R.S.A. DISPUTE.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20456, 8 November 1934, Page 11

R.S.A. DISPUTE.

Attitude of Members to League of Nations. SHARP EXCHANGES. Sharp exchanges over the recent action of three members of the Christchurch Returned Soldiers’ Association executive in leaving a meeting as a protest against the association’s affiliation with the League of Nations Union were made at the half-yearly meeting of the association last night. The question as to whether the union membership included Communists and Socialists, and whether that reallv mattered was hotly debated. Returned soldiers generally had been made the laughing-stock of the community through the action of those three members, declared Mr H. E. Denton. One member of the executive, Mr J- -A- past, had stated definitely that he had left the meeting because the c a £ Ue ations Union was composed of Communists and Socialists. Those three members, because their political opinions did not coihcide with those of Socialists, had made the association the laughing-stock, and that bore hardIv on the men who had to go from door to door asking for work. The three e *ecutive members apparently joined the Prince of Wales and Mr R.A. Cuthbert. a former president of the association and a highly-respected citizen, with Communists and Socialists. The speaker complained that when such contentious matters were discussed the meeting should go into committee. All Shades of Opinion.” Mr B. O. Priddis. one of the executive members who had left the particular meeting, asked Mr Denton whether it was his opinion that the League of Nations Union" was non-political. Mr Denton: The members are of all shades of political opinion. I know a few members of the Communist Party, but I don’t think there is one Communist on the list of union members. “Is the association to be asked to become affiliated to a body that is political ? asked Mr Priddis. “The members are representatives of the Government and are therefore political.” Mr Denton: I protest against the action of three executive members in walking out and walking back again, with the definite statement that the members of the League of Nations Union were Communists. The present Government has nothing to do with why the men walked out. Mr Priddis should have found out if Mr East’s statement were correct before he followed him out of the room. Prepared to Resign. “ Mr Denton is talking through the back of his neck,” declared Mr Priddis. “ I was prepared to resign from the association on the ground that it should not be a member of any political organisation. I know that one or two members of the local union are Communists.”

Mr W. E. Leadley questioned whether the meeting should not go into committee “ before any more foolish statements were made.”

In replying, Mr Denton said that Communists had just as much right to membership of the Returned Soldiers’ Association as had anyone else. The speaker was not a Communist. Some of the best brains of the country, he said, weie behind the League of Nations Union.

The discussion terminated upon the president (the Rev F. T. Read) stating that no good purpose would be served by its continuance.