"GROSSLY ALARMING AND MISLEADING"

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 212, 23 September 1937, Page 9

"GROSSLY ALARMING AND MISLEADING"

-Press ABaociation.)

Statement Scouted by Council

(By Telegraph-.

AUCKLAND, Last Night. "There is no truth in the reported suggestion that the control of the Auckland District Council of tho Federation of Labour may fall into the hands of the communist element,,J stated tho press committoe of the council. "We xegard the statement as being grossly alarmist and misleading, ' ' they said, ''and it does not represent the actual position of the council whose menibers are not al&rmed at the prospect of that body being captured by xepresentatives of the communist element. "Members of the Communist Party represent a very definite minority of the officers and executive," they stated, "and for that reason we feel that history will repeat itself when the election takes place next month. We have no knowledge of any communist ticket or any other ticket and we are of opinion that delegates to the council represcnting in the main prominent officers and executive members of Auckland trade unions would not bo influenced by such methods but would exercise their voto in all elections with due regard to the fitness of the candidate to hold office and without regard for his political opinions. "Among the whole of the 51 unions affiliated to the Auckland Trades Council there is not one which possesses a majority of communists among tho membership of the union. The officers, executives and delegates are therefore obviously elected because of the respect which members have for their industrial principles xegardless of their political views. As no one single union, even the most militant, is controlled by communists, we do not see the remotest possibility of that party capturing the council. It is a popular move in some quarters to label a* man a 'communist' immediately he adopts a militant policy in any organisation witji which he is connected." ' . _