ALLIANCE SPLIT

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 51, 2 March 1937, Page 4

ALLIANCE SPLIT

DISPUTE. CONTINUES

MR. WALSH AND MR. COOK

POLITICAL ASPECT

A further statement was made today by Mr. F. P. Walsh, president of the Seamen's Union, in reply to a statement by Mr. A. Cook,' secretary of the New Zealand Workers' Union, which appeared in "The Post" on February 25. .

"On my return from Auckland my attention was drawn to two statements appearing in the 'Evening Post' of February 25 arid'2B, by Mr. A. Cook and Mr. J. Roberts respectively. Mr. Cook evidently found the weather too rough and sent out an SOS to the 'big chief to come to his assistance. The latter, in place of easing the situation, has made things much worse by the publication of a four column statement.;

"I regret Mr, Cook's decision to throw in the towel, and submit it would be much - .better on his part to have answered the remaining statements made in'his first statement and trie further unfounded statements, he makes in his latest effusion. Mr. Cook should have realised that in a Press controversy he would have been taken out of his -depth, and should have refused to be used as a catspaw by Mr. Roberts. : It is helpful to have Mr. Cook's admission that the statement I quoted about him admitting he was a political non-unionist was correct, and his further assurance that 'he hag now seen the error of his ways.- ■ . ■ ' : ■ /

"With reference to the telegram Bent the Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates regarding the men on .public works, Mr. Cook says "when he discussed the matter with our late leader, he agreed that my action was certainly not disloyal." This statement by Mr. Cook is not in keeping with the statement made by Mr. Holland,. which I herewith quote and leave readers to make their own deductions:—'l want to refer to Mr. Cook's telegram, to Mr. Co.ates. Mr. Cook says he could not find me, and consequently wired to /Mr. Coates.' Everybody knows that during the session I practically live on. the premises of Parliament Buildings.. Morning, noon, and night. I am there. On the morning in question I was apparently out of my room ; when the telephone rang, but any messenger could have found me. But. even if a telegram should have failed to reach me, either the deputy leader or the secretary could.have been.found, and I want to ask Mr. ■ Cook whether he knows of any greater act of disloyalty to the Labour movement than for an officer of an industrial union to > place his matter in the. hands of the leader- of the Reform Party, instead of giving it to the Labour Party to handle.. The policy of going to Labour's enemies is indefensible, and I; am prepared to believe that Mr: Cook is sorry that he did it.1 Let us-remember that, it was Mr. Coates who was responsible for the 9s and 12s a day wage rate. Does anyone want to go back to. 9s and 12s a day?' THE ROBERTS REPOBT. 1 "Mr. Cook, on .finding that he could not hope to; substantiate the ridiculous statement that I desired to retain j the Forbes-Coates wage-reducing Gov- \ ernment in office.'sets off.into.a long i tirade about my voting but .not speaking against the political section of Mr. Roberts's report that he submitted to the 1935 annual conference: of the Al-, liance. As I will be replying to Mr. Roberts, I do not wish to waste my. time in discussing this1 point with Mr. Cook, as he, having been a political i non-unionist for so long, is hardly qualified to assess the value:of political action to the working class in their day to day struggles., . ,' :

' "Regarding Mr.: Cook's ■;■' reference about his defeat for the position of president of the Alliance at: the 1935 conference, my reason for voting against him was that for the previous twelve months he had acted more or less as a 'rubber stamp', for Mr. Roberts and I did not consider that it was in the best interest of the Alliance to have a .'rubber stamp1' occupying the position of president. :'■-,,

"Mr. Cook states that 'he knows at least one large Wellington union that j is telling, me, during last week, to keep my nose but of ■ their, affairs for all time.' The week has passed and no notification to. this effect has reached the writer, and I challenge Mr. Cook to name the union. Far from poking my nose into the affairs of other unions, I can name at least 'a dozen unions that.have asked and received my assistance to obtain new agreements and get victimised members of theirs reinstated in their jobs. I have never yet refused to assist a union in difficulties, and no one is in. a. better, position to know this than Mr. Cook. .His organisation found, the Seamen's ",: Union; a good friend on many occasions. ~ NO SECRET SET. : : ■ "Mr. Cooks'* says, 'Nothing is hidden from his membership, and never at any ■time has he had a secret section, within the union's ranks sworn not to divulge union business other than that Which the secret set deems necessary to be divulged. Can Mr. Cook deny this about- some of his friends with whom he is today so closely allied?; I wish to tell Mr. Cook that I know of no union that has a secret set as he describes, and I challenge him to name the union. Mr. Cook can't do it, and well he knows it!, , • . : '

"Mr. Cook's accusation that v there was no unity between the Alliance' of Labour and the Trades and Labour Councils was very decisively answered in the same issue of the 'Evening Post' in which his statement appeared, by a joint statement by Mr. Croskery, secretary of the Alliance, and Mr. Cornwell, secretary of the Trades and Labour ■Councils, in which they stated that they would be calling a joint conference to'be held at Wellington on March. 23 for. the purpose of bringing about one national organisation that would be able to act and speak on behalf of. the trade union movement, and that the representation to the conference would be on the same basis' as to the New Zealand Labour Party's annual conference.

"Now thnt it has been established beyond doubt,that the Alliance and the Trades and Labour Council Federation are calling a joint conference to bring about unity in the industrial movement, I call upon Mr. Cook to show good faith by .'participating in that conference."