“WHY SHOULD N.Z. FIGHT?”

Southland Times, Issue 23992, 6 December 1939, Page 4

“WHY SHOULD N.Z. FIGHT?”

REASONS WANTED BY TRADES COUNCIL

WAR AS IMPERIALIST STRUGGLE

DEMAND TO FEDERATION OF LABOUR

(Special to The Times) GREYMOUTH, December 5. This war is “another imperialist struggle” according to the West Coast Trades Council which at a meeting of 17 representatives of affiliated bodies held at Greymouth during the week-end decided to call Upon the Government to explain the reasons why New Zealanders were expected to fight and to give a definite assurance that conscription will not be introduced. The decision took the form of a remit to the annual conference of the Federation of Labour at Wellington at Easter. The remit reads; “That this Trades Council which represents the organized workers of the West Coast recognizing that the war in Europe is another imperialist struggle for markets and raw materials between capitalist Britain ana France on one side and capitalist Germany on the other and which may involve the whole world with the accompanying slaughter of millions of workers, calls on the Government to make public the reasons for which New Zealanders are expected to fight and further to give a, definite assurance in keeping with its oftrepeated statements that no attempt will be made to introduce conscription in this country. Further, that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the Federation of Labour with a demand that an emergency conference of the federation be called without delay to formulate a war policy and to resist the encroachments on our liberties and standard of living.”