People Can be Free and Efficient

Manawatu Times, Volume 67, Issue 94, 22 April 1942, Page 5

People Can be Free and Efficient

GENERAL HURLEY REPLIES TO ENEMY PROPAGANDA Per Prejus Association. WELLINGTON, April 2L ‘‘We have been hearing a lot of enemy propaganda ebout the inefficiency of democracies and the efficiency of the dictators,” said General Patrick Hurley, the newly-appointed United States Minister to New Zealand when replying to a welcome by the’ mayor of Wellington, Mr. T. C. A. Ilielop, at a civic reception to-day. “This propaganda is usually based on the assumption that people cannot be free and at the same time efficient. The assumption, of oourse, is not correct. It. is true that free Governments are geared for liberty and peace, and dictatorial Governments are geared for war and oppression. “In war,” said General Hurley, “free people delegate their power to their leaders, but the people remain the custodians of that power. Dictators usurp ail the power and make the people slaves to their systems. When | the people decline to follow or the dictator cracks under the strain, the cause jis lost. In free nations it. is the will jof the people that is carried into effect by the leader. The leader may be given !all the powers of the dictator, but he lean be broken or removed if he fails to I the will of the people into effect. I Free peoples are slower to get into I action, but their will, once formed, ie I unbreakable. Only the intelligent and 'efficient can attain or maintain liberty, j “To-day,” he continued, ‘’free people are becoming a voluntary unit in which all the military and economic strength ,of every industry and every individual is endeavouring intelligently and efficiently to contribute its proper part to the accomplishment of the chief objective—the defeat of the enemy.” General Hurley said it was frankly admitted that free nations not always recognised all the principles of liberty, but out of the internal conflicts the free nations had achieved liberty, justice, and freedom of conscience, freedom of the Press, free schools, collective bargaining for the workers, equality of opportunity, and the highest standard of living in the world. The enemy said that our free institutions were not perfect; we knew that, but the free institutions were more nearly perfect than any others, and it was our purpose t® remain free and continue to improve them. “Let us forget for the duration of the war the conflicts out of which we have achieved these hard-won rights jnnd privileges,” said General Hurley, “and unite to defend and perpetuate ’ them by defeating the enemy who would destroy them. Let us march to victory in the spirit of the fighting challenge of Mr. Churchill and the four freedoms of President Roosevelt.”