STRONGLY RESISTED

Wairarapa Times-Age, 9 August 1943, Page 5

STRONGLY RESISTED

ATTEMPT BY TRADE UNION TO DICTATE TO SYDNEY NEWSPAPERS REGARDING' POLITICAL ARTICLES & ADVERTISING. (Bv Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright) SYDNEY, August 6. An unsuccessful attempt has been made by the Trades Union to dictate to Sydney newspapers the type of political comment and advertising they should publish. This has been stated by Mr R. A. Henderson, general manager of the Sydney “Morning Herald.” acting on behalf of Sydney's daily newspapers. The issue was first raised when sdme of the chapels of the printing industry employees’ unidn protested to the newspapers’ management against the publication of certain editorial comment critical of the Curtin Government. The chapel representatives told newspapers that unless they moderated their comment the Trades and Labour Council might declare them “black, in which case the chapels would be forced to cease work. Subsequently the union recorded its “strongest disapproval” of the tone of certain Opposition political advertisements, and stated that its members would be advised not to sei or to handle this class of advertisement. The newspapers resisted this, and in a statement made on their joint behalf, Mr Henderson said: "The proprietors of the daily papers of Sydney are inflexibly determined that the responsibility for what appears in their various publications is entirely their own, subject only to the law of the land. If any person or body is aggrieved or injured by anything published they can have recourse to appropriate legal remedies. Newspapers will not tolerate that any censorship should be exercised over what they publish by their own employees or any outside body whatsoever. They point out that any such threat of direct action is a blow against freedom of speech and .freedom of the Press, which are an essential part of the democratic system. Such rights are not the prerogatives of the newspaper proprietors in their own interests; they are held by them in trust for the public. Proprietors will resist to the last ditch any attempt to interfere with this freedom.”

The Prime Minister, Mr Curtin, stated that he had directed the attention of the chief censor to an advertisement published in Sydney newspapers which stated: “If your soldier hasn’t enough to eat, blame the Curtin Government.” Wilful mis-statements in advertisements were of assistance to the enemy, and the suggestion in the advertisement, should it be transmitted to members of the forces, was subversive to discipline. The military authorities had reported that there was no shortage whatever in the supply of food to Australian troops, and the organisation for bringing food to the troops was excellent and completely effective. Mr Curtin said he had also asked the At-torney-General, Dr Evatt, to examine the position concerning the person who authorised the advertisement.

A chapel is an association of tradesmen in a printing office or a newspaper type-setting and compositing department.