COMMUNISTS AND MOHAKA VIADUCT

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 142, 13 December 1939, Page 10

COMMUNISTS AND MOHAKA VIADUCT

(To the Editor.)

Sir, —In Miss Elsie Freeman's reply to the Hon. R. Semple in your issue of December 9 she mentions that Communists were numerically strong on the Mohaka Viaduct job. As one of the many men employed on that particular job, from the erection of , the wooden towers and cableway to the placing of tlie last hundred-foot girder, I fail to see ]iow she can make such a statement, as the Communists were very much in the minority. As a past president of both the Raupunga branch of the New Zealand Labour Party and New Zealand Workers' Union and section secretary of the Public Works Employees' Medical Association, I came into contact with all and sundry and fully understand the position that existed at Raupunga, which was the camp site for the Mohaka Viaduct construction job. At one union meeting I made an appeal to all workers to become members of their respective political parties, whether they were Communist, National, or Labour supporters, and to be active members, not merely members by name. It was most interesting and very encouraging from my point of view that before the end of the meeting thirty-seven new members were enrolled for the Labour Party and actually three for the Communist Party. Prior to the meeting the Labour Party branch had a membership of forty-nine and the Communists, those who were men enough to admit their political leanings, could be counted on one hand. From this it will be seen that the Communists were very much in the minority and not numerically strong as stated.

In fairness to the two or three Communists with whom I came in actual contact and who were my workmates en the job, I must say they were good workers and gave of their best on that particular job.—l am, etc.,

H. WHATT.