SOCIALIST PARTY MEETINGS.

Press, Volume LXIX, Issue 20828, 11 April 1933, Page 15

SOCIALIST PARTY MEETINGS.

TO THE EDITOR OP THE I'RBSS. Sir,—One very peculiar phase of the withdrawal of the permit for Socialist party meeting in Cathedral square is that the citizens' representatives on the By-laws Committee did not know that such action had been taken. Why was this? How was the meeting called and when did it meet? The aims of the Socialist party are the same to-day as ever—for a vigorous propaganda of socialism by education. Therefore all those ratepayers and citizens who by their attendance at the meetings in Cathedral square showed their appreciation of our efforts are now to be debarred of that part of their education, merely because those who sit in the seats of the mighty on the local Labour Representation Committee are annoyed with the Socialist party having the audacity to select candidates for the municipal election. We quite realise that the local Labour Representation Committee, like the House of Lords in Britain, is a hereditary body, in which honours are handed down from father to son or daughter; but the electors of Christchurch will not stand for that, so the results will show when the numbers go up on May 3. As regards the wishes of the Communist party, we are not conversant with them. One has only to view the position of the unemployed organisation in Christchurch a few weeks ago, the Unemployed Workers' Movement nominated candidates for local bodies and the Labour Representation Committee's representatives immediately got busy to safeguard the plums of office by amalgamation. By the push of the Labour Representation Committee and the drag of the Communist party, who gave its help because it also wished to run candidates, we have the picture of a very mild unemployed organisation in the frame of the old Relief Workers' .Union. The communists will not agree with the socialists, because we are builders of society, not patchers, like the Labour party,—Yours, etc., C. F. PRYKE, Hon. secretary and organiser, on behalf of the Executive of the Christchurch branch, New Zealand Socialist party. April 10, 1933. [The letter was submitted to Cr. J. McCombs, M.P., chairman of the Finance Committee of the Christchurch City Council, who made the following reply: "In October, 1931, the Socialist party, with Mr J. A. McCullough as president, and Mr J. Roberts a?

secretary, was granted permission to hold meetings in Cathedral square on the distinct understanding that the Socialist party was not contesting elections. Mr Roberts cpnfirms this statement. In reply to a statement I made, Mr Pryke said that the present Socialist party was not formed until after Mr McCullough had retired. If that is so then the permit was not granted to the organisation of which Mr Pryke is secretary. Perhaps some of the public may regret that Mr Pryke will not have an opportunity to educate them and tell them that the Labour Representation Committee, is like the House of Lords, a hereditary institution. Mr Pryke evidently does not know that the permit given to Mr McCullough was given on my casting vote. Further, he should know that the permit was unanimously withdrawn after the Town Clerk had consulted every member of the By-laws Committee."]