DANGEROUS TO THE STATE

Southland Times, Issue 24002, 18 December 1939, Page 8

DANGEROUS TO THE STATE

CRITICISM IN TIME OF WAR “SUBVERSIVE PROPAGANDA” RESENTED Condemnation of the action of certain parties in New Zealand in spreading what he described as subversive P r °" paganda intended to bring about the overthrow of the Government was expressed by the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage) in a broadcast address last evening. He said that while it was claimed that those parties were out to help the Government it was obvious that they were attempting to wreck the Government. The criticism being levelled at the present time might be dangerous when the country was engaged in war. Mr Savage referred to a resolution passed by the Hawke s Bay electoral committee of the National Party calling on the Government to suppress subversive propaganda. The Prime Minister said there appeared to be two factions—“the Leftists and the people on the Right.’ The Leftists seemed to him to be of the opinion that the Government was not going fast enough while the people on the Right appeared to think that the Government was going too fast. Apparently neither had any scruples and their . efforts seemed to be directed to upsetting the Government. He wondered which was the greater menace as each seemed to have as its motive the overthrow of the Government. , . . The Government was being shot at from both left and right,. Mr Savage continued. Both parties said they were out to help the Government but he hoped he would be forgiven for having grave doubts about that. At public functions, such as school break-up ceremonies, advantage was being taken by speakers to spread subversive propaganda about the Government. DANGEROUS CRITICISM “If the people were influenced by this propaganda, which, happily, they are. not. no Government could possibly survive, Mr Savage continued. “It is not the duty of a Government to try to suppress criticism which is constructive and which is made with the. purpose of assisting the Government in its work, but any criticism which tends to upset the Government during the. present time of war is a dangerous thing. When the State and its fighting forces might be endangered by these critics then some action must be taken.” Thousands of the young men of the Dominion were already in camp, having volunteered to do their part for the Empire, and New Zealanders in the mercantile marine were on the seas which were indiscriminately sown with mines by a ruthless foe, said Mr Savage. Some of these men had already lost their lives and not a yard of the wide expanse of sea between New Zealand and Great Britain could be said to be safe. From these men came not a complaint. Then there were the officers and men of the Navy, some of whom had already perished in a gallant fight. These men were trained to serve rather than to make speeches. He also referred to the members of the Royal Air Force, saying that some had already given their lives. “Would anyone tell me that the Government should not take every care to protect the interests of these men to the full?” asked Mr Savage. “I raise my hat to these chaps and I will pledge myself to do all that I can to see that their welfare is looked after. Anyone who tries to destroy their well-being by stupid misrepresentation is no friend of New Zealand or of the British Commonwealth. This is my reply to the wreckers. STANDARD OF LIVING “To those on the Left I would say: Tell me of the country which has better conditions for its people- than this one. And to those on the Right I would say: Show me poverty and suffering in New Zealand. It can be seen from the many cars at race meetings and at agricultural shows that there is no poverty in New Zealand today. I can say that I am proud of the standard of living in the country.” Referring to what he termed “the subversive propaganda being spread about the Government,” Mr Savage said he saw in The New Zealand Herald that a mass meeting of protest in Hamilton had been attended by 4000 persons. In The Sydney Morning Herald the number present was stated to be 10,000, so the number had increased by 6000 in crossing the Tasman. This was one example of what was being done to try to discredit the Government.

“This is how some of the people of our country are helping New Zealand to win the war. I leave it to you,” concluded the Prime Minister,