NEW LABOUR PARTY

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 130, 2 May 1940, Page 11

NEW LABOUR PARTY

BRANCH AT WELLINGTON. MR LEE ON POLICY. WELLINGTON, May 2. A public meeting of more than 500 people which crowded out the concert; chamber of the Wellington Town ‘Hall last evening and listened to addresses by the Speaker of the House of Representatives (Hon. W. E. Barnard) and the member for Grey Lynn (Mr J. A. Lee) resolved practically unanimously to endorse the aims and objects of the speakers, formed itself into a Wellington branch of the Democratic Labour Party,', and sent fraternal greetings to the Grey Lynn and Napier branches of the party. About six hands were raised against the motion. Mr P. Connors presided and the other speakers were Mrs Lee, Mr A. H. Carman, for six years president of the Tawa Flat branch of the Labour Party, and Mr A. E, Parker. The meeting also elected a provisional Wellington executive and passed a motion practically unanimously deploring the attitude of the Minister of Public Works (Hon. R. Semple) in “sacking” a man in the South Island because he viewed things political differently from the Minister. Messrs Lee and Barnard were given a wholly, friendly and enthusiastic reception and accorded musical honours.

When Mr Lee rose to speak he was accorded an enthusiastic demonstration. “For the moment the programme we stand for is the programme the Labour Party was elected on at the last general election and is not putting into operation,” he said. “We stand more particularly for the financial clause of that programme, but also for the health clause. The people were promised a national health system, and we say that, even though the present Prime Minister was never in favour of the entire health system the party insisted on, it is his duty to give effect to the promises to the people at the last election. “That policy, which was a great policy, is good enough for us. But we mean.it. We do not believe that there should be a political truce. We fought in one war. Wo were promised a world fit for heroes to live in. We say there are two fronts. We are going to press home and attack on the home front, and build a world fit for heroes to live in:” MR SAVAGE’S REPORT.

Mr. Lee said no one had yet discovered a single instance in his political career when ho had been absent from the front line when Labour was fighting. Referring to “the extraordinary lasu testament” of the late Mr Savage, Mr bee said those who used that statement onlv pretended to venerate the memory of the man. . “I had my differences,” lie added. “I won’t shirk explaining them. I have been reputed to ho a political enemy of Mr Savage, hut I am going to believe that ho died in a spirit of charity and forgiveness, “I am accused of having used a curse, word. Ts there a man in this audience who, when working among men, has not used a curse word about somebody? Will that paragon bold up his hand ? Who was the greatest sneak in the history of New Zealand, who, hearing mo saying something, climbed the hill to whisper it in the ear of a dying riian? Who was it?” .Mr Lee said the waterside delegates at the conference had voted for his expulsion. The men had since repudiated that action. There were about six men, who, with Cabinet, dominated the party to-day. After the people had given Parliament a mandate no group of gangsters should he able - to enn ble Cabinet to avoid putting that ooliev into operation. ' Mr Fraser had said that Mr Barnard could not be trusted to recruit, Mr Lee said. He remembered a pamphlet: in the last war, in which a child said to its father: “What did you do in the war, daddy?” He wondered that Mr Barnard did not reply to Mr Fraser, “What did you do in the last war?”