“THE DISRUPTING PRESS”

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23828, 7 June 1939, Page 17

“THE DISRUPTING PRESS”

to the EDrron Sir, —The Press Committee ot the Otago Labour Representative Committee may be, as you say. "entirely devoid of humour," but we earnestly hope it is not lacking in a sense of fair play. We thank you for publishing the Press Committee's report, and more especially for the editorial comments which it produced. The latter is a clever play of words, and all Attempts at humour in the leading column of the Otago Daily Times should be welcomed by discerning readers. They will not have failed to notice that no attempt has been made to disprove the contentions in the report. The Press Committee is well content to leave your readers to judge as between us—whether the committee's report ("every word," according to yourself, "like a whetted knife") or your editorial humour best square with the facts. While addressing you on the subject raised in our report, may we be permitted to comment on your editorial interpretation of the Christchurch South contest under the heading of "By-election Significances." It would by churlish to attempt to deprive you of any of the " significances you can find in the by-election. Certain things are plain, and it is pertinent to state them. Labour won the Christchurch South seat with a majority of 3713, polling two votes for every one registered for the Opposition. There will be no argument about the substantial nature of that majority, but obviouslyyou found great difficulty in comparing things which are different. The whole atmosphere in Christchurch South was changed as between October and June. The daily press parallel of Labour loss and Nationalist gain would be much more convincing if Mr Ward and not Mr Lyons had been the candidate on Saturday last. If the same candidate had increased his vote in a smaller poll the " gain " would have had some real significance. It would have been still stronger if 4319 fewer voters had not gone to the poll on Saturday last. Plainly every disgruntled voter went to the poll for Mr Lyons while, as usual in a by-election where the result was considered to be a foregone conclusion, too large a proportion of satisfied voters stayed away One of the outstanding " significances " of the by- . election was the silence of Mr Adam Hamilton. You could much more easily have found "significances" in other by-elections, but presumably they did not suit your book. When Labour was defeated for the Dunedin City Council last year you saw in it "a" good omen" for the pending general election When Mr Connolly won the by-election on Wednesday last, increasing the Labour strength by replacing a Citizens' Committee candidate, no " significances" were emphasised in the Otago Daily Times. —We are, etc.. Press Committee, O.L.R.C. Dunedin. June 6.

TO THE EDITOR Sir —The Press Committee ot the O.L.R.C. upbraids you, in common with the daily papers of the country for living so-called undue prominence to remarks made by Mr Hamilton, and infers that thd same publicity is not given to members of the Socialist Government. One has only to scan your columns to see how devoid of truth such inferences are as never before has so much space been given up to the doings and sayings of our oresent dictators. Why. even the fact that an hysterical female flung her arms round the Prime Minister and kissed him was not beneath your notice! And you have even gone so far as to publish remarks by Messrs Savage. Semple. and others which in-

suit many of your own supporters—such as, when those who were trying to make the Government realise the necessity for improving the defences of the country were referred to as " strutting about in uniform and spending the money of the country." and as "ninnies." And, mark you. most of the men referred to were returned soldiers who had suffered in defence of the Empire. This cannot be said of one who criticised them! What would the O.L.R.C. have thought if you had referred to the recent invasion of Christchurch by six Ministers and three other members of the Government as " strutting about and spending the money of the country?" Or to tjie visit to England of the Minister of Finance, because of the deplorable financial position the Dominion has reached " strutting about" on expensive aeroplane trips across America and on the luxury liner the Queen Mary? Then we must not forget the,splendid trip given "at the expense of the country" to the "Minister of Propaganda," otherwise the Director of Commercial Broadcasting! Perhaps they would like you to emulate the standard of the official paper of the Socialist Party, which publishes cartoons of Mr Hamilton, refuses to insert any letters by its opponents and which was guilty of oublishing the most blasphemous letter ever presented to the public wherein the writer said, "Which shall it be 0 Christ or Barabbas? The Saviour or the thief? Savage or Hamilton?" ' Give us a good conceit of ourselves' should be the request of the Press Com mittee of the 0.L.R.C.—1 am, etc.. Now Then.

Dunedin. June 6.