WRITTEN DURING ILLNESS

Southland Times, Issue 24105, 19 April 1940, Page 8

WRITTEN DURING ILLNESS

Confidential Report By Mr Savage PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN OF MANUSCRIPT (United Press Association) WELLINGTON, April 18. It was disclosed by the Prime Minister (the Hon. P. Fraser) during his report to this week’s meeting of the Wellington Labour Representation Committee, of which he was one of the delegates to the Easter conference of the Labour Party, that the original manuscript of the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage’s confidential report to the Labour Party Conference had been written during his illness on two sides of a piece of cardboard. Photographs of the manuscript had been taken because it had come to his notice that certain persons were wilfully and maliciously casting doubt on the authenticity of the report, said Mr Fraser, who exhibited two photographs at the meeting, at which there was an attendance of more than 100 delegates. Mr Fraser reported on the work of the conference, which was so tragically cut short by the death of Mr Savage, says the official report of the meeting of the Wellington Labour Representation Committee. Mr Fraser dealt especially with the endorsement of the Government’s war policy and the adoption of a manifesto on the war drafted and recommended by the joint executives of the New Zealand Labour Party and Federation of Labour. Disciplinary measures had been adopted by the party on members of the party associating with the Peace and Anti-Conscrip-tion Council. He pointed out that the decisions of the conference on these matters were now binding upon all party affiliations and members. “UNWARRANTED ATTACK” Mr Fraser also referred to the expulsion of Mr J. A. Lee. He stated that he had voted for his expulsion, which, he considered, was fully justified, particularly in view of the unfair and unwarranted attack which Mr Lee had made on Mr Savage. The report was adopted and the action of the delegates was endorsed unanimously. The decision of the Easter Conference about the Peace and Anti-Conscription Council was read by the president (Mr J. O. Johnson), who said that he trusted all the members present fully appreciated the position, and that no delegate in attendance was a member of that council.

The following resolution was adopted: “That the national executive be requested to give an interpretation of the recent decision of the annual conference about the Peace and AntiConscription Council and what effect the decision had on the Labour Party members who were members of the council and who had now resigned from it.”