MR LEE’S EXPULSION

Wairarapa Times-Age, 27 March 1940, Page 5

MR LEE’S EXPULSION

DEBATE AT THE LABOUR , CONFERENCE REPORT IN OFFICIAL JOURNAL. SOME VERY PLAIN SPEAKING. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON. This Day. A report of the debate at the annual conference of the New Zealand Labour Party on Monday night, when Mr J. A. Lee, M.P.. for Grey Lynn, was expelled from the party, appears in the party's official journal. Portions of the report follow: — Conference decided to give simultaneous consideration to the confidential report submitted by the Prime Minister on behalf of the Parliamentary Labour Party and that portion of the annual report of the national executive dealing with Mr Lee's actions. The adoption of these two items was moved by the Hon D. Wilson.

At the 1939 conference the notorious “Lee letter” had been condemned, bell, book and candle, said Mr Wilson, and the new national executive had been charged by the conference with dealing with Mr Lee. The executive had decided to give Mr Lee a further opportunity of showing that he was prepared lo abide by decisions of annual conference.

The actions of Mr Lee since then, continued Mr Wilson, showed that neither did he consent to be disciplined by conference nor did he intend to carry out the decisions of the conference. Mr Lee had gone up and down New Zealand defaming the Prime Minister by impugning his sanity and by alleging that he had taken dictatorial powers.

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