MOTUEKA DISPUTE

Wairarapa Daily Times, 15 September 1936, Page 5

MOTUEKA DISPUTE

HON. R. SEMPLE’S REFERENCES,

COMMUNIST PARTY REPLIES

In reply to the Hon. R. Semple’s references to his disagreement Avith workers on the Motueka aerodrome job, the central committee of the Communist Party of NeAV Zealand yesterday issued a statement, of Avhieh the folloAving are the principal'relevant parts: — “Mr Semple makes the statementj ‘To suggest that I have victimised men because of their trade union principles is an infamous falsehood.’ The facts are that five of the Motueka Avorkers were sacked from the job subsequent to the dispute, and avc believe Avere informed that they Avould never again be employed by the Public Works Department. Among those sacked Avere the local branch secretary of the union, the local vice-president and the check inspector. .From the pay-slieets of the five men thus A'ietimised it appears that they Avere among the best Avorkers on the job. This should be knoAvn in vieAV, of the attempt of Mr Semple to make it appear that only one man was sacked, and this for reasons not connected with the dispute. “Mr Semple says the campaign of criticism —he uses the Avords haic and slander’—has been instituted by the Communist Party. We have criticised Mr Semple for his anti-union stand in, the Motueka dispute, and for his threats of concentration camps, etc. HoAvever, Ave Avish to make it clear that there never Avas a member of the Communist Party on the- Motueka job. At no time did the Avorkers at Motueka criticise the Labour Government nor the rates of pay provided by the Public Works agreement. The Communist Party made no public statement on the dispute at Motueka until after Mr Semple had used the columns of the daily Press to threaten and abuse the Avorkers of Motueka. “Mr Semple would lay the blame for criticism of his actions on the Communists. Would he say that the tAvo thousand members of the Auckland Carpenters’ Union are Communists? Would Mr Semple say that the members of the other organisations, some of Avhieh are a part of the Labour Party, are. Communists? We submit that the reasons for the criticism arise from a more profound cause than the actions of the Communist Party.”