The Bay of Plenty Times THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 1948. A HIGHLY ORGANISED MINORITY

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXVI, Issue 14618, 11 March 1948, Page 2

The Bay of Plenty Times THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 1948. A HIGHLY ORGANISED MINORITY

Communist activities in New Zealand have long home the hall-mark of very efficient organisation from a central iieaclquaiuis within the country. On many occasions in the past, when the mu weight of the commonseuse cf the majority of reasonable mem eus of one particular union has been brought to bear, and an mans in dispute solved, trouble has almost invariably broken out in s - other direction. At the moment, however, our industrial pio wins appear to be cumulative, which would suggest that those behind the scenes in the Communist drive to wreck our economic hie aie intensifying their efforts, in step with the increasing momentum o their masters in Europe and Asia. . . With our building industry in a state of semi-paralysis, ships (cl which we have all too few afloat) threatening .to ato root in our harbours, coal production being constantly mteii up cc by irritating and unnecessary delays, and with the Goveinmen cautiously feeling its way- towards a solution which will no antagonise too many of its followers, the Communist headquarters has seen a golden opportunity to strike liar chin another direction. At the present time the country is likely to be desperately shoit of power. With rapidly developing industries, and new homes (invariably “all-electric”) springing up like mushrooms m everyr town in spite of restrictions, going slow, and shortages of materials the completion of the new hydro-electric stations along the Waikato River is a task of ’major importance to the whole Dominion. Dy a skilful manipulation of voting power, as a result of which three, hundred men obviously those least likely to support a strike on such a trivial pretext as the transfer of an avowedly Communist secretary to another job were excluded from voting, a majority of twenty-three men has been enabled to hold up construction work on three big projects. Apart , from this opinions of those who voted were divided, in exactly equal proportions, foi and against the strike. In other words, out of the thousand men employed, only a third were in favour of it. It is interesting to note that members of the Dunedin branch of the Carpenters’ and Joiners’ Union have not allowed themselves to be similarly led by the nose. The Dunedin decision hag shown that the solution of the Communist problem in New Zealand is very largely in the hands of the unionists themselves. They must decide just how long they are content to go on being duped, as' those of the Waikato, power schemes are being duped, by a highly organised subversive minority.