FREEDOM OF PRESS.

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 416, 24 April 1937, Page 6

FREEDOM OF PRESS.

GOVERNMENT’S ATTITUDE Statement By Acting Premier Press Association —Copyright. Wellington, April 23. Commenting on the remarks made oy Mr. W. A. Bodkin at Waipukurau on Tuesday,, in which he said i< looked as if the stage was to be st\ up for the control of th? Press, that the outburst by Rev. C. G. Scrimg our at Auckland wa.s not -the outpouring of a disgruntled public servant but was made by him as the official head of a State department from a State radio station, and that Mr. Scrimgeour vXts no doubt instructed to prepjre public opinion for the setting up of a censorship, the acting-Prime Minister, Hon. P. Fraser, said there was not one iota of fact -to justify the baseless conclusions advanced with all the assuranc; of truth and calculated inten ioniiiiy or unintentionally ’to mislead his hearers contained in that statement. “The Government has never considered for one moment anything so stupid as, to use Mr. Bodkin’s own words, muzzling th? Press, by which I suppose he means a peacetime censorship.”, sui.d Mr. Fraser. “The very idea is ridiculous.” Regarding the reference by Mr. Bodkin to th? control of radio, Mr, I Fraser .said the Government had used ; the broadcasting service for Parliaj mentary debates with scrupulous fair- . ness, and would coutinuue to do so. 1 Mr. Fraser added (hat. the siate- { m n.t made by Mr. Scrimgeour in reI gard to a section of the Press I made without the consent, kno- a 'ledge ■ ar approval, of the Government. Ttie I propriPtry of a State Radio broadcast*. ing s tation being used by a public servant for controversial purposes had received the attention of the Government. “The Labour Party has always, fought for freedom of speech and | freedom of expression,” said Mr. Fras r. “and these precious j\‘ v ileges of democracy are safer in the Gov■rnmenUs hands, than in those of our poli t ica I opponents.”