STATE & PEOPLE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 18 December 1939, Page 9

STATE & PEOPLE

PREMIER’S SUNDAY NIGHT ADDRESS COMMENT ON SUBVERSIVE PROPAGANDA. TRIBUTE TO THE FIGHTING FORCES. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. The duty of a government to protect the State and the fighting forces from subversive propaganda at a time like the present was mentioned by the Prime Minister, Mr Savage, in a broadcast address last night. This was the fourth of his series of weekly talks on current New Zealand problems. The Prime Minister said it was not the duty of the Government in peace or in war to try to suppress reasonable criticism or helpful suggestions, but anything that had the effect of minimising the war effort in these times of crisis was a very different thing. Mr Savage said his attention had been drawn to a resolution adopted at a National Party meeting in Hawke’s Bay affirming wholehearted co-opera-tion in the task undertaken by the Government for winning the war but urging that active steps be taken to enforce the provisions of the war regulations . against Communists so far as their activities were directed to defeat the war effort. He agreed with that resolution in the main, but could nob see why one group should be named. \ There were leftists and others on the right. The leftist was the individual who thought the Government was not going fast enough, and such an individual was not particular about the methods he used to embarrass the Government. The individual on the right thought the Government was going too fast and he, too, was not above the use of questionable methods to embarrass the Government. Both groups were out to overthrow the Government when the enemy was at the gate. Those on the left stated they wished to help the Government, and those on the right said the same. HELP AND OPPOSITION. The Government had received wonderful help from opponents, but this state of affairs was not universal and at all sorts of gatherings, even breakup ceremonies, there had been use of subversive propaganda against the Government. If the people were influenced by such statements —happily they were not—the Government could not survive for five minutes. When the State and fighting forces were in danger from irresponsible critics it was the duty of government to act without fear or favour. Thousands of men were already in camp, having volunteered for service either here or abroad. Thousands of others in the mercantile marine had to plough their way through seas sown with mines by a ruthless enemy. These men had to forget about subversive propaganda if the Commonwealth were to .live. Then there were the men of the Royal Navy, the silent service it had been called, and who was not thrilled when he heard of the wonderful stand by the men of the Achilles. Some of these had perished in their gallent effort, and the hearts of all went out to the bereaved.

Last but not least, there were the men of the Royal Air Force. In that force some of their New Zealand boys had made the supreme sacrifice, and the deepest sympathy of all was with the relatives. The men of the force had made a name for themselves as well as making history for the world to emulate. Would anyone say that a government should not take care to see the welfare of all these men was protected to the full as well as that of the people of the Commonwealth? “ANSWER TO WRECKERS.” Every person, who by word or deed, attempted to destroy the confidence of these men in their own countiy. bx declaring among other things that it was bankrupt, were not friends of New Zealand or of the Commonwealth. The simple fact was that this festive season would find the great, mass of the people of New Zealand better off than they had ever been. That was the answer to the wreckers, whether they belonged to the left or to the right. To those on the left, he would say tell him a government that had made more progress by constitutional means during the term the present Government had been in office: to those on the right he would say show him evidence of poverty and distress among the people of New Zealand. Mr Savage said he was proud of the standard of life enjoyed by the people of New Zealand. The totalisator figures were going up all the time. People seemed to be able to invest something on the totalisator. after having their standard of living. A meeting was recently arranged in Hamilton in an attempt to try to impress the Government. It was stated in the New Zealand Press that the attendance at the meeting was 4000. but a report published in Sydney stated that 10.000 had attended. That was how some people were trying to help win the