Prime Minister’s "Silent Contempt” For Builders

Greymouth Evening Star, 24 February 1948, Page 3

Prime Minister’s "Silent Contempt” For Builders

(P.A.) DUNEDIN, February 23. “Silent contempt is the only treatment for the perfectly miserable tone of the Auckland master builders’ statement which appeared in today’s newspapers, announcing their capitulation to the Communist-inspired, Communist-directed ‘go-slow’ policy,” said the Prime Minister (Mr P. Fraser), in a statement tonight. “Hoping to excuse, if not to cover their retreat —hoping no doubt also to pass on to the public the extra amount delivered up by them —they in true weakling fashion endeavour to blame the Government for their own collapse of morale. “No Resolution Passed”

“Mr F. L. Langley, president of die New Zealand Carpenters’ Union, also blames the Government. According to a message I have had from one of the delegates principally concerned in the debate in the council of the Federation of Labour, no such resolution as outlined by Mr Langley was passed. Mr Langley has apparently mixed up remarks uttered with the terms of the resolution, which, I am informed, asked for clarification of the stabilisation regulations. “However, if a resolution had been passed in the terms mentioned by Mr Langley, it would be simply untrue. I would be pleased if Mr Langley would endeavour to establish his claim of the futility of all remuneration increases for the mass of the people, since the present Government came into office, by any set of accurate figures, by any price index, or by any stretch of his imagination. “Mr Langley’s conception of democracy and of the importance of democratic law is as unrecognisably twisted as to mean that he and his organisation will obey the law when it suits them, and break it when it does not suit them. There is no basis of understanding in such an attitude. Communists Named “Mr Langley pretends to make light of my statement about carpenters being used as pawns in a bigger game. Can Mr Langley deny that Messrs Stanley, Martin, Jamieson, Ikin, and others I can mention, are prominent Communists, and pledged to further the principles of Communism, including dictatorship by Communists, euphemistically called, for the purpose of propaganda, the proletariat, by all means in their power, including the stirring-up of strife inside New Zealand on any sort of pretext and on every propitious occasion? “If he will deny this fact, then he s will do more than any of these themselves would care to do. For enlightenment, I recommend him to study the Auckland Carpenters’ Union record and see where the goslow policy is claimed to be a weapon against the imperialism of those British statesmen who refuse to be dominated by Russia. “I would like to thank Mr A. B. Grant, secretary of the Canterbury Trades Council, to whose statement I have no time at present to give more attention, for so completely refuting IVIr Langley’s in regard to his theory of increasing misery. “In conclusion, I have to reiterate that I do not believe that an attitude of antagonism to the Government s enforcement of the law, as apparently adopted by the council of the Federation of Labour, represents the view of the federation as a whole, and certainly not that of the vast majority of trade unionists.