WAR POLICY

Evening Post, Volume CXXIX, Issue 21, 25 January 1940, Page 12

WAR POLICY

COMMUNIST ATTACK

MR. FRASER'S REPLY

"FALSE UNITY NO USE"

An account of a brush between the Minister of Health (the Hon. P. Fraser) and the chairman of the New Zealand Communist Party (Mr. Tom Stanley) at a meeting in the Auckland Trades Hall last week is "given in this week's "Standard.", The report describes the attempt of Mr. Stanley to stage a forensic duel ' with the Minister as "disastrous to the Communist, whose oratory was ineffective in the face of the barrage of facts put up by the. Minister." It goes on to say:— "Tom Stanley's spate of words was listened to without interruption, but Mr. Fraser was interrupted, several times by Stanley and his small band of henchmen. The seeoe lasted about 30 minutes, but the Communists were completely silenced before Mr. Fraser finished; and Stanley did not come back for a second ration. "The incident topped off the campaign of vilification of Labour, which th.> Communists have carried on ceaselessly for the past year or so. The voting at the meeting proved once again that the noisy minority's repeated attacks on Labour's leaders find no echo in the hearts of the hundreds of thousands who comprise the Labour Movement in this country. "After a resolution to hold a demonstration to welcome the Prime Minister (the Rt. Hop. M. J. Savage) had been proposed the discussion began with the chairman (Mr. F. G. Young) and Mr. Fraser agreeing that the proposed rally would not be used for attacking any section of the working class," reports the "Standard."^ "'The object of the demonstration is to welcome the Prime Minister, not to cut across sectional differences,' said Mr. Fraser. "'I am going to speak against the resolution,' declared Mr. Stanley. "The tenor of the country so far has been sentimenal. As men of the working class we are concerned about policies, and I am definitely against any demonstration to encourage the workers to get behind the war policy of this counI try. I am going to object. There is a better movement growing up, working for peace and trying to bring about pressure on this so-called Labour Government to withdraw from a war that is not in the interests of the working classes. It will use its power to persuade the workers against taking part iin this demonstration.'

. "Mr. Stanley sat down amidst an uproar of dissent.

"Spurious unity, declared Mr. Fraser, was no use at all. A man like Mr. Stanley had no place in the Labour movement. (Applause.)

"Mr. Stanley: I've been in it as long as you.

"Mr. Fraser:. Anybody who is prepared to be disloyal has no place in the movement. The Communist Party scabbed on its own policy. (Uproar.) They are not here for unity. They wish to see men stabbed in the back.

"Mr. Stanley: Unity for Chamberlain! .

"Mr. Fraser: Chamberlain's general policy was completely opposed to ours. Our attitude hasn't changed. But these men who advocated the Popular Front wanted to include Mr. Winston Churchill, Mr. Duff Cooper, Mr. Anthony Eden, all Conservatives, Sir Archibald Sinclair —leader of the Liberal Party! The British Labour Party said: 'No, we won't compromise to that extent.'

"Today, Mr. Fraser went on, the Communist- Party is supporting Hitler, On September 2 the Communist Party published a manifesto and withdrew it ten days after publication. Because Moscow said 'turn,' they all turned.

" 'The Labour Party is a peace party,' said Mr. Fraser, 'but wants no terms with any power that invades and destroys. Nazi or Soviet—the natipn that wantonly invades and attacks another country and .forces war upon it is wrong.' .

" 'False unity was no use to the Labour movement,' declared Mr. Fraser in conclusion, 'and, if the Labour movement was to stand by the policy, both national and international, upon which it had been returned by the overwhelming vote of the people, then it was not for a few individuals to dictate to the Government what it was going to do.'".-...