Waikato Hydro Strike: New Move By Communist

Greymouth Evening Star, 6 April 1948, Page 2

Waikato Hydro Strike: New Move By Communist

AUCKLAND, April .5. Mr L. Clapham, secretary of the Mangakino branch of the Workers' Union and a Communist whose transfer is the matter in dispute in the Waikato hydro strike, is a candidate for the New Zealand presidency of the union. He is opposing the present president (Mr W. L. W’allace). The election is in progress by postal ballot, which closes on April 30. . No developments in the dispute were reported today. According to a Timaru message, workers at the Pukaki gncl Tekapo hydro-electric works resolved by overwhelming majorities at mass meetings in the w'eek-end to contribute from their weekly wages to the support, of the workers involved in the Mangakino dispute. MESSRS FRASER AND SEMPLE ADDRESS MEETING AUCKLAND, April 5._ “I do not know Mr Clapham. ana I do not want to know Mr Clapham. I know that if he is carrying out the instructions of the executive of the Communist Party of New Zealand; then he will cause trouble wherever he goes,” said the Prime Minister (Mr P. Fraser) at the public meeting held at Mangakino on Sunday afternoon. Mr Fraser said he had not come in connection with the dispute, although he wanted to see a way out of it that would be fair all round. However, before the people could judge they had to hear the case of the Government. With the members of the Communist Party it was a straight-out fight. Everything had been stated except the case for the Government. Mr Semple then addressed the meeting. He said that the present trouble was not his making. When it happened he had been away in Australia trying to get steel to keep the job going. Mr Semple said he had read the Mangakino Spark (the news sheet of the local branch of the Communist Party). It had stated that the Communists were opposed to ballots. Of course they were. With them there would be no say at all. “Victimisation Charge” “I want to tell you something about 1 my experience with the gentleman' this quarrel is over,” said Mr Semple. “Some months ago he was among the | men put off at Karapiro. The chair- | man of the union came and said he j thought he was victimised. He told me his side of the tsory and I don’t believe in victimisation. I said ‘lf there is any doubt I shall give him the benefits of the doubt and tell the engineer to put him on again.’ I came here a few weeks later. This man was! frank enough to say he was an I avowed Communist. I told him I did: not hold it against him as long as he did his job and did not cause trouble.” Mr Semple said the next thing he discovered was that Mr Clapham was secretary of the union. There was some disagreement in the tunnel and he sent Mr F. Langbein, engineer-in-chief, to investigate. Mr Fraser then returned to the microphone. He said that the Communist Party policy was to fight the Labour Government in any way possible and particularly through the trade unions. Wherever Communists were in office in trade unions there would be trouble. He was not criticising Russia, but he did object to the Russians or their satellites interfering in this country. ~ From 1939, until Russia was attacked in 1941, the Communists in New Zealand impeded the country’s effort, said Mr Fraser. Then “Holy Mother Russia” was attacked. It did not matter about Britain, France, Poland and Belgium. Some who occupied certain position in workshops had worked very energetically, because they thought they were working for Russia. A Jugoslav Ship

In Auckland recently, said Mr Fraser, officials of the union took a greater interest in the working of a

Jugoslav ship than ships taking food to Britain. “Our interests lie with the mass of the people of Great Britain and with the democratic countries,” he added. “If I was asked where New Zealand would be, with the democratic Governments or thoes tyrannical dictatorship Governments, I would not have any hesitation in saying.” The Communists were traitors to the country, traitors to trade unionism, traitors to the working-class movement, and traitors to the Labour movement, said Mr Fraser. The workers should have nothing to do with them. They should bid them good-bye and a long farewell. A vote of confidence in the Labour Party was carried with only 12 dissentients and the meeting ended with three cheers for the party.