DECISION STANDS

Evening Post, Volume CXXXI, Issue 119, 22 May 1941, Page 11

DECISION STANDS

REJECTED INVITATION

REPLY TO PEOPLE'S MOVEMENT

"The People's Movement has issued a statement expressing regret that the Wellington Chamber of Commerce should reject the invitation to it by the People's Movement to join with the latter in asking that the General Election be postponed and a national Government set up," stated Mr. R. HNimmo, president of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce today.

"The People's Movement says that the decision of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce in this connection will not affect its own effort in this direction. The Wellington Chamber of Commerce, by its decision, had no intention of affecting the proposed action by the People's Movement in this matter.: If other organisations— political or party-political—want to have the General Election postponed and a national Government set up, then the Wellington Chamber of Commerce has no desire either to. stand in their way or to assist them. My chamber does resent, however, the suggestion by the People's Movement that our decision in the matter is retarding the war effort. We are just as concerned about the war effort as the People's Movement —perhaps more—but the plain fact of the matter is that the ■ Wellington Chamber of Commerce, as a body (quite apart from what opinions its individual members may hold on the subject as private citizens) does not see as coming within its province the question of taking sides on what is a party-political subject. CHANGED SITUATION. "It is the case that the Associated Chambers of Commerce of New Zealand waited on Cabinet last year and asked it to form a national Government. At that time, however, the General Elections were a long way distant, and did not enter the picture at all. The ground has changed today; the proposal that, is being put forward is that a national Government should be formed so as to obviate the General Election. This proposition is obviously not on all fours with that which was made to the Government last year by the Associated Chambers of Commerce. Today, in view of the different issue, which is of a partypolitical nature, the Wellington Chamber of Commerce—and the Associated Chambers of Commerce likewise—is not prepared to declare one way or the other. That ought to be understandable to the People's Movement, without necessitating the lecture which the People's Movement has chosen to deliver to the Wellington Chamber of Commerce on the subject. The decision of the Wellington Chamber stands."