TRADES COUNCIL MOTION

Greymouth Evening Star, 8 December 1939, Page 5

TRADES COUNCIL MOTION

OPPOSED BY STATE MINERS ..Qpppsition to, the. resolution .. ..concerning New Zealand’s participation in the war, passed at a recent meeting of the West Coast Trades .and Labour Council, has been expressed by the State Miners’ Union which, at a. general meeting, on . Wednesday, passed the following resolution:

“That we, as an organisation, emphatically dissociate ouVselves from the seditous and mischievous resolution arrived at by the West Coast Trades and Labour Council at its meeting on November 25, and since published in the Press. Furthermore, that, until the motion in question is rescinded and expunged from the minute book of the Trades and Labour Council, we refrain from representation at. any future meeting.” The resolution was moved by the President of the Union (Mr. G. E. English) and seconded by Mr. J. Devine (VicePresident). In handing the above resolution to the Press, Mr. English said that the decision of the Trades and Labour Council might lead the public to believe that, it had the support of the majority of workers on the West Coast. “In fact,” said Mr. English, “the voting at the Trades and Labour Council was eight for and eight against, the eight supporters of. the resolution including the President, Mr. J. Doyle. Mr. Doyle, besides exercising this deliberative vote, gave also his casting vote for the methyl. The statement that the Council'represents the workers of the West Coast, is correct, but it is not, in my opinion, correct to state that, the resolution is also the opinion of the majority of those workers.” When the above was referred to the secretary of the Trades Council (Mr. D. Faris), to-day, he said that a full meeting of the Council would be held on December 16. when the matter would be further discussed