“LEAFLET RAID”

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25338, 23 September 1943, Page 4

“LEAFLET RAID ”

ELECTION PROPAGANDA DROPPED FROM AMERICAN AIRCRAFT (Special) AUCKLAND, Sept 22. Election propaganda was dropped from a large American aircraft on parts of the city this afternoon. The constituencies affected were Auckland East and Auckland Central. Some of the leaflets carried the Democratic Labour Party’s manifesto, and others were in support of the party’s candidates for the two seats, Mr L. S. Dromgoole and Mr L. A. Wheatley. Later the party officers officially denied any knowledge of the incident, but Mr Dromgoole, who is in the Air Force, addressing a meeting to-night said he bad a,lot -to, do with the “leaflet raid” ‘

“I may have to stand before a court martial in due course,” he said. I want to refer to Auckland’s first leaflet raid to-day. Mr J. A. Lee came back on the air in spite of the fact that he had been put off the air. What repercussions there may be because of this raid I do not know, but . it is possible that I may not be permitted within the next 24 hours to speak to you at the Victoria Theatre to-morrow night as I was going to do. I would like'to stand before you in uniform, but I quite appreciate why Mr Fraser insists on saying I should not.” A statement that serious consequences would follow the scattering of the leaflets over Auckland was made by Mr W. E. Parry, Labour candidate for Auckland Central, at an election meeting to-night. “ Thousands of these leaflets, I believe, were dropped round Auckland and in my electorate,” he said. “ I don’t much mind what is in the pamphlet. It is a typical piece of ’Lee-ism’ that I will leave the electors to deal with. It is a serious offence, and more will be heard of it.”