Group Formed To Oppose Apartheid

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30568, 10 October 1964, Page 3

Group Formed To Oppose Apartheid

(New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND, October 9.

An anti-apartheid group formed in Auckland last evening will try to arouse public, political and industrial support for cancellation of the 1965 Springbok tour.

The group, named the Committee for Racial Equality, aims at assisting the removal of racially-based social and economic discrimination.

The committee wants the tour stopped because it believes that Rugby in South Africa is governed by an absolute colour bar, and because the South African Government has officially rejected the appeal by the International Olympics Committee to abandon the sport colour bar.

The committee says next year’s tour would be a dangerous injection of apartheid politics into New Zealand sport. It agreed to sponsor a lecture visit to New Zealand by Mr Oily Sachs, a noted

opponent of apartheid who has been active in various South African treason trials.

Dr. J. C. Reid told the 40 persons who attended the meeting that the committee had a job to do in New Zealand as well as outside. “Our kitchen is by no means scrubbed and clean,” he said. “We want positive investigation of racial matters in our society. We hope the committee will be entirely free of party, religious, or political pressure.” Mr H. Innes was elected president. Mr Innes, who Is a member of the well-known brewery family In Hamilton, is executive director of Innes Tartan Ltd., in Auckland. Dr. Reid is associate professor of English at Auckland University, an author and prominent Roman Catholic layman.