SEDITIOUS PROPAGANDA

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 6, 2 October 1920, Page 8

SEDITIOUS PROPAGANDA

"MUST BE PUT DOWN"

PRIME MINISTER'S FIRM WORDS

Tho seditious propaganda that is proceeding in certain quarters was tho subject of a question put to the Prime Minister in the Houfie of llepresentatives by Mr. E. Newman (Manawatu) yesterday. Mr. Newnian asked if tho Prime Minister's attention had been drawn to the following paragraph in that morning's Dominion:

At a Labour gathering on Wednes- > day evening, some of the speakeis quite frankiy advocated the institution in. this country of tho Soviet system which has carried the people of liussia down to tho lowest depths of human misery. One speaker said;: that the .workers of' New Zealand "had to organise oa the workers of Russia and Italy were organised. Tho industrialists must take charge of the industries." In tho same vein another prominent figure in Labour cia*-' clos said he looked forward to the time when there would be an alliance of Labour that would directly represent the workers of New Zealand'in an industrial parliament, making law's to govern the 1 industrial life of tho country. He hoped that within' two years an industrial parliament would bo established in place of the' present political Parliament. Mr. Newman asked if the Prime Minister thought it was in the public interest that sucli doctrines should be expounded in this country, and if the Government intended to take any action in the matter. The Prime Minister replied that he would l>e very glad to call the attention of the Grown Lew officers to thq expressions of opinion reported in the paragraph. Two of the sentences—one suggesting that the Workers of . New Zealand should follow the example of the workers of Russia. and the other suggesting the formation of an industrial parliament to take the place of the 1 present political Parliament—seemed to him" to te seditious. Mr. Holland (JBuller): • There is no crime in that if they do'it constitutionally. JJ r ' w n^ 6 ' r: * 18 seditious. Mr. Holland: Of course it is' not. I' am rirepared to advocate it on the public .platform to-morrow, arid I challenge you to fake ao.tion. Mr. Mafsey: If the honourable gentlenifLTi "wt.ll Terrain ihiiDßQif X will OXPTPSH my> opinion. I am not' a lawyer; but) I believe that is seditious, and that the men responsible for it should be piinished. Mr. Holland: Ton try it on. Mr. Massey: This Bolshevism that is being preached in this country from day to day is wrcse than folly, and it oan only end in disaster. There is no doubt about that. It'.must be taken in hand and stopped. There are people in this country talking about' an industrial Parapparently on the lines followed in Russia, Let me tell the honourable gentleman if he is in sympathy with that—and I am afraid he. isr-that this country is British, and that th© Parliament of _ this country is going to be representative of the whole of the people' of this country. M<\ Holland: That is what you don't want. Mr. Massey: It represents nil the people now, and ihe people who are preaching- this doctrine are enemies of the country. This must be' put down. It must Tv put' down before it goes further. Mr. Holland: How will you' stop it? Mr. Fraser (Wellington l Central) : Will the Prime Minister submit'to the Crown Law officers at the same' time an anonymous letter tbat appeared in tho same newspaper. Tirr. Dominion, on Saturday last practically advocating bloodshed? Mr. Ma'ssey: I don't know what let-; ter you refer to, but I will be glad to hand it over.

' Mr. leaser: It involves the newspaner. Mr. Holland asked if flie Prime Minister would submit to tho Crown Law officers at the samo time an editorial article that lind been published a few days' ago in the Christehurch "Sun." The article, he stated, has asseited that if a Labour Government got into power in New Zealand there undoubtedly would be war, because the capitalists would not submit to a labour Government., It. would 'be fair' to-treat everybody alike, but the Prime Minister seemed never to take action except in the casi of the working classes. ~ ' , , ~ Mr. Messey: That js the honourable gentleman's opinion. If he sends the article along I shall bo able to mako ud my mind "what should be done with it.