PROTEST AT PRIEST'S BROADCAST

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 53, 25 November 1937, Page 12

PROTEST AT PRIEST'S BROADCAST

Union Officials' Action ] Criticised TELEGRAM TO MR. SAVAGE The recent telegram sent by two officials of the Westland Tiinber Workers' Dnion as a protest against an antiCommtinist sermon broadcast from St. Gerard's Boman Catholie Church, Wellington, by the Rev. Father K. J>- * Crowe, has caused a controversy in the union executive. At its last meeting the executive disc,ussed the position. Reporters were not allowed at the meeting, but after it was over a prepared report was sent to the union's official newspaper, the Grey River Argus, by the secretary, Mr. F. L. Turley, who was one of the signatories to the telegram of protest, That report stated that the action of the president, Mr. J. Doyle, and the secretary in sending the telegram to the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage, had been endorsed, aud that the Government- and the Federation of Labour were to he congratulated oa the stand* taken — which evidently referred to the announcement by the Di« rector of Broadciasting, Professor J. Shelley, that in future such a broadcast would not he allowed to be made. After this report, a strong complaint was made by, a member of the executive, Mr. Joh'n Rea, claiming that the supplied report was incomplete in tkat it did not mention that both the president and the secretary were to be restrained from sending a similar resolution in future without the agreement of tlie executive, and that the original action of Messrs. Doyle and Turley had been very stroiigly criticised. The official report of the meeting of the union's executive stated: "It was decided that the protest by the president and secretary abotit the antiLahour broadcast matter be endorsed and the New Zealand Federation of Labour and the Grovernment he con-

gratulated on the stand taken." To this, Mr. Rea, as a member of the union, replied stating that at the actual meeting strong exceptiop, was taken to the action of Messrs. Doyle and Turley in sending -the telegram condemning Father Crowe' s broadcast, and asking Mr, Savage to take some action. In the report of the meeting supplied after it hy Mr. Turley not an inkling was given ©f this objeotion, nor was any mention made of a resolutioa piaced on the books restraimng Mr, Turley and the president from over taking such action. -without consulting the executive, Mr, Rea stated. Mr. Turley himself had proposed a resolution that the action of Mr. Doyle and himself in sending the telegram he endorsed. After an hour's discussioa the motion was put and. .carried only on the casting vote of Mr. Doyle himself, one of the senders of the original message to Mr. Savage. The puhlioation of both resolution* was agreed to, Mr. Reft stated, but only the one endorsing the action was put in. the report to the newspapers, which, Mr. Rea said, had been written by Mr. Turley "There is no need for me to emphasise that Father Crowe' s sermon was not an anti-Labour broadcast/' said Mr. Rea, "Every one of the hundred thousand who listened in, also as many more who have since read the sermon, knows it was against Communiam, and that alone. The only reason why the union executive considered the matter at all was that these two .officials took it upon themselves to act as if they were the whole union in protesting to the Government against a sermon that was an attack on Communism. Every listener-in knows that the preacher detended the Labour movement and its principles at the outset." Mr. Rea conclnded his statement by saying: "So much did the secretary omit (from his report) that I felt it my duty to publish the f acts for the information of the union."-