WELLINGTON CENTRAL SEAT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17427, 23 September 1918, Page 4

WELLINGTON CENTRAL SEAT

MR MACK'S CANDIDATURE. REPLY TO CRITICISM. (Pjje United Pbess Association.) m t> September 21. +l-i!i a i npt , on ' national president of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, has replied to the protest of the Grey Labour Representation Committee l- scd TOte -splitting tactics of ilr Mack, secretary of the society, in stand,?f an Independent Labour candidate -u Central seat- he states tnat Mr Mack became a candidate at the request of a number of workers who have conscientious objections to joining the Labour Party as at present constituted, ine railway servants' society is not a oolitical organisation, and contains men of all shades of political belief. air Hampton takes exception to the suggestion that the executive excrcises_ autocratic censorship over the political opinions of members of the society, especially as the demand of full cnil and political rights for all raihvaymen is a permanent plank of its platform. If Mr Mack should be elected for Wellington Central he understands that it mav involve a reconsideration of his appointment as secretary for the railway servants' society. In reply to a question about tho protest of the local branch of tho Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants against his candidature, and demanding his resignation, Mr Mack said that as the secretary he was concerncd only wtih the society's executive, and his position would come before the executive in the ordinary course.