LABOR AND BOLSHEVISM.

Taranaki Daily News, 21 March 1919, Page 5

LABOR AND BOLSHEVISM.

WHERE NEW ZEALAND LEADERS STAND.

V,*. P. Black, President of the Auckland branch of the National Party of New Zealand, wrote to the Wellington Times as follows:—Recently Mr. R. Seiupie, M.l'., made a very indiscreet speech in Christclnirch in which, he was honest and candid. Tic claimed that were he in Russia lie would be a Bolshevik and fol-' low Lenin .and Trotsky; wer.? he in Germany he would be a Spartacist, and In Ireland a Sinn Fein. He has since ex. plained to another Christchtvreh audience that this was so, but he had made no statement as to what he would be in New Zealand. As a result of this embarrassing habit of Mr. Semple's of blurting out his beliefs there was a natural and justified outcry throughout the country. Mr. MeComb's. M.P.," and the Hon. 3. T. Paul are now very Im.sy on behalf of the so-called New Zealand Labor Party endeavoring to camouflage Mr. Pemple and other comrades, and explain ft war their utterances. Mr. Paul, as president of the perty, has played the leading pari: us the "d.w.le-pnintinsr" artist, and in your columns recently he makes what is apparently inlended'as a repndiathn of Bolshevism, hut which on examination proves to be mere evasion and more camouflage. According to Mr. Paul "the labor partv is p. constitutional party. plcdw! to constitutional memods pnd a de'inite programme." If this is tn ivhyftf« it that Messrs Semple. Holland. a*i Frnser, whose views on "constitutional methods'' are notorious in 'Wellington are at present touring the Dominion on behalf of Mr. Paul's party Has this party also repudiated" the Mnoribmd Worker as its orsran? L' the New Zealand Labor Party still connected Willi the Federation <>t Labor? lie-.uuse only recently the Federation issued a manifesto in which it repudiated Conciliation and Arbitrator, and stated that the only solution of the industrial problem was to '•nationalise" H ll industries■ and hand over (he management of all industries to the workers jngaged in them. If this is not the bed-rock: princinl" of Soviet Government and Bolshevism what is it? At the combig elections what will be dn-mnnde-l from (he srino mid lr.yal workers will h> not merely a votc-calehing nIM Porn, \ V i)i, n „ nbnrdancp of camoufilD". but ahsrlute loyally to the eountvv nnd a di=avownl of all its enemies At present the Bolsheviks, Srarfncisls, and Sinn Fein are nil avowed of ours, and notwithstanding all the protective and dceentivp enlorhvr which mav '"> inpiied. !<nv known svmpp.thiser wii'i them should lie branded as an enemy of this country.