N.Z. FEDERATION OF LABOUR’S REPLY TO ATTACK

Greymouth Evening Star, 12 March 1949, Page 2

N.Z. FEDERATION OF LABOUR’S REPLY TO ATTACK

(PA.) WELLINGTON, March 11. “The arrant nonsense published by the newspaper Trud in Moscow respecting the trades union movement and conditions of the workers in New Zealand has not only caused hilarity in New Zealand, but also has emphasised the misleading propaganda which Moscow issues for consumption in Russia and its satellite countries, where people have little or no opportunity of checking facts/* said the secretary of the New Zealand Federation of Labour (Mr K. Baxter). “Delegates from the Nev/ Zealand trades union movement who visited overseas countries, including Russia, unanimously recorded the fact that working and the standard of living of the people of New Zealand compares more than favourably with the standard of living of people m other countries,” Mr Baxter said. “Official statistics, including those issued by the U.S.S.R., endorse the views and statements of our delegates. We are proud to call our Maori friends fellow unionists. They have full equality with all sections in every phase of social and economic life and actively participate in the Government and administration of the councry. Seme having occupied the highest positions. Contrary to b°m? •exterminated’ our native population has actually increased in a greater proportion to the white population. "So far as class, race or creed distinctions are concerned, New Zealand enjoys greater equality than most other countries . Indeed, peoples of other races (including African, Indian, Russian, and Chinese) have full equality wth our own people in every respect. No other country has greater equality and it is because of this knowledge (hat the ridiculous nonsense published by Trud has astounded our people. These facts are not known to the workers and the people of Russia and Russian controlled countries. It Russian workers were fully aware of conditions existing in New Zealand, it is possible they would be agreeably surprised. We believe that one of the functions of the iron curtain is to prevent Russian and other workers obtaining this comparative information.”