Communists at Work?

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 52, 24 May 1927, Page 13

Communists at Work?

“WHITE ANTING” IN UNION FREEZERS’ SECRETARY RESIGNS C Special to THE SUN.) CHRISTCHURCH, Monday. pointed comment on the Communist influence in Canterbury Labour Unions was made to-day by Mr. F. C. Ellis, when announcing to THE SUN his resignation of the secretaryship of the Canterbury Freezing Works and Allied Trades Union, after 18 years’ service.

Mr. Ellis was asked to resign by a small but noisy Communistic section in the union, and although the executive refused to adopt the recommendation of this faction, he has decided to vacate his position. “There are approximately 2,000 members of the Union in Canterbury,” said Mr. Ellis, to a SUN representative. “but not more than 150 are backing the agitations to remove me from office. For a couple of years this small section has been leaving no stone unturned to undermine, by various methods, my authority as secretary; yet at the recent ballot, out of 2,000 odd, the section could poll in all only 459 members who were dissatisfied with my administration.

“There are very few members who are Communists, but what few there are are very active. They will all deny membership of. the Communist Party; but they are carrying out faithfully the policy of that party by ‘whiteanting’ in all meetings and in factories.

“They will resort to any methods that are scurrilous and hypocritical, and for a time seem to be able to get a following from some members who are carried away by fine phrases. These attacks made on officers like myself are not new and are a constant phase of the life of a prominent official. Their methods have got to be exposed, and the rank and file of the union must wake up, otherwise they will find this minority section in control some day.” PRESIDENT’S REGRET The president of the union, Mr. O. J. Parker, said that the union greatly regretted the decision of Mr. Ellis. Mr. Ellis had built up the union during his tenure of secretaryship from a body embracing the freezing-works men only, to one which included related trades such as fellmongering and by-products work. He had done a great deal of work —more than he was given credit for—in the Arbitration Court, and after a few years the union woulcL realise what a valuable man it had lost. Support in the union for Mr. Ellis was very strong, and a meeting had been held in Islington, at which about 380 men were present; and about 340 of these men had passed a motion asking Mr. Ellis to reconsider his decision. Asked his opinion of the Communistic element in trades unionism, Mr. Parker said that “white-anting” was common in industrial and political fields in Australia; but he had not had much experience of it in New Zealand. Mr. Ellis had a better knowledge of the extent of Communism in the union than he had himself, for Mr. Ellis went round all the factories and he knew all about the organisation as a whole.

“If ‘white-anting’ becomes strong in New Zealand it will wreck trade unionism, as the Communists are not out for the good of the rank and file, but for their own selfish political ends. F do not wish to make fuller comment than this upon the resignation of Mr. Ellis at present; but I am sure that this business will clear the air and wake up the rank and file.”