REDS ASSAILED

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22586, 15 March 1948, Page 6

REDS ASSAILED

UNION SECRETARY “SHOULD BE RESISTED” APPEAL TO WORKERS (P.A.) AUCKLAND. March 12. "It should be obvious to all that there is afoot a world-wide foreignsponsored movement which has as its object the overthrow of all the accepted forms of law and order and the establishment of a state of chaos throughout the democratic nations of the world.” This statement was made this morning by Mr. G. Albright, secretary of the Auckland Electrical Workers’ Union. “This movement in this country is ied by the New Zealand Communist Party and should be resisted and attacked by all honest and wholesome trade unionists," he said. “Those who support it are. in my opinion, nothing short of traitors to their country.” It had become apparent, he said, that there was a split in the industrial Labour movement and for the guidance of its officers the union had to decide whether its policy was to be in support of the Labour Government and the conciliation and arbitration system, or in support of the Communist Party and unions and organisations at present dominated by it.

He had submitted a report outlining the attitude of the union's executive to the carpenters’ dispute to a meeting of the union last night which was the largest the union had ever had. The report had been endorsed by an overwhelming majority. In addition to giving Mr. Albright’s views on communism, the report explained why lie had voted against the carpenters at the Trades Council meeting. The majority vote at the council meeting was accounted for. in iiis opinion, by the fact that many delegates did not have a full understanding of the position and the implication of the issues, and that many unions with no Communist sympathies were represented through apathy of the rank and file by Communists.