HISTORY OF EVENTS

Evening Post, Volume CXXIX, Issue 72, 26 March 1940, Page 8

HISTORY OF EVENTS

EXECUTIVE'S REPORT

OBJECTIONABLE ARTICLE

In conjunction with the expulsion resolution the section of the national executive's annual report dealing with Mr. Lee and which set out the history of the events leading up to last night's decision was also adopted.

"At the first quarterly meeting (July 18, 1939) of the executive," the report stated, "consideration was given to the resolution passed by the 1939 conference, which read as follows: —'That this conference condemns in the strongest terms the action of Mr. J. A. Lee, M.P., in issuing a circular in December, 1938, which the conference considers to be> a breach of party loyalty and discipline, an unmerited reflection on Mr. Nash in particular and the Government in general; conference directs the incoming national executive, after consultation with the Parliamentary Labour Party, to take whatever action it deems to be appropriate in the circumstances, and which will safeguard the future, and to report to next conference.' "No decision was arrived at other than that Mr. Lee should confer with Mr. David Wilson (then secretary of the party and now Leader of the Legislative Council) to prevent any further sale and distribution of the letter. ARTICLE IN "TOMORROW." "At the third quarterly meeting, January 13 and 14, 1940, the article 'Psycho-Pathology in Politics,' appearing in 'Tomorrow,' of . December 6, 1939, was discussed, and the following resolution passed:—'That the national executive places on record its complete and emphatic disapproval of Mr. J. A. Lee's article in "Tomorrow" and of the disgraceful inferences and innuendoes contained therein, and declares Mr. Lee's action to be a definite breach of party loyalty, and deserving of the severest censure arid condemnation. Further, the national executive reaffirms its complete confidence in Mr. Savage as Prime Minister and congratulates him and the Government upon the manner in which the party's policy has been implemented.' "A resolution proposing to terminate Mr. Lee's membership of the party was discussed, and at 1.45 p.m., after Mr. Lee had pledged himself to abide in future by all resolutions of the annual conference and of the national executive, the meeting adjourned to ascertain if there could be any settlement short of Mr. Lee's expulsion. "By direction of the national executive the Hon. D. Wilson conferred with Mr. Lee and at the resumption of the meeting at 10 a.m. on January 14 the following report was made by Mr. Wilson: 'I conferred with Mr. Lee yesterday afternoon for 1£ hours and have to report that Mr. Lee has agreed to the following conditions: (1) That he will submit to the national executive all articles, pamphlets, etc., dealing with the party or affecting its interests and will not publish same without the national executive's approval; (2) that he will apologise to the Prime Minister; (3) that he never has in the past-and never will in the future do anything to wrongly influence the appointment of delegates to the annual conference.' " 'Further,' said Mr. Wilson, 'Mr. Lee and I have agreed upon the terms of the statement which Mr. Lee will hand to the newspapers, in which he declares his loyalty to the Government and the party, and expresses regret for having published the article which reflected on the Prime Minister, Mr. Savage.' MR. LEE'S STATEMENT. "Following is a copy of the statement which it was agreed should be issued to the Pres& by Mr. Lee:—'ln regard to the recent article which he had caused to be published in the journal "Tomorrow," on consideration he had decided to say publicly that he regretted having published the article, which was ungenerous and not fair to the Prime Minister, and he was sorry that the inferences had wounded the feelings of anyone. The greatest need of the time was a united and strong Labour Government, and, while, with every member, he had a voice in helping to shape Labour's policy, he wanted to assure everyone of his loyalty to the Government and the party.'"

"After discussion of Mr. Wilson's report," the report continued, "it was eventually resolved: 'That in consideration of the pledges given by Mr. Lee

the resolution to expel him from the party be withdrawn.'

"Between annual conferences the responsibility for direction and administration of the party is vested in the national executive, and, though it has to make decisions that are sometimes liable to misinterpretation, the national executive was determined to insist on loyalty to the party, the Government, and to its elected leader.

"The national executive also decided that while the utmost freedom must be given to party members to express their views at branch or Labour Representation Committee meetings and at the annual conference, no member was entitled to make an attack on

any other party member or to oppose any part of the party's policy- from the public platform or in the Press, and thus endanger the unity and progress of the party. "HEALTHY DISCIPLINE." "To this end the national executive has declared upon many occasions that majority decisions of the annual conference or the national executive must be loyally accepted by all, as without some measure of healthy discipline and the submission of the individual to the collective will there can be no democracy but only anarchy and disruption.

"The national executive is confident that conference will support that action taken to prererve and maintain the unity and solidarity of the movement."