THE CENSORSHIP OF NEWS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24833, 5 February 1942, Page 6

THE CENSORSHIP OF NEWS

~;..; TO THE EDITOB Sir,—Towards the close of your important leading article in last Saturday's Daily Times you affirm that " the censorship in New Zealand As so operated as to exclude from the community information, in no way related to the war, of which it might reasonably be placed in possession and perhaps would be were it not that the publication might be regarded as politically harmful to members of the Government. . . •" Thus the people of our fair Dominion are purposely being kept in the dark by our Socialistic Government concerning matters about which they have every right to be informed, especially in war-time! You quote Mr Churchill as declaring that " one of our objects in fighting this war is to maintain the rights of free discussion and the interchange of ideas." But this is just what our dictators in Wellington cannot endure. They have so much to hide that they dread the light that free discussion would throw on some of their unfair practices. Why should our brave soldiers at the front be paid a mere pittance for risking their lives to keep us alive and in comfort while strong men here in New Zealand are. being pampered and petted like spoilt children? Why should they be paid such high wases—£lo per week J and more—for working such short hours as they do? Why should the wives and children of dairy farmers be com- ; pelled'to work long hours, seven days a week, to give lazy men an easy time? Why should these same men have plenty of time and money in war-time to drink and gamble and waste petrol in going to - the races? In short, why have.things come to such a pass that the Government's favourites are being treated as if they were princes while deserving, industrious members of the community are being treated as slaves? It is" high time the people of this fine little country of ours realised that this censorship of news is leading to the worst kind of dictatorship. There is nothing British about it!—l am, etc., Maran-atha.