FULL SUPPORT

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20385, 23 October 1940, Page 6

FULL SUPPORT

N.Z. WAR EFFORT LABOURERS’ UNION FEELING IN CAPITAL TRAITORS CONDEMNED (Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, th(S day. Support for the Government’s war effort and public safety emergencyregulations as recently amended to deal with subversion was overwhelmingly given at a special meeting of the Wellington Builders and General Labourers’ Union in the concert chamber of the Town Hall last night. More than 500 members attended and it was stated that this was one of the largest unions of this description. This was the first opportunity the union had had of considering the regulations as it was not represented at a recent meeting held by building trades in Wellington when the regulations were condemned. The general secretary of the Wellington Builders and General Labourers’ Union, Mr. P. M. Butler, stated that the meeting of building trades unions referred to -was attended by only 104 members of various unions concerned though the combined membership was more than 4000. Mr. Butler said that last night’s wee ting of the Wellington Builders and General Labourers Union was called in a democratic way by circular to all members in Wellington and the vicinity and the result could be taken as a true indication of how the workers regarded the Government’s war effort. Help Towards Victory The meeting overwhelmingly carried a lengthy resolution supporting the Government and indicating determination to do all in its power to assist the Government in its efforts to help Great Britain towards victory. The meeting sent greetings to members of the union serving with the armed forces and pledged itself to make equal sacrifice with all sections of the community to overcome the enemy. The resolution expressed admiration for the British people and extended fraternal greetings to British workers. The resolution also endorsed the findings of the recent economic conference and pledged members to implement the policy of the conference.

The resolution also 1 embodied the following declaration: “We condemn as traitorous all actions by any section of the people which tend to weaken our efforts for victory over Nazi aggression and request the Government to increase its vigilance and speed its efforts in searching out and eradicating all forms of treachery and subversion and call upon our members to support loyally all actions of the Government which have this object in view.”