WANGANUI R.S.A. VIEWS ON ATTITUDE TO THOSE WHO ARE COMMUNISTS

Wanganui Chronicle, 16 February 1949, Page 4

WANGANUI R.S.A. VIEWS ON ATTITUDE TO THOSE WHO ARE COMMUNISTS

The opinion that Communists should not be debarred from membership of the New Zealand Returned Services’ Association but that members whose political activities are disloyal or subversive or create disruption o r disaffection in the economic life of the country should be debarred has been expressed by the executive of the Wanganui Returned Services’ Association.

The matter was raised at the last quarterly meeting of members of the association in a letter from the New Zealand headquarters seeking the opinion of the branch on whether Communists should be allowed to remain as members.

Since then the matter has been reviewed by the executive and the following resolution passed unanimously for submission to headquaiLers:

“The executive of the Wanganui R.S.A. is of the opinion that it is not proper to debar a member of the Communist or any other political party as such but it considers that if the polilical or other activities of such member® prove that they are disloyal then they should be debarred from membership, and that for the purposes of the rules of the N.Z.R.SA. a person be deemed disloyal whose activities are subversive or create disaffection or disruption in the economic life of the community. “That the Government be urged to take strong measures against those members of the community who are resonsible for creating both poliftcal and civil unrest and are disrupting the economic life of the country.”

The resolutions will be submitted to the next quarterly meeting of the Wanganui Association for discussion and endorsement.