RIFT IN RANKS.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXIII, 19 December 1925, Page 9

RIFT IN RANKS.

HEARTBURNINGS IN LABOUR CIRCLES. By Cable —Press Association —Copyright Australian and N.Z. Cable Association SYDNEY, December 18. The alleged Nationalist plot to buy Labour members in order to secure a majority to oust the State Government, is still causing much heart-burn-ing in Labour ranks. An official statement issued by the Australian Workers’ Union, says the Labour Caucus should have realised that for the vindication of its honour it was incumbent upon it to call for the resignation of Mr A. C. Willis, Vice-President of the Executive Council, and even send the matter for further action to the annual Conference. , Tho statement declares that when a member of a Government uses a newspaper in his control to give publicity to a story disgraceful to other members of the Government and Party supporting it, and does it without a scrap of proof, then it is imperative that bo should be sternly dealt with. The Caucus would only have been comn’ylng with the barest necessities of the case if it had declared such person unfit to hold a position of trust within the partv. Mr T. R. Bavin, leader of tho Opposition in the House, nslced Mr J. T. Lang, in view of the fact that the Caucus had decided to ■ompel the newspaper “Labour Daily” to withdraw the baseless reflections on Labour members, whether he would see tlw.t the reflections cast on the Nationalists in connection with the case are also withdrawn.

Mr Lang replied that he had enough to do to lead his own party without worrying about the Nationalists. He suggested that it was Mr Bavin’s job to defend his o wn party.