WELFARE LEAGUE REPLY

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 125, 31 May 1927, Page 8

WELFARE LEAGUE REPLY

(To the Editor.)

Sir, —In replying to your Communist correspondent, 8. Harrison, let us My first of all that the Welfare League is no more anonymous than any other body that writes in its ox n name. Its officers have been well known for yean in New Zealand. On the ether hand, we question the existence of.a "Communist Party of New Zealand." If there is such a party, who it iti leader? Has it a president and secretary, if so, who are they f Why dp the Communists try to sueak through as candidates of the Labour Party if they have a party of their ownf For the practice of deception and deliberate lying we know of none to equal these Communist advocates: It is a falsehood to say the Welfare League has separated text from context in what it has written about the Bussian Communist Party and International.

It is a deception for any Communist group to claim to be pacifists, as the Communist Party declares- definitely that they are not pacifists, and Soviet Russia is military to the very core. In plain terms it is a falsehood for your correspondent'to state that "Soviet Bussia to-day is the only country in the world which makes a sincere attempt to reduce its armaments." The impudence of such a claim but demonstrates the length to which these Red advocates will go -in their efforts to deceive. The Soviet Government has; under its control the largest armed force in existence anywhere, and a special department of that force is established to keep the Russian people in subjection by the ruthless suppression of all attempts to secure, freedom of thought and action. With the cunning of the serpent - this correspondent suggests that we cannot have in our possession the Communist documents advocating violence and bloodshed as such are prohibited by the Censorship Board. On this he proceeds to elan the charges ! we make, as "bloodthirsty hallucinations." He used the same trick in replying to Mr. Bemple. In this instance cunning defeats itself. Our sources of information and the documents we hold do not advocate violence and are not subject to any censorship At the same time these documents supply positive and reliable evidence that the Communists do uphold, the policies of violence and civil war.

Your correspondent probably knows that M. Trotsky has published to the world a book on "The Defence of Terrorism," in which an attempt is made to justify the wholesale slaughter of the Bed Terror., The reference made tc Shameen, Wanshein, Amritsar,- and the Civil Wars in Russia by 8. Harrison is not evidence, but the prejudgmeht of a biased and distorted vision which sees in the word ■'_' lmperialism" a picture of all things evil. Let us ask this Bolshevik why does he not get away from the rule of British Imperialism t Go home to Soviet Russia and stay' there is the advice we have to give him. By staying here he is lending colour to the thought that he really prefers the British Empire and all his virulent attacks' on it are simply ill-natured .lies. As a final word, let us give him and other associates of the Red International a hint that the British people are getting somewhat tired of their impudence. They take all the advantages of the British Empire protection and we expect them to respect it or get out.—We are, etc.,

N.Z. WELFARE LEAGUE.