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CONTROVERSY IN AUSTRALIA

Mr Curtin Replies To Criticism

(Special Australian Correspondent, N.Z.P.A.)

(Rec. 11.50 p.m.) SYDNEY, August 19. “Parliament can either accept, my administration or get another one, the Prime Minister, Mr J. Curtin, has declared. A controversy over the censorship, combined with recent Opposition criticism of certain Federal Ministers responsible for industrial reorganization, may provoke a major political showdown in Australia. Observers consider that Mr Curtin’s declaration means that the Government would welcome during the coming session of Parliament any political test, possibly to the length of involving a general election as soon as war circumstances permit. Mr Curtin’s remarks were provoked by recent complaints by the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, Mr W. M. Hughes, that he had been the victim of “political censorship.” These complaints have been followed by a wide newspaper controversy. “While Parliament accepts my administration I expect support from all sections of the conutry,” said the Prime Minister. “I do not expect consistent sniping from men who, when in office, practised every one of the vices they are apparently now discovering. I am more than ever convinced the Japanese had some knowledge of the Solomons attack. There were men yelling‘for offensives when they knew these were being undertaken. I shall treat any attack on the Government in relation to the conduct of the war as a vital issue. I am not going to wait six months for crumbling and white-anting to set in.” CENSORSHIP OPERATION

In a statement on censorship, Mr Curtin said that all the external communications regulations were formulated by the Menzies Government, of which Mr Hughes was a member, and the present Government was standing to them. The chief publicity censor, Mr F, G. Bonney, was carrying out his work with “great capacity and patriotism.” It is known that some members of the Cabinet desire an election as soon as one can be contrived. They believe the result would be a substantial Labour majority. Parliament was elected in September 1940 and still has a year to run. Following on Mr Curtin’s remarks the Leader of the Opposition, Mr .A. W. Fadden, has announced the calling of a special meeting of the Opposition Executive. He said the Opposition desired to combat attempts to introduce socialism without an electoral mandate. Mr Warwick Fairfax has resigned from the Australian Press advisory committee m censorship consequent on Mr Hughes’s complaints of “political censorship” of dispatches covering his statements sent beyond Australia. Mr Hughes’s statements cabled to New Zeawere not cut by the censor. Realizing New Zealand’s vital interest in Australian matters, as well as the common war problem shared by the two Dominions, the Australian censorship authorities recently agreed that, regulations governing publication in New Zealand of all news from this source should be the same as for publication within Australia.

LULL IN SOUTH-WEST

PACIFIC

(Rec. 10.35 p.m.) SYDNEY, August 19. After nearly four weeks of bitter fighting over a 3000 miles front stretching from the East Indies to the Solomons, a lull has again developed in the South-West Pacific war theatre. The only action during the past 24 hours was at Kavieng, New Ireland, where Allied armed reconnaissance aircraft dropped bombs in the airfield dispersal area. The results were not observed. There is no news of the land fighting in the Kokoda sector, Papua, where the Japanese were last stated to have penetrated beyond the village and airfield.

R.A.F. BOMBS FLENSBURY

(Rec. 1.20 a.m.) LONDON, August 19. Royal Air Force bombers raided the German Baltic port of Flensburg last night. Four planes are missing. Flensburg, a submarine-building centre 100 miles north of Hamburg, was raided in daylight three times last month. The Germans state that Russian planes bombed targets in East Prussia during the night. SWEEPS BY SPITFIRES (8.0.W.) RUGBY, August 18. Fighter Command Spitfires on Tuesday afternoon attacked enemy aircraft over a wide front. They made smallscale sweeps ranging from Le Havre to Dieppe and Abbeville to Ostend. One of our aircraft is missing. One Focke Wulf 190 was shot down in the Gris Nez-Calais area.

MENINGITIS IN N.S.W.

(Rec. 7 p.m.) SYDNEY, Aug. 19. Nearly 500 cases of cerebro-spinal meningitis, including about 50 deaths, have been reported in New South Wales this year. In the past 12 months the disease has increased to such an extent that it is now stated to be No. 1 health menace. During the past week the record number of 45 cases was recorded.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ST19420820.2.44

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Southland Times, Issue 24827, 20 August 1942, Page 5

Word count
Tapeke kupu
737

CONTROVERSY IN AUSTRALIA Southland Times, Issue 24827, 20 August 1942, Page 5

CONTROVERSY IN AUSTRALIA Southland Times, Issue 24827, 20 August 1942, Page 5

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