LABOR PARTY.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVI, Issue 8186, 30 July 1912, Page 4

LABOR PARTY.

THE ALLEGED LIBERAL CONVERTS.

A special meeting of the Invercarg’ll branch of tho Labor Party was hold at Invercargill on Thursday last to discuss the question of tho alleged conversion of certiii n members of the Liberal Party, who. it has been currently reported, are likely to go over to tho Labor Party. There was a good attendance, and Mr Penny occupied the chair. Mr H. Fairclough moved—" That, in tho opinion of this meeting, it is inimical to tho interests of tho party that any sitting Liberal member during the present Parliament be recognised as a" Labor member, and that it is desirous that euoh attitude bo observed until the next general election, when Liberals whw join tho I.abor Party will have to take their chances at tho ballot with other candidates before they can bo recognised ns Labor members of Parliament/' He said that there was a very great danger to tho cause In these men being admitted as Labor members. A few months back they had fought bitterly against Labor candidates. Messrs Ell, Davcy and Hanan had done this, and they could not be termed Labor members. They had boon largely instrumental in. wrecking tho Liberal Party, and they would do the same to the Labor Party. Labor conferences, year after year, had passed remits, but they had never been given effect to, and Labor had come to the conclusion that the only thing to do was to form a party of its own. These Liberals had fought against that movemoat; but now when tho Labor Party had come into its own, they were endeavouring to come over to it. They were simply self-seeking politicians. Like rats, they were leaving the sinking ship, artd, if allowed, they would wreck tho Labor ship as they had done the Liberal one. They could not possibly bo Labor members until they had been selected by a ballot among the Labor organisations. Mr Ross seconded tho motion. Mr W. J. Healey said that he had had enough of the Liberals. Labor was now his hobby if they could get real Labor members, but they were hard to get. Mr Glass said that the Labor Party in this country was faced with ft difficulty that had had to be faced in no other country. There wore three Labor men in tho House at the present time, and five Liberals were talking of joining them. These Liberals would be referred to by the people as Labor members, and at election time it would be a difficult matter to convince the people that such was not the case. These men when they belonged to the Liberal Party would, when, requested to do so, say that black was white, and that white was black. No member of Parliament could be termed ft Labor member until he had received tho support of the Labor memganisations, and not by merely asserting that be was as good as a Labor member. There was an opportunity here of the Labor Party achieving a similar remit to that obtained in the Common-

wealth; but, if they allowed the movement to bo sapped in the way it was now threatened, there would bo no chance of the party succeeding. Mr Arthur Withy pointed out that, ac-, cording to tho constitution of the United! Labor Party, members who had been returned as Liberals could not be recognised as Labor members. Messrs T. O'Byrne, Leyden, H. bharp and M. J. Forde supported the motion, which, was carried unanimously.