THE NEW ZEALAND PRESS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 27 February 1939, Page 12

THE NEW ZEALAND PRESS

i Sir. The absence of informative and intelligent criticism, together with the j 'resultant restriction of public knowledge. produce the deplorable condition of corruption, deceit and general j inefficiency, at present emblematic of j the dictatorial systems existing in ccr- j lain dictatorial States to-day. Viewed from this aspect alone, a free j press conducted with due sense of re- I sponsibility (as is the case in New Zea- j land to-day > provides the main, and in j many cases, the only, safeguard. The main function of the press is. of course, j to provide ‘‘news” and to interpret both "news" and "events" of "public inter-' cst.” m a manner consistent with public interest and safety. This function has been properly and honourably discharged by the New Zealand press in the j I past, and in this icspect the journals of the Dominion have from time to time been the subject of the most favourable reference by visitors competent in every way to express an intelligent ; opinion upon such a highly specialised! subject. It is obviously improper that anv Government should seek to either i control or influence our press, or that oi : any country, either by improper censor- j ship or by more drastic coercion or re- j strictive measures such as has been j threatened in New Zealand by Minis- j tors of the Crown, whose sense of re- ; sponsibility appears at times to be as deficient as their verbosity on occasions | appears excessive. In times of national danger, such as j periods of Aar. civil or otherwise, it will be obvious that some degree of supervision or control, is both essential and desirable in the general public interest. But past experience has demonstrated that the Press of this (as indeed of every British community) has been fully qualified to discharge the j sreat trust and duty which from time ! immemorial has been reposed in it. The moral responsibility of the Press, as either leaders or the instrument of public thought, is unquestionably great, and any Press which "trims its sails” to make either * news” or editorial opinion i palatable to the general community, is ; unworthy of the traditions of a great I public service, and any newspaper i which descends to the level of pander- ! ing to popular favour, irrespective of j the merits or demerits of the public ! sentiment at the timy. is unworthy of association with decent journalism. On the contrary, a high-minded Press will i risk temporary loss of circulation by (advocating that which, from a high sense of duty and responsibility, it conceives to be in the true interests ol the community as a whole. y. would be a disastrous day for the. ! Press of New Zealand if thos' 1 responsible for it were to find themselves incapable of appreciating their responsibility to the public. At the same time, no responsible journal would hope to ;succeed if it chose to completely ignore genuine and proper changes in public thought and modern changes in commercial. public and private life. In this connection it is interesting to observe j that the greatest influence is not necessarily or always wielded by the newspaper commanding the greatest circulation. The “London Times’ and ‘‘The : Manchester Guardian” can be quoted as illustrations of this fact. Some journals ! have, with a view for increasing circu- j latioH. so to speak, "sat on the fence" !on matters of critical moment, and questions involving bitter feeling and controversy. On the contrary, newspapers with smaller -circulation, but (with a definite and more correct policy, ultimately succeed in influencing that portion of the community which thinks intelligently. The true function of the Press is to educate rather than to dicitale to the public, and in this respect the New Zealand Press can properly claim to have discharged its duty, whatever its detractors may endeavour to affirm to the contrary. The newspaper j which is afraid to tell the unpleasant j truth to its readers, is unfit to exist and any Government which proposes to ! either stifle or which childishly resents (competent, though unfavourable criticism. is a menace for the well-being j of the community and must invariably j bring disaster upon it. Russian Communism, the product of violence and oppression, destroyed both personal and political freedom, and with it the freedom of the Press. Both Germany and Italy to-c’ay furnish further evidence of the evils which inevitably follows the abolition of the freedom of the Press in those countries, and the substitution of State control. We hear a great deal Grom those who ought to know better) about the ‘‘terrible capitalistic Press.” but whatever may be its shortcomings, it at least perI mits its opponent the freedom to criti- ; case however unintelligent, at times, such criticism may be. In Italy and Germany to-day there is no such thing jas “the freedom of the Press.” In those i countries we have State-manufactur-|ed opinion (as our present Government i would dearly desire to inaugurate I here), the consequences of which can ! only be sinister and disastrous in the ! extreme. It is a sad day in the history of any country when the community. | from its birth to its demise, has driven | down the throat the doctrine that "The : Stale can do no wrong.” The first duty | of the Press is to the public, and not to j any particular Government, and to proceed on any other basis is to hasten along the downward path to ultimate destruction. The present Socialistic j Government seems incapable of appreciating this distinction. While the Prime Minister continually criticises the Press, he is responsible for what is undoubtedly a Stale-owned and Statesanctioned monop I y in the Commercial Broadcasting Stations. Even the most | ardent admirers of the present Socialistic Government cannot but admit, that the Broadcasting Station in particular is being used continuously for Government political propaganda. There has i hardly been a single so-called ‘‘Relig- 1 ious” or "Man in the Street” session t which is not pure Socialistic Govern- t ment propaganda. Does the Prime Min- i islor consider it proper that under the c guise of semi-religious instruction. Soc- i ialistic propaganda should be "dished t up” every Sunday? A well-known auth- c only has well said. "Should broadcast- e ing ever become an agency for the dis- i semination of one set of ideas to the ex- d elusion of others, ‘‘should any official or t semi-official, taint or permanently dis- s figure it. etc., etc..” it would require to C be opposed, criticised and even denoun- a ced ’ v At the present moment we have >n 1 office a Government which more than c any other has encroached upon private e property and private enterprise. W<- i: have the spectacle of Ministers of the i: Crown declining to give information j i which ordinary courtesy and essential n business factors dictate should belt given to business men to enable them to " know exactly how they stand, and what lb

indeed they can carry on at all. We ave the spectacle, for the first time in lis Dominion, of people being unable > draw their own money without the idignity of having to submit to a uestionnaire. which is as impertinent s it is ill-advised. We have the furler spectacle of the "cost of living ’ Dntinuully on the upgrade and with very certainty of a further continual lerease. while the Government of the ay sits back impotent and incompetent ) deal with it. We have the still more Drry spectacle of Ministers of the rown giving assurances one minute nd repudiating them the next. We ■itness millions of pounds being spent l channels from which no possible jmpensating advantage or return can cer be obtained. We find the admintrative costs of the Dominion mountig to proportions which arenas staggerlg as they are inimical to our comicrcial security. We find existent iroughout the Dominion an era of iquandorina.’ both Government, local ady and personal; which entitles the linking portion of the community to

e view the ultimate outcome with the ( n gravest apprehension. The whole policy i e of the present Administration appears!' e to be: "Eat. drink and be merry, for tou morrow .ve die.” t All these, and many other factors I - provide for the gravest thought and concern, and the Press of New Zealand 5 has endeavoured to rouse the commun--1 ity to a proper sense of its responsibie lities; but the Government resents the t unpleasant truth being told. The major e Press of the Dominion discharges its t? duly consistent with what it conceives 1 ? to be its duty in the nublic interest, i e and there is every reason to believe it t will continue to do so. The time is not i far distant when the people of the Do- i i minion will rudely awaken to the fact i - that the warnings so plainly given - would have better been heeded No one - questions the sincerity of purpose cf - the Prime Minister and many of his t colleagues, but what is doubted is the • wisdom of entering upon Utopian and ' I expensive enterprises which common- - sense, common prudence and commer- j J cial experience prove dangerous to the i

| security and welfare of this Dominion ; and its people. The Savage Govern- ; ment will sink under the weight of the excessive taxation and imprudent expenditure for which it has been respon- I sible.—l am. etc.. G. A. HALL, I Nelson. 23rd February.