ENDING OF FREEDOM CALMLY PROPOSED BY COMMUNISTS

Grey River Argus, 19 February 1949, Page 5

ENDING OF FREEDOM CALMLY PROPOSED BY COMMUNISTS

Discussion of Human Rights Mr Fraser’s Comment on U.N.O. Assembly WELLINGTON, Feb. 18. “the New Zealand Government will not hesitate to speak out against anything that it may think is persecution or tyranny, East or West, whether in Hungary, Spain, or any other part of the world. If we think an injustice is perpetrated, our voice will ring out quite clearly throughout the world, even though we.have not a large country or population,” said the Prime Minister, Mr. Fraser today, addressing the Dominion conference of the United Nations Association. “The danger of war has not been eliminated,” said Mr Fraser, in his earlier remarks. “But an equilibruim has been established. It may be an uneasy one, but it gives the world a breathing space. ‘•‘The United States and the United Kingdom have hatred towards none. Ultimately they want a World State. Mr Bevin said, “Out of these very regional structures we may now turn. There may yet grow that World Government for which humanity yearns.’ “I do not think any statesman of any country at present wants war,” 1 said Mr Fraser. “Everybody protests that he wants peace, but, even with protests on their lips, it would be possible for nations to drift into war.” The cause of world neace could best be advanced, said Mr Fraser, by everyone working for it through such organisations as the United Nations Association. OPPRESSION OF COMMUNISM In the course of the discussion on the Charter of Human rights in the United Nations Assembly, certain countries that had adopted Communism proposed that the charter should embody the right of Governments to suppress those who differed from them, even to the ex'tent of obliteration, said Mr Fraser. The Prime Minister added that when the delegates of the democratic countries recovered from the shock and horror of the realisation of what had been put forward, they would not give it a moment’s countenance. The extraordinary part of it was that the proposal, although it would have meant the extinction of human freedom, was put forward quite calmly by the Communist countries, said Mr Fraser. This cleavage of opinion was one of the dangers to the world. The aim of the democratic countries was not to suppress spiritual and intellectual individuality, but to de* velop it. “It is difficult to see how these differing conceptions of human freedom can ever be reconciled,” added Mr Fraser, “but I do not want to say that matters are hopeless.” In the Western Powers he had not seen the slightest wish for aggression or war. continued Mr Fraser. “On the other hand, some of the representatives of the Eastern Powers are just as nice people as ourselves, and some -jf them are very brilliant. Some of them have good intentions, and I am sure that, if it were not for the complete misconception on their part of the ideals of democracy, world penpp could be assured.” Ninety per cent, of the "'people of Britain wanted the West to protect them, but if it was not for Western Union and the Atlantic Pact we might now be seeing the last, gasps of Western Continental Europe, as distinct from Europe, including Britain.