MR. FRASER’S WARNING

Kaikoura Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 60, 3 August 1944, Page 4

MR. FRASER’S WARNING

THE FORCES OF REACTION ROUSING THEMSELVES.

The Prime Minister’s warning that

“the forces of reaction are rousing themselves and are organising for the return to the privilege-dominated prewar conditions,” is timely states the Standard). Just back from a tour in the course of which he has had nyiny opportunities of observing trends and of learning what the working and fighting men expect from the post-war world, nobody is better equipped than Mr Fraser to make such a statement. His firm adherence to the principles of the Atlantic Charter, which are now being pushed aside in certain quarters does him credit, but his support for the kind of world which was foreshadowed in the Charter will avail nothing unless the people of this country remain true to the Labouf Government. If they are misled by the specious promises of the Nationalists, the kind of promises which Mr Holland and his friends made before the last General Elections, then they will be throwing away the substance for the shadow; the better world they are hoping for will be postponed once again, as it was after the last war. BAITING STEEL TRAP. “Everywhere the progressive forces, especially the labour moveipents of the various countries, and, indeed, most of the people everywhere have their minds and hearts set on the achievement of the new world which every one of the United Nations’ statesmen and governments have advocated through the principles of the Atlantic Charter and otherwise,” said the Prince Minister (the Rt. Hon. P. Fraser). “At the same time,” he warned,

‘ 4 the forces of reaction are rousing themselves and arc organising for a return to the privilege-dominated prewar conditions.

‘ ‘The attack of the reactionaries is not always direct,” Mr Fraser said. 44 Often they pretend to be as advanced and as democratic as the Labour Party and other advanced and democratic organisations. Often, and this can be expected more and more as general elections approach in the various countries, they bait the trap for the democracies with specious promises sinular to the proposals put forward by genuine democratic parties, hoping that the workers will be lured too far to retreat when the steel trap of Toryism and reaction closes on them and holds them firmly and tragically in teeth. ’’