OPPOSITION TO NATIONAL SERVICE

Grey River Argus, 5 October 1948, Page 4

OPPOSITION TO NATIONAL SERVICE

Waterside Officials’ Allegation Against Labour Federation

P.A. . WELLINGTON, October .4. A repudiation of the circular issued last week by the New Zealand Federation of Labour, describing the anti-conscription resolution® by the New Zealand Waterside Workers Union, Executive as unconstitutional and a defiance of the Federation s national council, was made to-day Dy the President of the Union, Mr. H. Barnes, and the Secretary, Mr. T. Hill. By asking its branches to act through the District Trades Councils which were affiliations of the I ederation, with the' object of calling a special conference of the Federation the conduct of the union was strictly constitutional, the statement claimed. It added that the Federation of Labour had no difficulty in calling extraordinary conferences when it saw fit. . . “In February of last year, a special conference was called in an attempt to strangle the 'Waterside Workers Union,’’ the statement says. “There was a putsch against the union leadership. Because of the inherent fairness of the average New Zealand industrial worker, the attack failed. “With this precedent in mind,” the union says, “its is the duty of those responsible to call together the industrial parliament of New Zealand on the peace-time conscription issue. We will urge this through district trades councils.”