OBITUARY

Grey River Argus, 20 May 1944, Page 4

OBITUARY

JIM SCOTT. , Mr. Jim Scott, for many years a well-known figure in the Labour movement, died suddenly yesterday morning at his residence, Shakespeare Street, at the age of 68 years; He was a native of Govan, Scotland, and is survived by his wife, and one son, Kevin (N.Z.E.F., overseas). The funeral will take place at Karoro Cemetery to-morrow. It may be said that few men ever cut a greater swath in the Labour’ Movement of the West Coast and New Zealand than the late Jim Scott. He arrived in New Zealand over 40 years ago from Tasmania when the Labour Movement, as we know it to-day, was in its infancy. He had been secretary of a Miners’ Union in Tasmania and was At that time a student of working I conditions, which in many cases so adversely affected the health of miners, and, incidentally, of the workers in all industries. For some years Mr. Scott worked in- the Reefton . mines, where he contracted that dread disease, miner’s phthisis. He was for some time Secretary of the Globe Hill Branch of the Inangahua Miners’ j Union. Warned out of the mines by his medical adviser, he came to Greymouth, and. joined the Waterside Workers’ Union in which he was an active member. Victimised during the 1919 strike, he followed various pursuits, but always remained j true to the Labour and Socialist Movement. He was Secretary of the jold Greymouth Socialist Party and later the first Secretary of the Grey- ; mouth Labour Party, which was ■formed in 1916. Pie had already been i Secretary of the Hon. P. C. Webb’s ! election committee when Mr. Webh first contested Grey in 1911, and later acted in a similar capacity for the late Mr. H. E. Holland when he contested Grev in 1918, and he carried on as secretary when the Tories presented the “Election Petition” on that occasion. The Electoral Court found in favour o f Mr. Holland, but the work done by Mr. Scott contributed in no small way to that verdict. Later Mr. Scott took an active part in establishing the “Grey River Argus” as a Labour daily, and held the Secretaryship of the Grey Labour Paper Board, and was instrumental in rais- ' ing a large sum of money for the : Labour Paper, the success of which ,is to some extent due to his work. I Mr. Scott was also on several occasions secretary and organiser of the Hon. J. O’Brien’s election committees. His later activities included that of an Executive member of the Westland Labour Representation Committee, Labour Representative on the Rehabilitation Committee and Secretary of the “Magazine Page’! of the “Grey River .Argus.’l , He was also Secretary of the Left Book Club and the W.E.A. As Secretary o f the War Effort Committee, he was an active advocate of one hundred percent. war effort by f all organisations, and his work in that direction will be remembered. A clear thinker and a sterling fighter, Jim Scott was always to the forefront of the Labour Movement. Pie was Universally respected and his passing leaves a gap in Labour’s ranks which it will‘be hard to