THE RED MENACE.

Gisborne Times, Volume LXVIII, Issue 10696, 20 September 1928, Page 4

THE RED MENACE.

MR HARPER’S ADDRESS TO ROTARY CLUB.

HOW NEW ZEALAND IS AFFECTED.

The guest of honor at- yesterday's Rotary lunch was ilr. A. P. Harper, of Wellington, who is tho secretary of the Welfare League and who delivered an interesting address on the effects of the. "Red'’ movementin Russia on the British Empire and. incidentally, on New Zealand. Rntarian Forster was in the chair.

.Mr. Harper, who was very cordially received, opened ly saying that it was not -sufficiently widely known that an important aim of the Third international at- Moscow, which was really only another form of the Soviet- Government, was to wreck the British Empire. Lenin and Trotsky had laid it down that it was essential, if Sovietism was to make worldwide progress, that the British Empire should be destroyed, seeing that it represented the highest form attained in connection with the system of Capitalism. It was interesting to note the character of the machinery used by the Third International. First of all, there was an executive which, by the way, included representatives of Britain and of Australia. Then there were three main committees of action and it was no secret that activities in Australia and in New Zealand were part of the duties of No. 3 committee. Tho methods of the Third international were most interesting, because of their remarkable completeness. .It had been laid down at the outset that to capture the young wa s the prime essential to success. Thus it came about that in Russia—and the system was being followed in Britain—rival organisations to the Boy Scouts and the Girl Guides had been established,- whilst much propaganda work was done with the ai»l oi “Red” Sunday schools. Then there was the National Council of Labor Colleges which had been set up to counteract the good work being dcnb by- the W.E.A. in this regard it might surprise many to know that the Labor Colleges last year turned out as many as ‘IO,OOO “Red” students. The “Rod” movement in re-, lation to British industries was also most insidious. Special workers were trained to operate amongst tho . workers in every British industry. A “Red”, who was described a-s “a germ cell’ got into a union and formed about him what was termed a “nucleus.” He then went on *to some other part and renewed his activities. . ,

Mr. Harper went on to say that it was not to be supposed for a single moment -that tho “Red” movement would succeed amongst British communities. Nevertheless harm was accruing to British trado in consequence of the efforts that were being put forward on behalf of the Third internntionnl in pursiv nnee of its campaign to wreck the British Empire, and this had a most important bearing on . the economic conditions even in this' Dominion; They could easily imagine that New Zealand must sutler if the spending power of the people at Home diminished as a sequel to industrial troubles. it was incontcstible that the strikes in Recent years in Britain were of “Red” origin. Everybody, too, knew that tho seamen’s strike hero a few years ago was engineered from Moscow. When the British seamen’s wages were reduced—and it had to be borne in mind that it was by agreement between the two parties—the “Reds” decreed that a strike should take place at the farthest points from Home. As a consequence 35 British vessels were held up in New Zealand waters, but none of the British vessels trading to and from Argentine—a foreign country—were affected. Tlji? object of that strike was to hold up the marketing only of British produce. Was it not significant that a German and a French vessel on which the rates oi pay were only half those paid on British vessels under the new agreement were worked- as usual in New Zealand waters? Ln conclusion, Mr Harper said that New Zealand had nothing to fear from its own workers. They were as ■sound and ns sane e.s any others-to be found in nriv other part of the world. Care' had, however, to be taken to present undesirables from entering the Dominion to foment industrial troubles.—(Applause.) On the motion of Rotarmn Dixon, a very hearty vote of thanks was accorded Mr Harper for his address.