PREMIER DEFENDED

Wairarapa Times-Age, 20 January 1940, Page 8

PREMIER DEFENDED

ADDRESS BY MR FRASER COMBINED LABOUR MEETING IN AUCKLAND. PROPOSED DEMONSTRATION APPROVED. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) AUCKLAND, January 19. More was heard about statements Circulated throughout the Dominion in reference to the Prime Minister when a combined meeting was held in the Trades Hall of the Auckland Labour Representation Committee and the Auckland council of the Federation of Labour. More than 250 delegates were present, and the meeting was addressed by the Minister of Health, Mr Fraser. The president of the Trades Council, Mr F. G. Young, presided. The Minister deprecated comment concerning Mr Savage, and spoke of his devotion to duty during the period of his ill health, and the courage in carrying out his responsible duties at this time. He also referred to the desirability of holding proposed mass demonstration of workers in the near future and of inviting the Prime Minister

to speak. A resolution was finally carried endorsing the proposals already adopted by the L.R.C. and Trades Council, for holding a mass demonstration, the meeting promising wholehearted support for the gathering. The question was asked whether the demonstration would be used for attacking any particular section of the working class movement. If such was the intention it was explained that a certain section of the delegates would not be prepared to co-operate. An undertaking was given by the chairman that the demonstration would not be used for such a purpose. One delegate strongly opposed the resolution on the grounds that he could not support the Government’s war policy, which he considered was against the interests of the working class. This evoked a strong reply from Mr Fraser who, it is understood, quoted extensively from a pamphlet issued by the secretary of the Communist Party in Britain setting out the attitude of Communists to the Nazis and favouring war against them following the German invasion of Poland. An animated discussion was followed eventually by a decision to support the demonstration. It was wholeheartedly endorsed on a show of hands, cnly about 20 delegates voting against the motion.