LABOR POLITICS

Evening Star, Issue 19062, 3 October 1925, Page 6

LABOR POLITICS

HR PSS “TURNED DDWIf '* DISAGREES WITH LABOR’S LANT3 POLICY. Bom© weeks ago the Labor candidate# to contest the various elections were announced in a telegram from Wellington It comes os a surprise, therefore, to learn that Mr 0. M. Moss, who vnii chosen as the candidate to onpose tho Hon. W. D. Stewart m Dunedin West, has been asked to “ stand down because he will not subscribe to one of the main planks of the Labor platform, | It is over the Labor Party’# land v-,liey that the trouble has arisen. Mr Moss’s interpretation of it, as outlined in Press correspondence some month# ago, did not find favor with other members of the party, and sino© then there has been a good deal of discussion in sffioinl quarters. The pledgs that i# required to be signed by delegates to Labor Representation Committees ana conferences Is as follows:-—" lb 6™"? pledge myself to the Now Zealand Labor Party faithfully to uphold and wholeheartedly work for its objective, constitution, platform, and decisions-, and no other, and to work and veto for tho selected candidates of tho party.” Prospective members of Par* liament are, of course, exported to abide without question by the pledge. The trouble came to a head at a meeting of the Otago Labor Representation Council on Thursday night, the meeting being attended by Mr W. \a"b national secretary of the Labor Party. There were forty-one persons present, and a long debate took place, after which Mr Moss, answered » number of questions. It is understood that he said, if he were questioned at election meetings, he would reply that suoh-and-sncfi was in accordance with the Labor platform, but that bis personal opinion was so-and-so. That was, of course, in reference to the particulal point of the Labor land policy on which tho disagreement has taken place. A majority of forty to one then favored a motion asking Mr Moss to stand down. , . Mr Nash left for Wellington yesteiv day and will report to the National Executive. wbKsb will d© slslecq to con* firm Otago’s action. _ Several prominent Labor people to whom the matter was mentioned asserted that there was no other way out, for every candidate was expected bj the party to abide by the decisions of ■ho party and to advocate the decision# of the party and no other. It is reported that Mr S. Gaspar In likely to be chosen In place of Mr Mo##.