UPROAR IN HOUSE

Chronicle (Levin), 15 March 1946, Page 5

UPROAR IN HOUSE

Australian Correspondent.)

Press Bittcrly Attacked In Yoizuki Debate "HUGE NEWSPAPER STUNT" -

"(Speeial

Received Thursday, 9.30 p.m. SYDNBY, March 14. The importance of the part played by the Australian Press in moulding and uirecting public opinion requires no better illustration tnan that given by the savage attacx of- the Minister of Immigration (Mr. Calv/ell) during a debate in the House of Representatives. Following dignified argument hy Government and Opposition speakers, Mr. Calweli's address provoked an uproar and was described by Mr. J. P. Aobott (Country Party) as "one of the most degruuiug Parliament has ever listenecl to." Just after a query by an Opposition member as to wnether the Government had permitted a representative of one paper only to go to Rabaul to investigate the Yoizuki case, Mr. Calweil rose. "This incident from start to finish has been nothing but a I huge newspaper stunt," he said. "I ara aosoluxeiy disgusted to see the display I by the memoers of the Opposition over j wnat they call Pormcsans and Koreans. | ^hey never knew where Korea was beI i'ore last Thursday. ' ' j He went on to say that the prisoners ; of war and internees were pro- Japanese i.or the whole period of the war, that half of them were taken in battie with Americans and Australians, and that probably many had stood guard over men of thc Australian Lighth Division. ' Some were concorned in the Cowra j mutiny, in which seven Australian soldiers were killed, and half of them I were probably guilty of atrocities l against Australian soldiers and nurses. j "The majority of former Australian ' prisoners of war say that the Formosans j were a "ery cruel and brutal people. I have not the slightest doubt, on the , display in the Sydney Morning Herald i and the Sydney Sun, that if the Japan | ese had landed in Australia, I have j not the siightest doubt they would have

done had Mr. Menzies remained as Frime iviinister, tne first to tlirow up cneir gre^sy iiuiius aiiu surrender would nave oefen the editoriai boarus oi these „wo papers. Tlie xxeraia wouid not uave ceased puo-iication; it woind have jome oue TCno next uay as tne jayuney xviorning Shimbuu. 'Judging oy the Opposition 's proJapanese display, they are not fix to be caliea Australians. I have not thc siightest douut cnat, once the surrender co the japanese was completed, a iot of uiemoers of the Opposition wouid have ^ornied theniseives into ;.a 'Japaneso Ouisiing Government. Uproar drowned Mr. Calweli's words and the next statement heard in the Press galiery was when he leaned across tne taole, pointed to Mr. Menzies and shouted, " You are tlie worst projapanese agdnt in tne country. We don't forget the Brisoane Line and tlie scrap ixon co Japan. You are a mongrei ^,11 u a cur. ' ' After iurther uproar and the intervention oi the speaxer, Mr. Calweu apoiogised. The rest of his speech was in simiiar 'stiam, accusing members of being "scoogesof ceicain newspapers," and making personal attacks on the generai manager of the Herald and other newspaper men. "Mr. Anthony (Coimtry Party) went to a cheap picture show and sgid that what he saw made him feel sick," Mr. Calwell added. "If the honourable gentlemaii was sick, I will tell you.what iaade him — " Mr. Anthony (interjecting) : You did! The Herald publishes the complete speech without comment, except a brief xiote saying, "L. his references to the Herald and its generai manager, he is deliberately .and maiiciousiy lying." The questions in the House about the Press being denied permission to proceed to Rabaul centre around the refusal of Mr. Calwell to permit a plane j containing Sun and Herald ccrrespond- } ents to take off. Nevertheless a Sydney Daily Mirror man reached Rahaul and enabied his paper to scoop all the others. It is recalled that, when the matter of the passports for the girls who went I ro Manila was exerciisng public attenI tion, Mr. Calwell declared the Australian Press "black" with the exception j of the Mirror, which paper has been j favoured since with exelusive statements.