Bay Of Plenty Beacon Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. MONDAY, OCTOBER 11, 1948 THE RED HERRING

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 13, Issue 6, 11 October 1948, Page 4

Bay Of Plenty Beacon Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. MONDAY, OCTOBER 11, 1948

THE RED HERRING

Opposition pressure during the debate on the Harbours Amendment Bill failed to obtain from the Minister of Marine, Mr Hackett, an assurance that no Communists or “fellow-travel-lers” would be appointed as workers’ representatives on Harbour Boards. Looking at the thing in the light of ordinary commonsense, one cannot help thinking he was wise not to commit himself to such a promise. Whilst it is undeniable that the Communist policy of trying to drag the whole world willy-nilly into socialism, even at the cost of bloodshed, is alarming, it is alsq true that there are prdbably not enough dyed-in-the-wool violent-minded Communists in this country\to shed very much blood even if they determined to do so. Certainly, to ask Mr Hackett to exclude Communists from membership of Harbour Boards was a bit of a tall order, involving a dangerously close approach to political espionage, though one agrees heartily with the Opposition’s protest against the principle of appointments rather than elections to such bodies. However, if appointments are to be made, on the system provided in the Bill, just how does the Opposition, exp ?ct Mr Hackett or anjmne else to .say just who is a Communist?

It is not unnatural at the present time, when the Communist Party is probably more unpopular, in this country than it has ever been, that all its members do not advertise their allegiance. There was a time well within living memory when it did not pay a man to say he was a member of the Labour Party, and there are some places in this country today where a man who wants to stay popular does not shout too loudly about his membership of the National Party. Plowever that may be, there is no ground for believing that Mr Holland and his colleagues are not wholly sincere in their, belief in democracy and in democratic principles. But it does seem that on this occasion some at least of them have allowed their zeal to get the better of their judgment. Do they expect the Government to set up an organisation

of- political pplice to pry into the private affairs of the free citizens of this country to find out what their political opinions are? Do they want our children “pumped” at school as to what Dad thinks about questions of the day so that it may be recorded and perhaps useql against him? Do they want a Gestapo in New Zealand?Or have they ceased to fear Fascism in their noisy panic about Communism? It has been said in this column before, and it is said again now, that a country such as this, with a high standard of education and a reasonable standard of living need have nothing to fear from Communism if it can produce a democracy that works. Most alarming aspect of the call for discrimination against Communists is the frequent addition of the loose and dangerous phrase “and fellow-travel-lers.” Who. is to define a “fellowtraveller”? It is not inconceivable that a bigoted conservative might charge that against some of the more liberal members of the present Opposition. Is it not a basic tenet of the belief in freedom of opinion that he who sincerely believes should be prepared to fight to preserve his neighbour’s right to have an opinion with which he himself might disagree?