CARTOON OF KING

Evening Star, Issue 22085, 19 July 1935, Page 3

CARTOON OF KING

FARMERS’ UNION DISCUSSION HO DISRESPECT INTENDED [Fa* United P»bm Association.! WELLINGTON, July 18. A cartoon in * Point Blank, the official organ of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union, was discussed by tne conference to-day. _ , .. The president, Mr W. J. Poison, said that when the cartoon had been shown to him it did not occur to him that it was offensive to anyone. It was such a jolly good-natured sort of thing that he merely laughed at it, and thought no more about it. He understood that an anonymous complaint had been made to the police about the cartoon. The police had investigated the matter, and had reported that there was nothing libellous or offensive about the cartoon whatever It was unfortunate, that offence should have been given to anyone. In the same issue there was a very loyal article expressing the Fanners’ Union view regarding His Majesty’s Jubilee. His Majesty knew that there were no more loyal subjects in the world than the farmers of New Zealand, and they would be the last people in the world to want to be offensive in any way to him. He thought unnecessary feeling had been shown about the matter, because when one looked at the cartoon it was a jolly good-natured _ sort of thing, and no disrespect was implied to His Majesty. He thought it was rather a good joke on the Prime Minister, but nothing more than that. . Mr G. L. Marshall (Wellington) said he thought it would be better if the King's figure were kept out of any cartoon. - The editor of the paper, Mr J. Cormick, said that when the cartoon was submitted to him for publication he thought over it and remeinbered having seen cartoons of His Majesty in other publications. The Commissioner of Police had received a letter in connection with the cartoon. He had Interviewed the commissioner, who said he just- wished to draw attention to the fact that a complaint had been received. The commissioner had stated there was nothing illegal in the cartoon at all, and that there was nothing wrong so far as the police were concerned. Mr Cormick said he could assure the delegates there was no intention of disloyalty. ' x , Mr H. O. Mellsop said he had taken it on himself to write dissociating the Auckland province from the cartoon only because of the fact that it was largely recognised in journalism that it was bad form to caricature the King. Mr; Poison said he did not think there was any necessity to discuss the matter, which was dropped.