Licensee's Action Against Communists

Chronicle (Levin), 1 May 1948, Page 5

Licensee's Action Against Communists

DUNEDIN, Api'il 30. The Federation of Labour has issueu an official statement concerning tlu delegates who were vesterday asked I.d leave Wain'fc Hotel and were later re instated in consequence of representa lious by Air. F. 1\ Walsh acting 011 be lialf oi' the Federation. The men con cerned were the president and seereta-ry of the New Zealand Water side . Work c.rs' Union (Alessrs. Barnes and Hill) .Mr. Drennan, national viee-president o the nnion and ehairman of the nationa. comniittee of the Communist Partv, and Mr. T. AIcGlinchv, Air. Hill'. uncle, who is a visitor to the eonference of the Federation of Labour. ' Tlie official statement says tliat aftei. signing the register vesterdav the fou; men eoneerned had their lunch and a tliis stage Mr. Drennan was asked to g" to tlie' office. He was . asked hy th lieensee whether he was a Communis and he answered in the affirmative. Hi also told the lieensee he was in Dunedin as a delegate to the eonference of tio Federation of Labour and as a re jiresentatiye of the Waterside Workers Union. "Tlie lieensee," adds the statement "ordered Al ti Drennan to leave and sah 1hat that also went for Alessrs. Barnes Hill and AIcGlinchy, He said he vvouh: please liimself who stayc'd in the hotei and if they did not leave their bag,would he put 011 the footpath and they would he put there, too. ^Wisliing to avoid trouhle, tln statement adds, "the.nien lef't immediatelv and got in toueh with Hoa G. Young, M.L.C., who advised them tliat their evietion was quite illegal. A) hjs request they went to the Central I'oliee Station where the matter was reported. The suhject was referred to the eonference which was gravelv coiicerned. The eonference direote'd the exeeutive to meet the lieensee and iinit out whether the facts were as had heen reported. If they 'Were, steps were to he taken to see that the lieensee did not abuse his privilege by throwing peopln oiit beeaUse of their political opinions.. Tliis was done, and when it was explained to the lieensee that a person onee booked into a hotel was entitlei! ' to remain there for the period of his booking he agreed that the four men should returp. to the hotel. "In issuing this 1 statement the Federation wants to state," it coneludes, ' ' that as it stands for demdcracy it will not sit idly by and see any hotel ; keeper diseriminate agairist. any person beeause of his political views, eolour oi creed." * t