said. (Voices: Hear, hear!) "And we are also going to unify the two services."

An interjectoiT Are you going to have "Scrim" or Clive Drummond?

The candidate: Well, I can tell you one it won't be!

Calling attention to reported remarks made by Mrs. Dreaver in a broadcast address, Mr. Bowden said he regarded them as an unwarranted attack upon the Civil Service. The effect of what Mrs. Dreaver had said had, he felt, not been altered by any explanations since then.