MR. RALPH HUNT JOINS THE SMEARERS

"Undaunted by Primary Industry Minister Ian Sinclair's description of his members as 'fascist fossils' promoting 'lampoonery and larrikinism', Mr. Eric Butler is continuing to woo the Country Party. But the courting by Mr. Butler, National Director of the League of Rights, is that of a jilted lover. The Country Party is publicly shunning all advances, even though private sympathies may not be as hostile." - Mike Steketee in The Australian, November 11th.

The above is a typical example of the type of sloppy and dishonest journalism now so prevalent all over the world. Mr. Whittaker Chambers, the former top Communist agent who repented and came back to the Christian Faith, and whose book Witness is a must for anyone who wants to understand the real nature of Communism, has explained how the Communist conspirators feed false stories into the mass media and then rely to a great extent upon lazy journalists to repeat the stories as if they were true.

Chambers was a senior editor on Time magazine when he made his sensational disclosures concerning the top American official Alger Hiss, the traitor of Yalta, and the first acting Secretary General of the United Nations. Whittaker Chambers has never been forgiven for the body blow he delivered against the Communist conspiracy, with the result that the campaign of destroying his reputation has continued long after his death. At the same time the reputation of the traitor Hiss has been restored.

In the growing volume of comment on the Australian League of Rights, there is one constant theme, the theme that the Communists were the first to promote. Either consciously or unconsciously, the League is constantly referred to as 'racist', 'extremist', 'extreme right wing', 'fascist', 'pro-Nazi', 'anti-Semitic', and 'reactionary', by journalists and radio and T.V. commentators. Mr. Steketee's comment above was the introduction to his contribution to the much-publicised Hunt affair.

The false and ridiculous claim that Mr. Eric Butler is attempting to 'woo' the Country Party, is, of course, based upon the campaign launched last year concerning the League's alleged 'infiltration' of both the Country and the Liberal Parties. The League of Rights has never made any 'advances' to any parties, so it is pure fiction to write that "The Country Party is shunning" any such advances. The League's views and policies have been made quite clear by both word and action. The promoters of the anti-League campaign, still being intensified, as we shall reveal shortly, know very well what they are trying to achieve.

A major part of the technique is to exploit or to frighten politicians. The Hon. Ralph Hunt is the latest to allow himself to be frightened into joining the smearers. He has foolishly allowed himself to be placed in a most invidious situation. When challenged in Parliament concerning his Western Australian statement that the League of Rights was doing a good job, and that Mr. Ian Sinclair had been 'brainwashed' concerning the Wesley Church statement he made, that the Nazi Party and the League of Rights were 'closely linked'. Mr. Hunt would have saved himself a lot of trouble if he had frankly stated that without agreeing with all League policies, he had said that they were doing a good job and that he knew of no evidence to suggest that they were linked with the Nazis, and left it at that. But he started to back away. We can assure Mr. Hunt that there is no future in backing away from those promoting the campaign against the League of Rights.

As a result of his claim in Parliament on October 25th that he had been misrepresented by W.A. League supporters we confirmed the accuracy of their report by drawing attention to the fact that they had not manufactured the statement that Mr. Hunt had once been a subscriber to The New Times. When asked by a representative of The Sydney Morning Herald if this was true, Mr. Eric Butler said that since hearing what Mr. Hunt said, he 'vaguely' recalled that Mr. Hunt had once been a New Times subscriber. But he declined to go beyond that. It was only after a check had been made of records that it was discovered that Mr. Hunt had subscribed for thirteen years.

Faced with this confirmation of his OWN CLAIM and pressured by the media, Mr. Hunt first issued a statement saying that he had no wish 'to enter a public controversy' with the League of Rights. That was on November 8th. Mr. Hunt would have been wise to leave the matter there. But eventually he was apparently stampeded and 24 hours later sections of the media carried his 'explanation' and his direct smear of the League. The Age, Melbourne, of November 9th, quoted Mr. Hunt as saying:
"My initial interest in the League was one of curiosity because of the publicity it gave the subversive activities of the Communists. I know more about the League activities today than I did then and it does not have my support in any way. I reject completely its divisive tactics and the prejudices that it engenders."

Then comes Mr. Hunt's dialectical masterpiece:
"My experience should serve as a warning to members of the public who purchase any publication produced by the League that they may be branded full-time supporters of the League of Rights' philosophies." The truth is that the League of Rights has never at any time claimed that Mr. Hunt was a supporter, a sympathiser, or was associated with the League in any way. Quite apart from the fact that The New Times was not a League of Rights publication when Mr. Hunt subscribed, we did not reveal that Mr. Hunt was a subscriber. HE DID THIS HIMSELF. And he did it for the purpose of trying to impress a group of League supporters that he was sympathetic to the work of the League.

Mr. Eric Butler reports from Queensland that he has now written to Mr. Hunt inviting him to state what he claims to be the truth about his statement in Western Australia. We are happy to publish Mr. Hunt's statement. We make every attempt to be factual, and to be fair. We have no doubt that our readers will look forward to hearing what Mr. Hunt has to say. We can only hope that he does not ignore Mr. Butler's invitation. That was his reaction when Mr. Butler challenged him last year to debate his deliberate misrepresentation of League finance-economic policies.

ANOTHER MAJOR PRE-ELECTION "PUNCH"

DEFICIENCY OF PURCHASING POWER - G.N.P. AND WAGES

"Wage increases could not be blamed for inflation in Australia, the A.C.T.U.'s industrial advocate, Mr. Willis, said today…He presented figures which showed that the share of the gross national product that went to wages and salaries had dropped over the years." -The Herald, Melbourne, November 1st.

To support his case that wages increases were not the cause of inflation Mr. Willis quoted the following figures:
Wages and salaries, 1948-49 equaled 66.7% G.N.P.
1969-70 - 62.7% G.N.P.
On Mr. Willis's figures the Australian people were short of purchasing power in 1948-49 of 33.3% to buy the goods and services produced. In 1969-70 the deficiency was 37.3%. Obviously the deficiency has to be made up or Australian industry would bankrupt itself.

It is no longer a secret how this deficiency is met. Australians are forced to borrow the deficiency each year to remain in business. They do this through such avenues as the following: Installment credit for retail sales (Hire Purchase), Credit Societies, loans to members, Overdraft limits from private and Commonwealth Bank, ($5.596M. for 1969/70), Life Insurance loan advances, Mortgages advanced on rural properties, Mortgages on private housing, Rural Finance Trust Loans, Co-operative Societies.

Foreign investment in Australia is another form of borrowing, which is eventually repaid by loss of national assets. Similarly the 'favourable balance of trade' figures represent a genuine physical loss while making up some of the deficiency revealed by the figures quoted by Mr. Willis. Added to the above is the borrowing by the different levels of Government: Federal, State, Local, and semi-Government instrumentalities borrow heavily.

Taxation to meet the interest bill is now a major item in the Federal budget. If Mr. Willis and the A.C.T.U. really want to get to grips with the basic cause of inflation he will extend his inquiry into the arena we have outlined. The deficiency he has inadvertently called attention to is 'rectified' with crushing debt, resulting in crushing taxation, compounding each year, thus forcing up costs at an accelerating rate. The eroding of purchasing power brings the demand for increased wages. Why does not Mr. Willis attack the debt system?

SWING WITH YOUR ACADEMIC: DAZZLE YOUR FRIENDS!

To have really 'arrived' these days in the 'swinging seventies', and to earn acknowledgement from admirers that one has become a social 'lion', it is mandatory that a 'swinger' pick out his or her favourite academic. No matter what the academic's particular discipline may be, the views put forward on current affairs and events will be much more authoritative than the views expressed by those who have spent a life-time in the study of such matters. This academic of your own choosing must then be followed, as an avid punter 'follows' a favoured horse, and also essential to this is the acquisition of the 'swinger's nomenclature' with which friends and admirers may be dazzled at social functions. If your academic is one who has been 'taken up' by the mass media, then the bedazzlement of your surrounding coterie will be all the more brilliant.

Now these terms are right 'in' at the moment, and should be trotted out at all appropriate times: No 'nation' now, even if cannibalism is still practised, is 'under-developed': the 'in' term is developing all new nations are developing. Those odd souls, such as those who enter the ranks of the League of Rights, and who are endeavouring to steer societies away from the abyss are anachronistic (we should have been alive in the 13th century:) We can be termed antidiluvian (before the Flood) troglodytes (cave-men), and neanderthal (of ape-men) (this one is loved in American academic circles.) All negotiations, such as those poor President Thieu of South Vietnam is enduring now with that 'Arch-swinger'. Dr. Henry Kissinger, (Rasputin in the White House. according to Gary Allen) must be meaningful.

There are now no fixed principles of morality; everything is far too complicated and those who think otherwise take a simplistic view of life (this one is really 'in'). One must be careful not to let one's ideological slip show, and to appear calm and detached at all times and also to speak in a monotone. This is being non-ideological and pragmatic. All organizations must be structured according to the principles of participatory democracy (everyone's the boss) and those that aren't; which are organized according to the ability and experience of its officers, are elitist, a very bad thing. Be a swinger; stride confidently into your world of unreality!

WHY THE LEAGUE GETS EXTRA MILEAGE OUT OF EVERY DOLLAR

Mr. Edward St. John and his associates are extremely active in circulating throughout Australia an attractively produced booklet containing the text of Mr. St. John's criticism of the League of Rights at the Mosman, N.S.W. debate with Mr. Eric Butler, in July. We can only guess at who is financing this extensive campaign, but there is no mystery about how the League is financed, although Mr. St. John's booklet makes the hilarious suggestion that Arabia might be contributing.

During the recent most successful Australian tour by Mr. Ivor Benson, one of our Victorian League stalwarts, Mr. Keith Oldfield, took three weeks off from his own affairs, and at his own expense, and in his own car drove Mr. and Mrs. Benson through New South Wales and Victoria. It is this type of dedication, which enables the League to astonish its critics with the mileage it gets out of every dollar donated. Please keep the 1972-73 $25,000 fund rolling. You know that every dollar contributed is a real lever in the worsening situation. Since last week 16 supporters have contributed on pledged $872.00. With the massive outflow of pre-election expenses it is essential that we have the maximum support.

ON TARGET BULLETIN

Debt and Inflation Steps to World State