JUNIOR LABOUR LEAGUE

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 57, 8 March 1930, Page 8

JUNIOR LABOUR LEAGUE

(To the Editor.)

Sir,—lmitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and the news from Christchurch that the Labour Party has formed a Junior Labour League there must be, or should be gratifying to the Reform Party, which established a Junior League some time ago. Labour members of Parliament used to amuse themselves on Address-in-Reply and Financial Debates by chaffing Mr. Coates, Mr. Wright, and other Reform Ministers on their speeches to Saturday night gatherings of the Junior Reform League in Wellington, and one recollects how Mr. W. Parry, the Labour member for Auckland Central, often chuckled heartily at his descriptions of Mr. Coates and Mr. Wright going ■round "giving chocolates and sweets to the children."

As ridicule did not kill, but seemed to make the Junior Reform League thrive, the Labour Party is apparently anxious to regain what; ground it has lost in making its appeal to the young. Presumably we shall soon see Mr. Parry in the role'of a political Uncle William distributing Socialistic "stickjaw" to the juveniles of Christchurch and other cities who are as yet innocent of the effects of such sweetmeat. Surely the children will learn soon enough how to copy some of their elders in the art .of leaning on the State for everything without' receiving such tuition in the tender,years of their existence. As a Junior, Labour League has been formed in 'Christchurch already, however, perhaps Mr. M'Combs, One of the local Labour M.P.'s, might describe to the next meeting of the league how he quarrelled with the Labour Party over its lament on the death of Lenin, and .what he said in correspondence he is reported to have had recently with Mr. Holland dissenting from that gentleman's views about Samoa. He might also tell the, children whether or not the recent caucus of the Labour Party in Wellington was tlle happy gathering it is claimed to have been, and whether the members present at the caucus expressed themselves as all perfectly happy with the leadership of the Parliamentary Labour Party. There will be a session of Parliament soon, to be followed possibly by a General Election, and the members of the Junior Labour League nearing the age of 21 years should be in full possession of the facts before being asked to go to the ballot-box.—l am, etc., AN INNOCENT.