"POISON OF COMMUNISM"

Chronicle (Levin), 6 October 1947, Page 5

"POISON OF COMMUNISM"

(N.Z.P.A.-

Reuter *

Conservatives Declare War On Reds lnfritain .

Copyright)

Eeceived- Sunday, 8.50 p.m. . LONDON, Oct. 5. The Conservatives have: officially declgred war against Communism in Britain. This is one of the main political decisions of the- party 's annuaf conference at Brighton; More than any other suhject'this feeling of antlCommunisin dominated the interest and feelings .of the rank" and*1 file. or the delegates. . * It seemed-.to ta-lce those on the plaU form rather by sprprise- just as last year at Blackpool- the demgnd from the floor for a policy took( them unawares. This is not to say that the party leaders on the platform do not regard Communism with equal distaste and" antipathy, particularly as they believe that over Europe this winter will hang the brooding fear as to whether France and Italy will swing over tQ Communism,, thereby paving the way for a iirmer Soviet footing in the Mediterranean, Greece, the Middle East and North Africa. Though the delegates no doubt had this thought at the back of' their minds too they were more immediately concerned with "the poison of Commun ism" which they believe to be seeping throughout Britain. Though the conference willinglj agreed to the suggestion of Lord Delisie" and Dudley and Mr. Henry Strauss that their .iight should be against both Com munism and Fascism, their preoccupation was obviously with the former. From the verv start of the conference this strong undercurrent of intense and the utmost emotional feeling of anti totalitarianism was plainly discernible. It was the main line of attack against the Labour Government and was endorsed by Mr. Churchill in the closing hour of the conference when he declared: "On every side and by every means machinery for a totalitarian grip upon British society is being. built upand perfected. One could almost wonder whether the Government do not reconcile themselves to the economic misfortunes of our eountry to which their mismanagement so notablv contributes because these misfortunes give the pretext of establishing- even more controls and even larger bureaucracv. They .make mistakes whieh make tliings worse. As things get worse they claim. more power to set them right. Thus they move nearer" to the scheme of the all powerful State in -\vhich the individual is a helpless serf or pawn." It appears at the moment that whatever they may feel or not feel about their policy as outlined in the Industrial Charter, the Conservatives' ehiet plan in their next electioneering programme will be one of freedom versus dictatorship. The Conservatives made it quite clear at Brighton that they had no doubt about the influence exerted ou the Labour Party by the Trade Union Congress and that they see Communist influence riddling. the trade unions, "From Horner (coalminers' leader) at the top right down throughout tliQ organisation. ' ' Thev believe the sliop. stewaTds, a large number of wliom are Communists, are regarding unoflieial strilres as a rehearsal for a general strike. They flnd not two but nearly forty communists in the House of Commons when "fellow travellers" are counted. They discern Communist influence not only in factories and workshops but in the sehools, the radio, the press and' films, and they believe the Communist policy- is to hinder and impede every step likely to lead to Britain's national recovery. Though many delegates felt that Mr. Andrew Fountain's speeeh Avas too intense and emotional there is no doubt that this tall dark young farmer, whose mother formerly lived in Havvke's Bay, provided the sparlc to set alight the ieelktgs on this subject. At the same time the conference was quick to dissociate the party from any suggestion of anti-semetism and equally carefu. not to let it be thouglit that there was any intention of influencing the Dominions in combating the anti-demo cratic forces except by example, There was thunderous applause when the debate ended with Mr. Htrauss declaring that the subject was the most vital one to come before the confer; enee, and adding: "It is time we stopped asking what the Communists wrant. It is time we started showing what the Communists are doing."