Labour Party’s Attitude To Communists Stated

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30275, 30 October 1963, Page 10

Labour Party’s Attitude To Communists Stated

Tlie Communist Party s support was neither wanted by the Labour Party nor received by it, the national vice-president of the New Zealand Labour Party and : member of Parliament for [ Lyttelton (Mr N. E. Kirk) said last evening. Mr Kirk was referring to a statement by the secretary of the Canterbury district of the Communist Party (Mr J Locke) that the party had decided to withdraw its candidate for Lyttelton (Mr J. Sturt) in the General Election to help to expedite the defeat of the National Government. Mr Locke said that in electorates where no Communists were standing it was the party’s policy to support the Labour candidates. Mr Locke’s statement was a timely reminder that the Communist Party’s public professions bore no relationship to its private intentions, said Mr Kirk.

“According to Mr Locke it is his party’s policy to support Labour candidates where a Communist is not standing This is humbug. Overseas where preferential voting has enabled this pretence to be tested it is firmly established that the Communists vote for the enemies of Labour.

“In his professions of concern on behalf of the Labour Party the Canterbury district secretary of the Communis’ Party is merely following the well-known technique of attempting to suggest that the Communists have something in common with the Labour Party. They have not.

"Let me make it quite clear: the Labour Party neither want nor receives the support of the Communist Party. “Neither I nor the Labour Party have had anything to do with it in the past. We ward nothing to do with it in the future. Time and time again the Labour Party has rejected and rebuffed its spurious philosophy, a fact which has made the Communist Party a bitter and determined enemy. “Whether the Communist Party stands a candidate or not in the Lyttelton electorate is a matter of little consequence. The only real difference the withdrawal makes is that whereas 1 could have defeated three political opponents now I can defeat only two." Mr Kirk said

L.R.C. Chairman “No discussions have been held, and in •no shape or form will we make anv arrangements with the Communist Party," said the chairman of the Christchurch Labour Representation Committee (Mr R. Jones). “Mr Locke and I have not. spoken for years.” said Mr Jones.

Every matter such as this would have to pass through him as chairman of the Labour Representation Comm.ttee. Mr Jones said.