COMMUNISM MENACES BRITAIN THROUGHOUT THE LAND

Wanganui Chronicle, 6 October 1947, Page 5

COMMUNISM MENACES BRITAIN THROUGHOUT THE LAND

Recd. 6 p.m. London, Oct. 4. The Conservative Party conference at Brighton accepted, by a very large majority, a resolution stating that the time is opportune to publicise evidence of subversive and anti-demo-cratic activity in Britain, whether Communist or Fascist, and that on that evidence the executive committee should formulate plans to combat this threat to the British way of life. The decision followed a debate on several speakers' allegations of widespread Communist activity throughout the Empire. A Nottingham delegate, Mr. Anthony Gorman, said Communists were among th e indirect causes of the economic crisis. They desire to see Britain so broken that Communism could breed unhindered. Recent unofficial strikes had been organised as a rehearsal for a general strike. There was Communism at every level of trades unions and the country was riper for Communism than it had ever been.

"The Communists are the implacable enemies of the British Commonwealth and western civilisation,” said the House of Commons member for English Universities, Mr. J. G. Strauss. "The Communists are not one political party among many democratic parties seeking the same ends. They ar e an anti-democratic party seeking to overthrow by revolution all our institutions . and set up a Communist dictatorship.”

The conference resolved that:— “(1> The conference considers the appointment of a Royal Commission on the Press marks the Government’s determination to introduce legislation restricting freedom of expression. "<2> It protests against the secrecyin which oral evidence i-s heard as undermining public confidence that the evidence truly expresses th e views of the bodies concerned.

"(3) It urge s that reports of Government activities and any other reports coming through official channels for publication abroad or at home should be impartial, non-partisan and

more comprehensive." Lord Wcolton, closing the conference, said it had given unqualified approval to th e major items of the party's policy.