THE INTOLERANCE OF LABOUR

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 56, 29 November 1937, Page 4

THE INTOLERANCE OF LABOUR

Atlempt to Stop. Criticism in Newspapers "THE DOG ON THE TABLE" "I tliink that the Labour Government, in attempting to curtail the freedom of the Press, will be stir-ring up a hornet's nest for itself," said Dr. JC. E. Crompton, speaking at the garden party gathering at his home on Saturday when moving a vote of thanks to Col. J. H. Harpst, M.P., for his address. The profession of journalism had its own lohg-standing traditions o€ integrity and public service and was not likely to surrender these traditions liglitly. Tlie Labour Government, he continued, was the most self-satisfied Government in the whole world and the most intolerant of criticism. "This Government 's latest proposal," said Dr. Crompton, "to curtail the freedom of the Press, a f reedom which has been maintained in British countries for an unbroken period of at least 200 years, is a dangerous one, and should be resisted to the utmost. One has to go back to the days of Bolingbroke and -W.alpole to find a Press ce«* sorship in Britain." While the Government was talking about restricting the freedom of tho Press, continued Dr. Crompton, it had taken over the radio as a means ot spreading its propaganda. Every night one-sided broadcasts came from the National stations. This was a new menaee, he said, and it emphasised the danger that would result from any curtailment of tho ancient privileges of the Press. Ref erring to the pride with which the members of the Labour Party spoke of their determination to solve the social problems of the world and to Jhake New Zealand a social laboratory for putting their theories into practice, Dr. Crompton said that the laboratory wai quite att interesting and satisfactory place for those who were doing th# experimenting, but it was not so satisfactory for the dog on the disseoting table. "What about the unhappy dog on the table? The dog, of course, ii you and me," he said.