ACADEMIC - PRESS FREEDOM

Rotorua Morning Post, Issue 5304, 17 January 1947, Page 6

ACADEMIC - PRESS FREEDOM

(PrrHft 1

" ■■ 1 ■ ' ■ 1 ' NEED FOR SAFEGUARDS ADDRESS TO UN1VERSITY SENATE BY CHANCELLOR

-By Trfp.grovh — t 'opyriqht.)

CH'CHURCH, Last Night. ''Freedom of expression is not likfly to be affected so long as tho Vress may be earrieri on by furids which are not f ound by the State," remarked Mr Justiee Smith, Chancellor of the Univeryity of New Zealand, in an adriress to the Senate to-day. "That the right of private individuals to publish newspapors, .book?, pamphlets and periodicala should eontinue seems to be necessary to the very exiaUmee of democracv as we underatand if On tiH' other hand, ontinaod Ilis Honor, m-cdum of exprer-sion in tlu? University and ihe degivv io which invasiigatkm diu'ondh.g ur ■.m Freeiiom ot" iiujiiiry and oi' « xpix-s^ion may be carned, would be seriouxly allVi,u,,i by the rtithholding of Sta o Hinds. For loiiu yeais, ihe preservation of learning and the extei sion of ihe .frontievs of knovv iedge was i-.irvied 011 in universities built. and maintained by private foumlations. To-day, mai y universities wero dependem on ihe State. Otu- own was oue of them. The S ale ha.l thus acqiured the r.vuve'-, wheiher it had soughl it or jior, to hamstring the univorsiiy. The ojieaker was not suggesting ; hnt any (iovernment in Xew Zealand would desire to limit the rower of the ,-niv -rsity, yei a Govcn :nen. niiylit ; slip, partifulariy it the iino of deveioptue which ihe connr.nnity desired vat ihe ertcnsion of State iv.-tion in which tame within the ordinov> aeojie of aniversity studie.-; for exaiopU.. in economics or the surial , ylereos would tln rnajorn y oi' tho . eominuni y eontinue, without inter- ) inissioo, to desive indejien !ent and inipn :iai invest iii'ation i. these tields ?

Anonymou.s Press Letters Would the -eiise of ihe onmipresenee or of the o.nnironipeienee of the State operate to any extent as a repressiw influonee ? Oue eontment liti hau heard i'rom visi ors froni over.-eas was that many 1 elders to ihe ar wsuaoers in New Zealand wero not signeJ with the writer'? nanie HY had himseli' noted the (lilfeienee in the munbor of ur signc.l ietters in oiir new. papers. ar.d the ai.oK st invai iabiv signe 1 Ietters in a well-rnown Ameriean periodivai. Figures supplied by ihe (lenerai Assembly Linrary of Ietters puolisiieti ov arkuoM-'edjired durin.c he month of Octoher :('• ihe last three yenrs' to thie daiiy xxewtpapexs in Au*l;land, Weilinaaon, >. hrisiehuvch and luuu'din wexv as toliow': - - lsU-1: siivned 2dd, not sipned, 72s; lf)45, siyned. -V)2, not .si:tned, Pl'I; i ;l ' si.ivntsl, -577, not siyned 1 ()-*>*>- Letters to the third Welliny. on daily for the bixt-named year in.luded in addition, ■'!> sitvned and KO ur.siyneil ietxei'a. "Anonymity in publie expression xnay be a niark of mo.k-sty," Ilis Honor vonnnente.d "It may be just fun. Il may be only ha'oii. It may 'be a siM'U o: ini'eriority or of i'ear. Ar. exeesr. of il would indi.ate I ihink, iliat rhe onlinary eitizeu who is eoncerned with matters of pubiir intere.s' laeked some moral (piality wlii.'h he ouirht to have. Safes'uardiiip- Riyhls "If ctiltural iVeedom wero heiujy hampered, there might be ari absene; of opec hiipport for better thinys. lnr.erpreta'i oi of the situation is dilf'ie.uii, hui ii the last possi'oili y oxisis. the rnivei'sit-y should be iiu- more rosoived to maint.ain ihe Imporlance of eultural freedoni and ihe need f r l'u* ereation oi elieeks and balanees by Ihe expaiidiiip: State to seeure it. "Ur.less adequa e safeyuards are pl'ovided. the propcr support of the I Puversity may be prejudieod. It is an insrirntion that not only tiains ttiJhemr ;o earry inquiry into ali i hvlds beyond the bounds of existint , ki owde iy;e hui also may require to eonduc. independent and irnpart'al investiyai ion within ihe lield of aetiou , ni the State iiself. '•lnvesiippuion in that field shoul i j ufjt pi'ejudii'e the attitude of Goveri - i rnents and their admir.istrators i:i i p.oviding .for the finanres of the University. The people are entitlob to j have from timo to time for their eonsideration, the results of any inipavtial ix vestiu'ations made in the Universii y. '"Ifowy hcn, rau the State safegiiard it.self i'rom acting prejudieiailv towards tiie TTniversity? Kirstly, I Kuggest (.and 1 am speaking only for .myself ) by settiny up a eompetent

1 and at least quasi-independent body to advise the G'overrmem and the Senate upon the i'unds rcquired for ihe proper and harmonious developmem of TTniversity education." "Seeondly, I sugp-est that the State can safeguard itself from acting prejudieially towards the University by adopting- a proposal made. in Kngland that the Eng'lish University Grants Committee should have the protection of some separate Ministev to defend„ it from the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury."