“LIE FACTORIES.”

Hokitika Guardian, 18 May 1926, Page 4

“LIE FACTORIES.”

LABOUR OUTBURST. NEWS?APER S ASSAII .ED. CIIRJSTCHURH, May 17. “The ‘Daily Mail’ is a dirty literary rag. I followed the ‘Daily Mail’ lor years and 1 have found that it is tho enemy 6f God and man. Politically speaking the ‘Daily Mail ’ is the enemy of Hie masses of the people, and it would be a benefit 11 its publication would never re-eom.meneo. I believe that that paper was the greatest single influence in the world in producing the late war. New Zealand boys wore laid in premature graves as a result of the -pernicious iiillounce of the ‘ Daily Mail.’ (A voice: “All papers.”) "When T see the absolute lies, misrepresentations and bitterness in the leaders of the Christchurch papers' on political questions I can’t help feeling that no linotype man could reproduce them without feeling moral degradation. The ignorance and prejudice of the newspaper editors is so great that the rubbish they write should ho revised by the workers who reproduce it.” These remarks were made by the Mayor of Christchurch, Mr J. K. Archer, in tho Grand Theatre on Sunday evening at a meeting called by members of the Labour movement to sympathise with the strikers of Great ! rilnin. A very considerable portion of the meeting was given over to attacks on the newspapers, otner speakers supporting the Mayor in bis remarks.

“The .Mayor will not stand much higher in the estimation of the editors of Christchurch.” said Mr IT. T. Armstrong. The strikers, he added, 1 ad closed tho lie factories, and that would have to tie done in this country in time of industrial upheaval if Hie people were to be told the truth which they never had been told during times of industrial unrest in New Zealand. A politician had asked, through the medium of a Christchurch paper, where the Labour members of Parliament stood regarding the strike. He ended up by saving that he knew. “Yes, ho knew all right,” said Mr Armstrong,

“ and so do the rest of the reactionaries in this country. And that is the reason why they would like to have us disposed of.”

.“The fault lies not with the Press,” said Air P. C. AVohh, president of the 1..R.C. “It is with Hie workers for not having their own paper for expressing their ideals. I hope that Christchurch will have not only a Labour Mayor, hut a Labour daily. The Mayor could have said harder things about the papers and still been true.” “ The capitalistic Press must take notice of what may happen to them, and it is up to the workers to secure their own working-class Press.’* said ATr Flood, who represented tho watersidors.

‘ Until ivo pot charge of the papers and tlio reading world.” snitl Mr F. T!. Cooke. “wo will have to strike. Tlion we’ll lake charge of the Govern monl