WORKERS’ MASS MEETING

Waikato Times, Volume 125, Issue 20987, 14 December 1939, Page 10

WORKERS’ MASS MEETING

LACK OF REPRESENTATION PRECAUTIONS COMMITTEES (Special to Times) TE AWAMUTU, Wednesday There was a large attendance in the Te Awamutu Town Hall last evening at a mass meeting convened for workers by Mr A. Allen, for the purpose of securing representation on the various committees set up under the Emergency Precautions Scheme. The chairman was Mr C. M. Speedy, who said that the notices stated that the Hon. J. E. Duncan, M.L.C., would preside. However, the impression had got about that the movement was purely political, and the convening committee thought that if Mr Duncan took the chair the meeting might be termed a political one. Instead, those on the stage were workers.

The reasons for the meeting, said the chairman, were to protest against the non-inclusion of workers on the emergency committee. In explaining the scheme the Government said that workers should take prominent parts in the activity. No public meeting had been called by those who set up the committees. Difference With Federation Mr W. J. Waters (Hamilton) explained what had been done in Hamilton, where an energetic Workers’ Emergency Committee had been set up for the reason that no representation had been given them on the various emergency committees. He was convinced that the workers had to combine, for if the necessity arose the workers would be commandeered and would be powerless to act to protect themselves. Hamilton workers had had a visit from Federation of Labour officers, and were told to cease activity, but they felt differently and held another meeting. When their demand for representation on the committee was refused, the Workers’ Emergency Committee was formed. Mr D. Mcßae (Hamilton) made a vigorous speech in which he said that the workers should not be content to confine their aims to getting representation on the local precautions committees, for that would lead to frustration only. They must aim at having a workers’ emergency committee to make counter-attacks on anything assailing workers’ interests. Committee Elected On the motion of Messrs A. R. Allen and F. E. Lehndorf, the recommendation of the convening committee that a committee of 15 be elected with power to add, and that those elected from “the Workers’ Central Emergency Committee” for the specific purpose of obtaining representation on all emergency committees in Te Awamutu, the committee to have the right to select the workers’ representatives, was adopted unanimously. A further resolution was passed to the effect that the mass meeting would support the central committee whole-heartedly and demand representation on the emergency precaution committees. The following were elected to the central committee: Messrs C. M. Speedy, A. R. Allen. F. E. Lehndorf, T. Adams, A. A. Hughes, N. Worthington, J. Grummitt, R. Annibal, F. Roberts. T. Heath, P. Baird, Weightmann. P. Murtagh, R. Westbrook. J. A. Marquis, Dr. K. Hiskens, Mesdames Speedy, Clark, W. Sullivan and J. H. Horaii.