Auckland Unionist Begin Purge of Extremists?

Northern Advocate, 16 December 1938, Page 6

Auckland Unionist Begin Purge of Extremists?

[Special to “Northern Advocate ”] AUCKLAND, This Day. JNTERPRETED AS THE INITIAL STEP IN A CAMPAIGN TO PURGE THE INDUSTRIAL LABOUR MOVEMENT IN AUCKLAND OF EXTREME ELEMENTS IS THE ACTION OF THE DISTRICT COUNCIL OF THE FEDERATION OF LABOUR LAST EVENING, AT A LARGELY ATTENDED MEETING, IN EXPRESSING NO CONFIDENCE IN ITS SOLE REPRESENTATIVE ON THE FEDERATION’S NATIONAL EXECUTIVE, MR T. STANLEY.

' The decision, made on a division of 65 votes to 55, was reached after alniost three hours’ deliberation, and supports the view of many officials in the movement that Mr Stanley opposed a recommendation by the National Executive to the men involved in the Otahuhu railway workshops strike last month to return to work pending an investigation of their grievances.

It is believed that the resignation of Mr Stanley, who is secretary of the Builders and General Labourers’ Union. from the National Executive is bound to follow the Council’s attitude. Opposed Federation’s Advice? The drastic action now adopted by the Council is the sequel to events which developed during the Otahuhu strike.

When a deadlock developed there, the National Executive of the Federation of Labour despatched to Auckland Mr F. P. Walsh, one of their number, to address the railwaymen. and he went to Otahuhu, accompanied by Mr Cuthbert, Mr Stanley, Mr H. Campbell, secretary of the Auckland District Council of the Federation, and Mr T. Anderton, secretary of the Seamen’s Union and a member of the District Executive. It is declared that this delegation, as a first move, met the strike committee, which agreed to adopt the recommendation of the Federation’s National Executive that the men should return to work in the meantime. It is alleged that, subsequently, Mr Stanley addressed the men, saying that he could not recommend them to accept the recommendation of the National Executive.

Successor to Stanley. It is thought that the troubles of the District Council, however, are not yet over, for at its meeting next month it will possibly be faced with the task of determining who shall be Mr Stanley s successor—a man possessing extreme views, or one who counsels moderation, the keeping of the wheels of industry working as smoothly as possible and co-operating with.the Government in efforts to improve the conditions and standard of living of the thousands of workers in the industrial labour movement as a whole. Will Not Resign. An emphatic denial of the charges made against him was given by Mr Stanley, secretary of the Builders and General Labourers’ Union. “My resignation will not follow,” he declared. “When I am put out, I will be out, but I will not take the so-called gentlemanly way of resigning,” he said.

Mr Stanley denied emphatically charges of speaking contrary to decisions of the national organisation on the occasion of the recent railway workshops dispute, and said that overwhelming evidence had been submitted to the meeting substantiating his denial. Neither did the official minutes bear out the charges made against him, Mr Stanley said, adding that the representatives of the unions involved in the dispute were unanimous in this. “I believe that when the trades union movement receives the full facts of the case and discusses them in an unbiased atmosphere, the decision will not stand,” Mr Stanley added. “Red” Baiting Campaign. ‘•The incident, in my opinion, is in consequence of the ‘Red’ baiting campaign launched by interests hostile to the Labour movement in a vain hope of disrupting the trade union movement, and weakening its support for the Labour Government.”