REMARKS BRING CRITICISM

Southland Times, Issue 24241, 26 September 1940, Page 8

REMARKS BRING CRITICISM

Harbour Board Chairman

NO WITHDRAWAL OF STATEMENT

MR DOYLE DEFENDS SOCIALISM

“I call upon Mr McGregor in the name of common decency and justice to withdraw his highly offensive remarks.” In these terms the Hon. T. F. Doyle, M.L.C., at the meeting of the Bluff Harbour Board last night strongly criticized a statement which the chairman, Mr W. J. A. McGregor, made during an address to the Gore Chamber of Commerce last week. The chairman declined to withdraw his attack on socialism and said that certain sections of the workers in New Zealand were not assisting the country’s war effort.

Mr Doyle quoted the following remarks from a published report of Mr McGregor’s address: —“Our pathway will need watching so that we do noj follow too closely the socialistic steps that have led to the downfall of Belgium and the Great French Empire. This war has shown up the rottenness of socialism in Europe, its treachery, selfishness and greed. This socialism that let France down is now permeating Australia and New Zealand today and it is to be seen in stop-work meetings, and never-ceasing wage demands. Many people here do not seem to realize what Britain is up against in these strenuous days. As Mr Churchill has said: ‘Vigilance must not be relaxed.’

“I take the strongest exception to the chairman of this board making such a statement, and he has in my opinion degraded his high office by the introduction of politics into such an address,” Mr Doyle said. DOWNFALL OF COUNTRIES Nobody knew better than Mr McGregor that the statements he made were definitely incorrect. Anybody who had studied the situation in Europe knew quite well that the downfall of France, Belgium, Holland, Denmark and Norway was the result of the underhand work and treachery of the wealthy and exploiting classes of these countries. They failed to destroy the bridges and spiked the guns, and sold their countries body and soul to the Nazi invaders. Was it not the big industrialists of Europe who put Hitler into power, and financed him to the extent of £1,275,000,000 so that he could rearm Germany against England and her Allies, he asked. “It wasn’t the socialists who were responsible for the tearing up of the Munich agreement, therefore enabling the iron ore exports into Germany to be increased from 75,000 tons to 354,000 tons annually and the socialists didn’t form the ‘Link’ which in November 1938 offered Hitler a gift of £1,000,000,000,” Mr Doyle continued. “When England was fighting with her back to the wall, and Winston Churchill was made Prime Minister who did he call in to help him. Wasn’t it the socialistic leaders of England—the men who will do the job, and bring victory to our Empire? Mr McGregor’s remarks implied that every trade union in this country which lawfully held stop-work meetings, and whose members asked for shorter hours and better working conditions generally, and increased wages to enable their wives and families to enjoy a higher standard of living, was composed of treacherous, selfish and greedy socialists. These remarks, coming from the chairman of the board, which employed nearly 100 workmen and controlled wharves whereby 250 trade unionists earned their livelihood by giving decent and efficient service to the shipping companies, importers and exporters of Southland could only be regarded with bitter resentment and disappointment. Further, his remarks showed an utter lack of appreciation of the wonderful help and loyalty shown by the socialistic Government to the Motherland and the Empire in these dark days of trial and tribulation.

CHAIRMAN’S REPLY Speaking in reply to Mr Doyle, the chairman said he had been invited to give an address to the Gore Chamber of Commerce and he had not confined his remarks to the affairs of the board or to his capacity as chairman. He discussed the important questions of the day as he saw them and as many other persons saw them. “I do not think there was anything objectionable in my remarks because I do not think the present Government is a socialistic Government, Mr McGregor said. “It is a democratic Labour Government and it has found fault with stop-work meetings and agitations made by some sections of the workers. I feel that we have got to watch our pathway because we are in just the same difficulties as Britain and many people don’t seem to realize it. It seemed unfortunate that sections of workers asked for increases at the present time and held up production., he said. Nobody should want to make profits out of the war; the chief aim should be to win the -war. To do that he considered that the country should be on at least a 48-hour week. Just recently munitions workers employed by Booth, Macdonald and Company Ltd. had wanted to work a 44-hour week at the 40-hour rate, but the Government refused them permission. Russia had been upheld as the great example of socialism, but its actions in Poland, Finland and the other small countries which it had scooped up, showed the real policy in Russia. No exception could be taken to good workers, but there was always a section that was looking for trouble, and he did not think there was anything derogatory in his remarks to those workers who were really pulling their weight in the country. He was not prepared to withdraw the statement. “LIBEL ON UNIONISTS” Mr Doyle contended that the chairman had not expressed a private opinion, but had spoken for the board. His remarks were a distinct libel on the trade unionists of the country. Referring to the case of Booth, Macdonald and Company Ltd., he said that when a committee appointed by the Government had investigated the case it had found that eight employees had been engaged on the manufacture of munitions and 18 on the other trading activities of the company, and it appeared that an effort was being made to secure the services of all the workers for a 44hour week. In New Zealand 80,000 men had volunteered for military service and the country was playing a part in the war equal to any other portion of the Empire. “I don’t view the chairman’s remarks as being political as does Mr Doyle,” said Mr D. H. Cockburn, “but I feel that there is a good deal of truth in his timely warning.” If a closer watch had been kept on certain trends 20 years

ago the Empire might not have been engaged in the struggle in which it found itself now, he said. Fortunately there had been a great change among the socialistic section in Britain and the country was now united. He would prefer it if the public .in New Zealand took a more serious view of the situation because he was not very proud of New Zealand’s war effort. _

The adjournment of the meeting was then taken.