The Grey River Argus SATURDAY, August 12, 1944. TWO CENSORSHIPS.

Grey River Argus, 12 August 1944, Page 4

The Grey River Argus SATURDAY, August 12, 1944. TWO CENSORSHIPS.

As a p'arty the Nationalists have had little or no responsibility, and similar credit, for direction of the war effort. This is doubtless their reason for speaking on every occasion as if the war could be ignored in practical politics, instead of being fan more important than anything else. The latest instance is the censorship. Their only use for if is as a source of party capital. The Opposition in this matter has notoriously telescoped the vista of five critical years, or, indeed, reversed the telescope and so minimised the stress and peril and struggle through which 'the task of the Government has been to steer the people. Thus it was yesterday argued in Parliament by Nationalists that the censorship has virtually been only a Government expedient to hoodwink the public. They said the Government’s only real use for it has been to throttle criticism of itself. They declared that the press has been all along gagged, not as regards disclosing what would aid the enemy and harm this and other Allied countries, but what the Government felt might shield itself from disrepute. To substan tiate this allegation the Opposition spokesmen could quote nothing but charges which both reveal its falsity and its ulterior object of hiding their own design. That design is to insinuate something has been hidden which, if Nationalist newspapers could have disclosed it, would have demonstrated political repression, autocracy, and exploitation of the national crisis for sectional ends. But when the only evidence advanced to bolster that insinuation is examined, it actually redounds to the credit of the Government. Every time labour unionism has been in question, the Nationalists have during the war, as before, been denunciatory of alleged strike mongering, and agitation as inimical to the war effort. They have themselves baited the miners, watersiders, and many other workers. Yet itheir main, if not their only, charge against the censorship has been that it has prevented strike agitation on occasions. What they doubtless resented was that their press could not, on account of the censorship, exploit such strike action or ten deucy to action to disaffect work ers- towards the Government. Their press has tried to turn (the public against the Government in almost every industrial, commercial, social and economic issue since 1939. The truth is that all of the objections raised against the censorship have been trivial when not baseless or inimical. The aim has openly been to make a mountain out of a molehill. In actual fact, our censorship hasbeen the most far-sighted and prudent probably of any. It has availed to make the Avar effort one hundred per cent, effective. It has hurt nobody except wouldbe exploiters of the national exigency for selfish or sectional ends. Secret sessions earlier in the Avar were questioned by the Nationalists, just as were the numbers of men the Dominion mustered in the fight. Imperative precautions since have been misrepresented as only a smokescreen for Government misgiving. But the Nationalists now define whait they say they were forbidden then to define —and it all amounts to mere political clap trap. They wanted to indulge in Parliament in personalities against Ministers, to

rake up gossip, about something which antedated this war by <i whole generation and more, and thus to' distract Ministers from their tasks. If they had talked earlier in the war as they do now. the public would have pilloried them without a shadow of a doubt. The Nationalists are re ally conscious they have cut no noble figure all through the piece, and want to camouflage themselves as exemplars of democracy after the Government has spared no effort for the defence of de mocraey. The Prime Minister told the blunt truth yesterday when he said the really malignant censorship over New Zea land publicity is exercised in the very quarter whence comes .the criticism of the very successful war-time control of publicity in the interest of national security The press is almost entirely anti Labour, and censors everything that tells in favour of Labour ,and especially of the Labour Govern' me'nt. Even in Parliamentary ami other publicity regarding the cen sership itself, the influence of the Nationalists has been palpably exerted to play up the anti-Lab-our side. It is well that the mass of the pqople have long since be come wise to this political bias. But it is so notorious that the people could not do ctherwisc.