COMMUNISTS AND LABOUR.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 8 November 1924, Page 7

COMMUNISTS AND LABOUR.

* AFFILIATION AGAIN REFUSED. DIVERGENCE OF BELIEFS. LONDON, Sept. 24. In the agenda of the forthcoming annual conference of the Labour i arty there appears what may be considered the official reply of the Labour Party to resolutions demanding the affiliation of the, Communist Party. Severe condemnation of the attitude and policy of the Communists is made in the statement, which, is signed by Mr. C. T. Cramp (acting chairman) and Mr. J. S. Middleton (secretary). It is stated that the affiliation’ of the Communist Party has been consistently refused on the ground that neither its objects nor methods are in harmony with those of the . jLabonr Party. The manifesto contrasts the beliefs held by the, two parties. The Communists, it is pointed out, hold -that pending the speedy conversion of the masses, should the latter disagree to the procedure pf 'their lenders, the correct position is that they should be held down by force, deprived of liberty of speech, organisation. and press, and such expressions in the direction of freedom will be dealt with as counter-revolutionary symptoms. To this the Labour Party replies .(in the manifesto) that it “holds a fundamental objection to tyranny, quite apart from the social, political, or industrial standing, of the tyrant.” In these circumstances the Executive Committee declare that they‘have no hesitation in reiterating tire reqomniendation that the Communist Party affiliation should again be. refused.

That the differences are fundamental and unchanging (the manifesto proceeds) is evident from the fact- that no person with a belief in Labour Party principle® can become ,a. member of the Communist Party. The membership of that party now numbers somewhere about 4000, and these are to be found actively engaged for the moist part in. the ranks of the trade unions and local Labour Parties. Their energy and enthusiasm are undoubted, and their capacity for turning each and every political and industrial, occasion to the advantage of Communist propaganda is as ingenious as, too often, it is unscrupulous. Their purpose, openly avowed, is to scrap our present methods and objects and transform the party into a Communist organis ation. The executive committee does not believe that a.ny' Communist with a shred of political honesty could possibly desire to- pursue this double, policy. There are many Communists, however, who do desire to nursue tho~o tactics, and as, technically, they indicate their acceptance of our constitution and principles, neither affiliated trade unions nor local Labour Parties are in a position to debar them association with the party or curtail tlioir activities to undermine the whole purpose of our movement from within. The actual resolutions regarding the desire for affiliation are:

(I) That such .application be refused ; and (2) that no member of the Communist Party shall he eligible for endorsement a,? ia Labour candidate for Parliament or any Local Authority.