Protest March In Blackball Falls Through

Press, Volume C, Issue 29502, 2 May 1961, Page 15

Protest March In Blackball Falls Through

WeiD Z eulan a Press Association) GREYMOUTH, May 1. Temperatures were high in parts of the Brunner and Blackball districts today—and not because of the weather. Miners’ Union officials were unhappy about a street meeting, calling upon Blackball miners to fight on their own, and disregard the United Mineworkers. The street march, however, planned by the Brunner Women's Progress Committee today as a May Day protest against the closure of Blackball mines, fell through.

Allegations of Communist connexions in the recentlyformed Brunner Women's Progress Committee have caused disruptions in both the Brunner and Blackball areas.

It is believed that Blackball women were approached by representatives of the Brunner committee, and asked to call a meeting to consider holding a parade, but the matter was finally left to the committee, as noone would call the meeting. It is alleged that when the committee announced its intention to hold the parade, the Blackball women withdrew their support. There was an allegation that the committee had Communist connexions.

This allegation has, in the meantime, caused dissension among the women's progress committee, and at least one member has issued a public dential that she is. or was, a Communist.

The closing of the Blackball mines was only one item on the committee's initial agenda. Another was the future of the Brunner bridge, which connects Tay-

lorville with Dobson and Wallsend, and which is in urgent need of repair. The need for bridge improvements is alone believed to have attracted some women to the meeting when it was called.

The progress committee will meet on Wednesday afternoon, when it is suggested that the allegations of Communistic associations will be discussed. The alleged attack by the Communist Party on the United 'Mineworkers of New

Zealand—the national organisation to which the individual miners’ unions are affiliated—has annoyed manv miners.

It had been emphasised at the two public meetings held to discuss the mine-closing statement by the Minister of Mmes (Mr Shand) —at Blackball and at Greymouth —that “politics must not enter these discussions.”

To give all sections a voice at the Blackball meeting, a Communist Party representative, Mr R. Taylor, was allowed to speak, but suggestion; made by him were declined in favour of awaiting the results ofi deputations.

When the Blackball and Roa Miners’ Unions’ representatives returned from meeting Mr Holyoake in

Wellington last Friday, and learned of the proposal to launch a protest parade today, a joint meeting of the executives of both unions was called. The executives of both unions decided not to have anything to do with parades, or similar demonstrations. This evenihg, the Roa union secretary. Mr D. McFadyen. said: “We decided that while discussions are still going on between Mr Prendiville (the miners’ national president), the Federation of Labour, and Mr Shand, we would have nothing to do with parades or meetings’’ He said it was decided tc ask the Brunner Women’s Progress Committee to call the parade off. which request was passed on to a member of the committee.

“We are not having anything to do with the Communist Party,” said Mr McFadyen. Another miners’ official said: “The protest parade and the street meeting can only do us harm ” District national councillors of United Mineworkers are expected to address a meeting of miners in Blackball on Sunday morning

(The United Mineworkers' national council at its halfyearly meeting in Wellington today carried a resolution expressing “the strongest possible opposition to the abolition of compulsory unionism ” The resolution was released after the meeting by Mr J. White, the national secretary.)