Communists And Labour; Statements As To Control Of Auckland Citv Council

Wanganui Chronicle, 7 September 1950, Page 8

Communists And Labour; Statements As To Control Of Auckland Citv Council

AUCKLAND, Sept. 3, (PA).—"At no time have I had any arrangement or agreement with tlie Communist party, for its candidates are our opponents, the same as anyone else,” said Mr. R. F. Barter, president of the Auckland Representation Committee, today. He called on Mr. A. S. Sutherland, M.P. for Hauraki, to support an allegation he had made in the House of Representatives on Friday that “the Labour Party and the Communist Party had had, secret conferences to take control of the Auckland City Council." Mr. Barter said that if Mr. Sutherland could prove there had been any meeting between him or his parly ;■*. the Communists Party he would give £5O to the Auckland Hospital Auxiliary. He was writing to Mr. Sutherland asking him for proof, or to withdraw the statement and donate £5O to the Auxiliary. "The first intimiation I had of the Communist Party’s intentions in the coming Municipal election was its announcement in the New Zealand ’Herald,’ ’’ said Mr. Barter. Interviewed in Wellington, Mr. Sutherland said his comment in the House did not refer to preparations for this year’s city council elections, but to a poll of 1944, when Mr. W. T. Anderton, was a Labour candidate for the mayoralty. On that occasion there were 19 Labour candidates and two Communist candidates for the council. "The two Communist candidates declared that an agreement had been reached between Labour and the Communist parties and voters were urged to support the 19 Labour and two Communist nominees to make up the full ticket for the council," Mr. Sutherland added. “Mr. Anderton was also reported in the ‘Herald’ as confirming the unity reached between the candidates of the two parties."