SPLIT IN LABOUR RANKS?

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22017, 15 February 1937, Page 8

SPLIT IN LABOUR RANKS?

CONFERENCE AT GENEVA

SELECTION OF DELEGATE DENIED

[THE PRESS Special Scrvice.l WELLINGTON, February 14. An indication that there has been a split in the ranks of the Alliance of Labour is contained in a statement made by Mr A. Cook, secretary of the New Zealand Workers' Union, and president of the alliance as it existed some months ago. Mr Cook's statement refers to the Election of a nominee for the International Labour Conference at Geneva, and is as follows: "A press report published yesterday stated that Mr F. G. Young, secretary of the Hotel Workers' Federation, has been selected as.the Alliance Labour nominee for the workers' representative at the International Labour Conference, to be held at Geneva this year. As this report has no doubt been circulated throughout the Dominion, it is only fair to the trade union movement to say that it is definitely misleading. "Mr Young has not been selected by the Alliance of Labour, although he may have been selected by a coterie of that organisation. The workers of New Zealand must realise that a split occurred in the Alliance of Labour at the Easter conference, 1936, and probably Mr Young, who was one of the delegates who attempted to alter the constitution, has now been selected by those who were responsible for this alteration. The principal Labour organisations in the Alliance of Labour have not had any say in the selection of Mr Young, and. therefore, cannot support him. "It is considered that this report should, in the interests of the whole of the trade union movement, be published to correct a misleading statement which was no doubt submitted to the press of New Zealand by interested parties a few days ago."