Wanganui R.S.A.’s View on Communists

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 22872, 16 February 1949, Page 4

Wanganui R.S.A.’s View on Communists

(PA.) WANGANUI, Feb. 16. The opinion that Communists should not be debarred from membership of the New Zealand Returned Services’ Association but that members whose political activities are disloyal or subversive or create disruption or dissaffection in the economic life of the country should be debarred has been expressed by the executive of the Wanganui Returned Services’ Association. The question was raised at the quarterly meeting in a letter from the New Zealand headquarters seeking the opinion of the branch. Since then the question has been reviewed by the executive and the following resolutions passed unanimously for submission to headquarters: “The executive of the Wanganui R.S.A. is of the opinion that it is not proper to debar members of the Communist or any other political party as such, but it considers that if the political or other activities of such members prove that they are disloyal, then they should be debarred from membership and that for the purposes of the rules of the N.Z R.S.A. a person be deemed disloyal whose activities are subversive or create disaffection or disruption in the economic life of the community. "That the Government be urged to take strong measures against those members of the community who are responsible for creating both political and civil unrest and are disrupting the economic life of the country.” The resolutions will be submitted to the next quarterly meeting of the Wanganui association for discussion and endorsement.