Problems translating map file layers to mapscript

[David Niergarth]

I have a map file layer with the following class:

    CLASS
      COLOR 255 0 0
      LABEL
        FONT "arial"
        TYPE TRUETYPE
        POSITION CC
        SIZE 8
        ANTIALIAS TRUE
        FORCE TRUE
        OFFSET 0 0
        COLOR 0 0 255
        PARTIALS TRUE
      END
    END

When I try to add this layer using the mapscript API (rather than 
including it in the map file), I get labels with an opaque (black) 
background color and outline color. I can change the background color 
but I can't figure out how to make it transparent, which is the effect I 
effect I get when including the above in the map file. In other words, I 
just want to see the type overlayed on top of the map. Can anyone 
suggest why this isn't working? Here my Python mapscript translation of 
the above:

c = mapscript.classObj(layer)
s = mapscript.styleObj(c)
s.color = mapscript.colorObj(255, 0, 0)
c.label = mapscript.labelObj()
c.label.font = 'arial'
c.label.type = mapscript.MS_TRUETYPE
c.label.position = mapscript.MS_CC
c.label.size = 8
c.label.minsize = 8
c.label.maxsize = 8
c.label.antialias = mapscript.MS_TRUE
c.label.force = mapscript.MS_TRUE
c.label.offsetx = 0
c.label.offsety = 0
c.label.color = mapscript.colorObj(0, 0, 255)
c.label.partials = mapscript.MS_TRUE
# Should I have to set these? Can they be made tranparent?
#c.label.backgroundcolor = mapscript.colorObj(255, 255, 255)
#c.label.outlinecolor = mapscript.colorObj(255, 255, 255)

I'm also having to specify c.label.minsize and c.label.maxsize, 
otherwise the labels come out just one or two pixels tall. It's like 
there are some defaults that are assumed in the map file but that need 
to be made explicit in the mapscript version.

Any insights appreciated,

--David Niergarth

P.S. I wonder if anyone has ever written a code generator that could 
translate map file fragments (like a layer) to mapscript API calls? I'm 
discovering doing it by hand is pretty tedious.