A SENSITIVE POLITICIAN

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 3007, 6 March 1926, Page 4

A SENSITIVE POLITICIAN

A PROPAGANDIST ON PROPAGANDA.

“Our Press Association in New Zealand for all practical purposes is a Press propagandist’s Committee for the opponents of Labour. I am getting the same experience in Sydney.” The foregoing is an utterance of Mr. H. E. Holland, M.P. delivered in Sydney. How very sensitive this politician has become. To make some light comments on his remarks at a Civic Reception in Sydney, which is all the New Zealand Press lias done is, we are told, “propaganda for the opponents of Labour.”

This oracular utterenee is really amusing. First of all Mr. Holland is assumed to be “Labour.” We may be grateful.he is not all of it. Of course, lie objects to propaganda. This is made plain by the speech delivered by him on the ‘ occasion of the Civic Reception. It is not customary on such occasions for even a politician to talk party but this socialist advocate, being nowise bound by precedent, made party his main theme. This may have been due to his extreme anxiety to avoid anything of the nature of propaganda. To the average individual, however, the speech.of Mr. Holland will he recognised as strongy propagandist throughout. No doubt this politician rightly calculated that the Press Association prejudiced as he pretends it is, would broadcast his utterances. For such reason it look the form of appeal both to the faithful adherents of his party and to the doubting for support. All who know this wily individual in his public career know that he is first, last and always propagandist. At the same time, in the true spirit of the dictator, he maintains that ill propaganda is wrong unless it lie his, or in favour of him and lvis party. If the Press Association is 10 refrain from circulating any matter that is propagandist in character then it would require to suppress a good many of Mr. Holland s • speeches. Of course it would be charged with working with the oplonents of Labour. What a dilemma for the Press Association, if it •irculates propagandist matter it is vrolig and if it does not it is wrong 'gain. Seemingly the only way to please Mr. Holland would be for the Press vssociation to publish only such natter as is calculated to assist Ah'. Tolland and his party; all else hould be suppressed. When we get I own to bed rock that is generally lie Marxian Socialists idea of ■freedom of the Press.” They want lothing, but. so called Labour 'tapers in which is scarcely ever found anything but the one side of a question. In his Sydney speech Mr. Holland avid: “A revolution was needed — m intellectual one, not the clash of 'Military weapons.” He has, however, some curious ideas of what an intellectual revolution means. From what we know his revolutionary ideal does not exclude “direct action” such as the recent nonUnion Seamen Strike, or even on a National scale per medium of self constituted “Councils of Action”; a policy both he and his party has supported. If his socialist “intclectual revolution” were to take the form of making the Press a State monopoly, as. has been done in Soviet. Russia, then bis ideal might be reached of “no propaganda but Labour’s. There would then be ,10 free Press such as we have now and only Press publications allowed which met with the approval of the ■Labour Chiefs.” The people of Australia and New Zealand are not yearning for any .such reactionary revolution. After all, what has this politician to grumble at 5 ’ In New Zealand ihe Press gives both he and his party a full share of its space. It ,s thought by many people that the amount of space given to so-cal-led Labour leaders is more than ihey are entitled to. We know men nf little standing in the Labour movement "who have been made widely known by Press publicity

ami acquired an importance their merits could never sustain. The Pi-ess of '.e\v Zealand cc i iai 1 1d does not err in the direction of being unfair to Labour. A large part of the propaganda

against Labour is due to the inisleaders who take the name of Labour and use every occasion of publicity to propound theories and plans of action which will not stand the test of reason. A free Press is one which allows all sides to be put before the public. If socialist labourites use the Press, and they do so very much, to bring distrust and odium on the Labour movement, then they are the propagandists against Labour and not the Press which merely publishes what the public will read. A propagandist such as Mr. Holland should refrain from comment on any matter on the ground that it is propaganda. His attitude of objection is perfectly absurd. (Contributed by the New Zealand Wtelfare League).