FREE SPEECH

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22351, 24 February 1936, Page 10

FREE SPEECH

THOUGHTS OF MEN UNFETTERED UTTERANCE GOVERNMENT ENCOURAGEMENT [by TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION] WELLINGTON', Saturday The value of free speech and an untrammelled interchange of thoughts was stressed by tho Minister of Public Works, tho Hon. B. Semple, at the annual dinner of the New Zealand Society of Civil Engineeis, at which he made it clear that tho Government hoped to encourage development in this direction. During his speech Mr. Semple said: " If a man serves a nation, the nation should bo big enough to give him the right to express his free and unfettered thoughts upon every question that faces the nation, and I want to tell tho public servants of this Country that they are going to get that right—a free and unfettered right. I want them to look upon me, not as a master, but as a mate. I do not want to put a padlock on their lfps. " When they have something that I should know, that tho Government should know, that tho nation should know, 1 ask them to come to me. They may rest assured that we will not say: * Get into your dug-outs and shut up.' Wo will say: 'Hallelujah!' " We want tho thoughts of men and women. It is only by free and unfettered thoughts that wo can solve tho problems ahead of us. We aro passing through a transitionary stage. There was never a period in tho history of mankind when the thoughts of everyone would be more welcome than they are to-day. No man need bo muzzled; no man should be muzzled. The thoughts that men and women giro develop as the result of their work and their experience and are the gifts of_.God, and they should be given to their fellowcreatures and tho Government of today will encourage them to do so."