THE VIEWS OF THE EMPLOYERS’ FEDERATION.

Evening Star, Issue 23100, 28 October 1938, Page 12

THE VIEWS OF THE EMPLOYERS’ FEDERATION.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —You have been at no little trouble apparently to give full publicity to the speech of Mr A. C. Mitchell, of the Employers’ Federation. For the most part I have written up similar stuff in salad days for Economics 1., and I shall not time on it. Two points are illuminating, however: (1) The strong hint in paragraph 2 that democratic procedure has not the confidence of the Employers’ Federation; and (2) that the whole write-up, together with its strongly partisan headlines, was not prefixed “ Press Association.” As the report begins by stating that the meeting was held to-day (i.e., 27th), and no indication that it was telegraphed is given, might the inference be reasonable that you have extended the hospitality of your news columns, no questions asked, to a draft speech, set up before it was given? Whether or not this is so, the space devoted to such stuff so soon after the flat repudiation of its philosophy at the polls indicates that the newspapers are making no attempt to mend their ways.—l am, etc., • O’R., - October 27. [The ‘ Star ’ admits this dreadful offence. It has been the practice for such bodies as the Racing Conference, Bank of New Zealand, and dozens of other important organisations to furnish in advance their chairmen’s addresses. It has been followed for 20 years or more, and “O’R.” has taken a long time to wake up.—Ed. E.S.]