J. A. LEE TOLD WHERE TO GET OFF

Chronicle (Levin), 18 June 1946, Page 5

J. A. LEE TOLD WHERE TO GET OFF

-Press Association

HELPED NATSONALISTS LAST ELECTION LAEOUR REJECTS PROPOSALS

By ' Telegraph-

WELLINGTON, June 17. Under tlie headnig* "J, A. Lee j and Uommunist Proposals Unanirnously Kejected," the press committee of the New Zealand Laboiiv Party conferenee handed -a statement to the newspapers tonight. The followmg fiortions of the; aunual rcport by the Labour j Party 's national executive to the ] Party conferenee, it is stated, were j approved unanimously by a sliowj of liands. In February the- national secretary atfended by invitation, ai meeting of the National (Jouneil j of tlie New Zealand Federation of i Lalionr to discuss the question of! uiiity between the Party and the1 Demoeratic Labour Party, raised : by tlie Otago Trades Council. A j statement was niade ])y tlie na-l tional secretary on liehalf of the i Party. It stated that Mr. Lee was j not expcllcd from the Labour ■ Party bocause of any opinions he may have held on finance but beeause of disloyalty to tlie Party. For six years Mr. Lee had done all that was possihle to wrcek tlie Labour Party and Labour Government. At tlie last election he de* iilierately rau eandidat.es not foi'i (he purpose of the Lee Party bceoming the Government beeause he knew that was impossible, but for the specific purpose of assist- 1 ing tlie National Party to gain the j Treasury liencbes. "Ilad he sueeeeded, tlie legisla- j tion sinee last election so benefieial (o trade unionists would not have heen accomplished. The trade union movement itself would have heen trcated with the usual arroganee of a Tory G'overnment, " reads the statement. "llow could Mr. Lee, after nix years of blackguarding the Party and its leaders, cven if he were allowed to I'eturn, turn round and publielv. s npport the Party and its lead ers? The public would rightly judge the man as a hypoerite and the Labour movement guilty o-f political hypocrisy, The very. idea of AFix Lee-"retUrmng would eause di sun ity in the Party. "There is today unity in the Laliour Party and with the eooperation of the trade union movement, we look forward with every confidence to the outeome of the general election," continued the statement. "We will he returncd as the Government in spite of Mr. Holland and all his satellite organisations. " After deliheration hy the council of the federation the following resolution was adopted : — "That in the intorests of the unity of the work ing olass movement, the national council siiggests that the Demoeratic Lahour Party liquidate, the J. A. Lee weekly cease publication, and that Mr. Lee and memhers of the Pemocra.tic Lahour Party apply for memhersliip as ordinary memhers of the Lahour Party." In April a joint meeting of tlie national eveeutives of the Feder.ation of Lahour and Lahour Party set up a sub-committee eonsisting of the president, vice-presiclent and secretary of each organisation, with a view to maintain ing c.loser cooperation between the two organisations. A letter was received from the New Zealand Communist Party requesting-th-at a conferenee he^ arranged. between the. national exec.utives of both parties. The quarterly meeting of the national executive in May resolved "that the conferenee he declined in accordance with the decision of the previous conferenee."