THE FREEDOM ASSOCIATION

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23280, 24 February 1939, Page 12

THE FREEDOM ASSOCIATION

Sir,—ln his letter to the Herald, published on Thursday morning, M/. C. C. Chalmers appears to hare missed . the real point at issue. He suggests that I am worried because I have been denied an opportunity of using the broadcasting service for the furtherance of the objects of the Freedom Association, and he stigmatises this as a "good joke." T am unable to share his merriment. The point I did seek to make was that the Labour Government has succeeded in establishing, and intended to assert, a complete dictator* ship over radio broadcasting. The Broadcasting Act, introduced by the Labour Government in its first year of office, gives the Government absolute control of the air, and subsequent events have shown that the power thus obtained is being, and will continue to be, used to the full extent. Freedom of speech is, therefore, in issue. Ministers and their supporters may use the air for party purposes, but the private citizen is denied the chance of using the air to put forward his views if they happen to be a criticism or an exposure of Government policy. The fundamental question therefore is ; should the broadcasting service be independent and free from Ministerial control, as it is in Britain, and in other parts of the Empire, or should it be a mere department of Government, capable of being used for furthering tha policies of the particular political party that happens to be in office for the time being? _ / As to the Freedom Association itseir; I have said over and over again that it is not a branch of the National Party and that it is not allied with it. True, wo did help that party prior to last election. We did so openly, and ously, and we gave our reasons. W® thought that the chief thing we had to oppose at the election was thfl plete socialisation of this country. were, and still are, opposed to the wholesale and precipitate introduction of that system because it destroys the freedom and initiative of the people. At that time, the only party, in field opposed to Socialism was the National Party. For that reason we gave our support to that party upon the understanding that the assistance so given was temporary in its nature and was limited to the period terminating with the general election of October last. " This limitation upon our assistance was fully understood by the Nations Party; it was referred to and stresse by me repeatedlv upon very many P" lie platforms throughout the Dominion? and since the election there has been n alliance or association of any kind e* tween ourselves and the Nationa Party. We are now quite free to a* in an entirely independent way, pursue our original plan and to go with- our educational work. The as ciation is essentially an educative b J and is not, and was not intended to • a political party. Its aim was to for good citizenship and good Gove inent. and we have always maintaj that we would be quite free to eritic' the policy of any political part*' ir thought such a pohcy was likel> . v \ interfere unreasonably with the stitutional rights of the citizens of Dominion. R A lO Organiser, the New Zealand 1' reec < , ;V Association.