AGAINST FEDERATION OF LABOR.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLVII, Issue 33, 7 February 1913, Page 5

AGAINST FEDERATION OF LABOR.

RIVAL NEWSPAPERS

[PRE3B ASSOCIATION. 1 AUCKLAND, Feb. 6. The Supreme Court to-day was occupied with an action brought by Thomas Walsh, of Auckland, against the New Zealand Federation of Labor and Alexander Gregg, claiming £450 damages for alleged libel contained in the Maoriland Worker of October 4th. Plaintiff was.proprietor of the newspaper Voice of Labor, published in Auckland, and he was also secretary of the Auckland Council of the United Labor party.

The libel complained of charged the plaintiff with travelling to Waikino to organise "scabs." The words used in part were: "We say that in the Australasian Labor party there .is not on record an incident so traitorous or so dastardly. This Walsh, in the sacred name of the Labor party.—fool and knave both—has been associated with-an official organ, rotten to the core, and time and again has wantonly and wickedly spokeii as a credentialled Labor representative in a way that in a reunion movement would see him hanged, and in a movement anywhere elso than in New Zealand would see him drummed out as worse than Judas, as contemptible as all kinds of rats and agents of provocateurs."

Mr. Newton is appearing for plaintiff, and Sir John Fmdlayand Mr P. J. O'Regan for defendants.

The statement of defence set up a justification and pleads that the paragraph in question was fail" comment on the discussion of an industrial question in which Walsh attacked the Federation in violent language.