Charges Critics With Exceeding Decent Limits

Northern Advocate, 27 May 1940, Page 4

Charges Critics With Exceeding Decent Limits

[Special to “Northern Advocate ”] AUCKLAND, This Day. The Prime Minister (Mr Fraser) in his broadcast ' address last night strongly commented on criticism offered by some newspapers to New Zealand’s war effort. Mr Fraser referred to the gravity of the war situation and to the calmness with which British people were facing the present dangers. He said the most disappointing feature had been the attitude of some newspapers and public speakers, who had exceeded all reasonable and even decent limits in their anxiety to discredit the Government. Thesq newspapers which had so excelled in vituperative abuse' had always been and were still the bitter opponents, of the Government, and had objected to every reform the Government had enacted for the betterment of the people of the Dominion.

Won’t be Over-Awed. The Prime Minister thanked those newspapers and speaker’s who had shown a co-operative spirit. Addressing himself to others, he said that a Government returned by a majority of the people, commissioned to administer the affairs of the country by a majority of the people, and retaining the confidence'of Parliament and of the people, was not-to be overawed, and would not pe over-ruled by clamour, and would not give way to mob rule where encouraged by newspapers or by nondescript platformists. Mr Fraser assured those whom he described as being in earnest that every attempt to help the Government would be welcomed. He said there was not the slightest evidence to justify the allegations which had been made of apathy, complacency and slackness on the part of the Government toward the wAr effort. Subversive Propaganda be Stopped. These charges^would not bear examination. After appealing for a unified and sacrificial war effort, Mr Fraser said* that those who were indulging in any j sort of subversive propaganda would i not be allowed to do so and those | who were maligning the cause of the | Empire would be stopped. f Papers and documents scattered | throughout the country had not 4 done much iieither the f people nor the Government was I In any mood to gtanf any ipore of j this. . „ . i An end would be put to anything | likely to weaken the war effort, and j any person who stood in the way ofi New Zealand in its effort to help the! Mother Country in the hour of its f greatest danger would be swept aside,