Labour and Socialists,

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 732, 8 April 1933, Page 8

Labour and Socialists,

Dear Sir, —I would like a little space to refer to the latest activity on the part of the Labour Party. I refer to the ban just placed on the Socialist Party, which has been conducting meetings in Cathedral Square on Sunday afternoons for the last few years. X would like to point out to Mr M’Combs that the Socialist Party has been carrying on the work which the Labour Party has failed to carry on, namely, the spreading of the gospel of Socialism, which is the only gospel which will ever achieve the emancipation of the working class. Mr M’Combs’s statement that the Socialist Party is under the dominance of the Communist Party is absurd; but I would point out to him that it is only a few weeks since it was under the dominance of the Labour Party, and he and his party did not get alarmed with this state of affairs. Perhaps the reason was that Labour Party politicians were then allowed to speak at the meetings referred to. In this connection I should also like to refer to his reference to the Dunedin Communist on whose motion the Labour Party members were excluded from the meeting. It was at this meeting only that this gentleman was present, having attended no meetings since, and therefore it will be seen that he was at the last meeting called by Mr M Cullough and his Labour Party friends only, and at which meeting Mr M’Cullough was chairman, so I hardly think that the blame, if any, can be laid at the feet of the Socialist Party as at present constituted. A political party claiming the support of working men and women which does as the Labour Party does, namely, runs with the hare and hunts with the hounds, is unworthy of the support of working men and women. It is not by their words alone that they are judged, but by their deeds I am. etc.. LEST WE FORGET.