"CALLING THE TUNE"

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVI, Issue 57, 4 September 1943, Page 8

"CALLING THE TUNE"

TRADE UNIONS

MR. APPLETON'S CRITICISM

Some hard-hitting was indulged in by Mr. Will Appleton, National candidate for Wellington Central, at his meeting in the St. John Ambulance Hall, Vivian Street, last night. He said he had come "forward as a New Zealander in this election to assist in removing the blight of Socialism that- had settled on the Dominion. Between 200 and 300 people were present, and the meeting was presided over by Mr. H. R. Searle. A vote of thanks to and confidence in the candidate was carried almost unanimously. Many of the statements Mr. Fraser had made had dealt with the past, said Mr. Appleton. What the National Party and the people v/ere concerned about was the future and in backing up the men and women of the forces. Mr: Fraser had quoted from Abraham Lincoln, but Lincoln had also said that all the people could not be fooled all the time. The people of New Zealand were not so gullible as they, were five years ago. Mr. Fraser had also endeavoured to dodge the. responsibility for the election. "I want to be perfectly fair to Mr. Fraser," continued Mr. Appleton, "because I really believe that all along Mr. Fraser himself has been in favour of a real united Government for the period of the war* but, unfortunately, this country is not ruled by Parliament today at all; it is ruled by the Trades Hall caucus and the Easter conference of the Labour Party. They are the people who call the tune, and so Mr. Fraser himself was powerless." In his opinion, Mr. Fraser, after his return from Great Britain and after seeing what Mr. Churchill had done there, had 'missed a wonderful opportunity in not forming a truly national Government. BLAME FOR ELECTION. Mr. Fraser was trying now to suggest that' the National Party was responsible for the election because Mr. Holland and his colleagues had left the War Administration.. No self-re-specting man could have accepted for two seconds the attitude adopted by the Labour leaders. Mr. Appleton contrasted statements by various Ministers in connection with strikes .at Westfield, Pukemiro, and at Woburn with the attitude they had subsequently adopted. Then, too, when Mr. Holland had endeavoured to have a proper investigation made into the costs of defence construction he had been frustrated and the censorship had been used to prohibit publication of a statement Mr. Holland had prepared. The' position ~:was so flagrant that the Auditor-General in his recent report to Parliament had drawn marked attenl tion to it. He did not. suppose there was a more damning indictment of any Government and lack of administration and proper accounting methods than was contained in that report. It was a shocking thing. The Government had taken steps during the recent session so that accounts could be investigated. It would have been far better if the Government had availed itself of> some of the accountants who were in the' forces to carry out an overhaul and so institute a better sys-. tern of control of expenditure. .

'■' In contrast to the Government's attitude, Mr. Holland's proposal .was to invite all members, irrespective of political affiliation, to unite with the Nationalists in prosecuting the war to a successful conclusion. (Applause.) The National Party would not bring down any contentious legislation, particularly legislation in the fuise of war requirements. 'The present Government had never/given the National Party a chance to unite with them in Tegard to the war effort; it had tried to carry on the war with a War Administration and a domestic Cabinet;

Dealing with the question of freedom of the individual, Mr. Appleton declared that there had never been a Government which had brought down more legislation and restrictions that were the very negation of freedom than the Labour Government. No one had any freedom at all in New Zealand today. A voice: Rubbish! ' "They talk about justice," continued Mr. Appleton. "Well, I suggest that it is about the last word they should use in connection with their policy in view of their record over the last few years. . ..;■.": N . VALUE OF THE POUND. Much was heard of increased wages paid/under; the Labour Government. The Labour leaders referred to the cuts that had been made by the previous Government, but no Government in New Zealand's history had done more wage cutting than the Labour Government. A voice: Oh, rats! . ; "I'll tell you why—the purchasing power of the pound today is about 12s 6d," said Mr. Appleton. "After all, the value of money is only what you can' get for it. The Labour Government is the Government which put in the wage cuts. (Applause.) On top of .that the people have to pay tax of 2s 6d in the £. They promised wonderful! benefits free, but you know only too well that you are paying through the nose for them today." "TRADES HALL DICTATORSHIP." Mr. Appleton dealt at some length with "Trades Hall dictatorship." Mr. James Roberts, said Mr. Appleton, who was "the uncrowned king of New Zealand" and who "drew £1250 a year from the public purse," had made a statement to the Easter Labour conference in 1940 to the following effect: "The rank and file of the party must not allow M.P.s to behave themselves exactly as they please. . . .1 appeal to you delegates to keep control over your Parliamentarians. We sent the M.P.s to Parliament to do a job. If they won't do it, we will get men who will." . .

Mr. Appleton quoted two. letters which he said had been sent by union secretaries to employees, one a factory foreman, and the other a girl worker. The first letter was: "I have been directed to compile a list of factory employees who are now employed in factories Wjhich have not been declared essential. - Your factory is one of the few, and as you are not complying with the law as to being a financial member of the above union, I am asking you to comply with this at your earliest. When this was explained to the women they complied with the law, and I am asking you to do sb. Mrs. —— will enrol you if you make the application to her, or you may pay your entrance fee, or sub., direct into the union office. If this is not complied with ami right in assuming that you are defying the law, and agreeing that I should put into operation the executive decision? Kindly treat this urgently." •

The text of the second letter, said Mr. Appleton, was: "I am preparing a list of factory employees who are employed in factories which, have not been declared essential, as'there is an acute shortage of female labour, and the man-power officers require a number 'of women workers in the meat and vegetable canning factory, the bolt-making factory, paint factory, margarine factory, and attendants at the mental hospital. As you are employed in a-non-essential industry and you are not complying with the labour laws, and; as you are not a member of the above union, have you any objection if I include your name amongst the compiled list for transfer to one of the above factories. My executive has directed me to forward the names of all non-unionists to .the .man-power officer unless they join up in the union immediately. has kindly consented to enrol employees in your factory, as there are now only three who have, not joined up, and I would ask you to join up at once and save me a most unpleasant job."

• Mr. Appleton described the letters as amounting to blackmail and intimidation. It was diabolical that such letters should be allowed to be sent out

A voice: Nazism.

Mr. Appleton also alleged that the Government was being used to put through regulations to meet some of the demands of trade union officials.