THE UNITY CONGRESS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 184, 4 August 1913, Page 2

THE UNITY CONGRESS.

(To Uip ECUor.) Sir, —In a recent issue E. E. Cauham signs this statement: "Mention might bs made of the fact that the national organiser and secretary (Mr. A. McCarthy, of Dunedin) were also present, and they, along with several Congress delegates, denounced Messrs. Carey, E.eardon, Hampton, and .McLaren for their attempts to cause a split, the secretary remarking, 'Well, gentlemen, the Congress decisions are good pnoiigh for mc. 1 have the books of the U.LP. under my arm. and if you want them you will have to come down to Dunedin. Goodnight.' " This is supposed to be a description of what happened at a meeting held in Wellington on July 10th. The extract 1 have quoted is reprinted by the "Maoriland Worker.'' The same issue of that sheet contains a copy of a circular which is stated to have been sent out by "Mr. Arthur McCart'-y. of Dunedin." above mentioned. Here is what Mr. Arthur McCarthy says about, the same meeting: "Mr. Petfard, Mr. O'Byrnc. and myself had already left for the South. ' Mr. Whiting and Mr. McCutlough were not present. Mr. Robertson. Mr. Mills, and Mr. Tregear were in the new body, and did not attend this meeting of the "wreckers of unity." Now. as a matter of fact, neither was at the meeting, and ihe statements of both are untrue.—l am, etc., M. J". REAKDON. Wellington. July 31. ! (To the Editor.) Sir, —it would seem lome that some of the delegates who were present at the late Unity Congress at Wellington would like those whose privilege it was to read the specially condensed reports of the congress, to believe that the dele-: gates were satisfied at the results of the conference. Well, who would suggest they were not? Those who were not satisfied were not masters of their own mind, and 1 suggest that those unions who selected delegates who have not the courage to express their opinions, be they officials of the union or otherwise, that, they place them gently on one side for the future. -Now. Sir. t can justly claim to be satisfied with the result of the conference, and oil these grounds -as a delegate I went to Wellington in the full belief that there, was going to be inaugurated in this; Dominion a genuine ljabour party (pcEtical and industrial)-; that the extremist and the moderate were jgoing to. join issue, with the one supreme object of Unity; that the past and the weaknesses of some of the leading lights were to be forgotten, so that one and all of those delegates who had been selected by their unions to represent them would he able to finally report and advise their members to fall into line. But what a false belief! On the nrst day. those very men who have blown their trumpet at the street corner, and who have occupied much space in., this paper in expounding all the virtues of unity, exposed their hand, and how? By the methods that were adopted to exclude the chosen delegate of the Invercargill Bootmakers' Union I Mr. Hanan. M.1.). The impartial i?) Unity Committee who invited all unions, district councils. Fabian and Socialist parties, and also political leagues to send delegates to their congress, refused to grant this man his credentials because he was not a member of a labour body and I claim they would have shut him out had at not been for the determined efforts of those delegates who were representing unions outside the power of tlie Federation of Labour. Then, again, did those delegates who failed to restrain themselves when they said that there were some in the hall who would be politically dead after the congress—did they mean some of the leaders of the Socialist party, or did they think they were goinjr to have a unity by throwing dirt at tho-e who were known to belong to the moderate section? Then we had Mr. Mcbcnnan's motion that only delegates representing industrial "unions should he allowed to vote on the constitution of the. industrial section. What a broad smile one could see on some of the faces of the L'nity Committee. Happily, there was very little discussion, with the exception that a member of the Unity Committee was the seconder. But what a surprise, there was in store for these earnest gentlemen! Could they believe their own care? 'Well, they certainly looked a bit dazed when Mr. McLennan asked the leave of the conference on the following morning to withdraw his motion. Some said "No," but the great majority said "Yes." Then we had the preamble, and we were told

mo must accept it. Kven Mr. Voting said that those delegates who were not prepared to accept it had no standing in the conference. Unity, indeed! Wp will compromise: wp will do anything to achieve unify: Let us ho one to h'jrlit thp common fop. Yes. liut it u-as lo he -at their price. They obstinately refused to alter tlip words "empfovinn- ela.-i;" to "exploiting das?." and then fought like tigers to retain their Americanised preamble, hut they were beaten by 14 vote?. If the delegates had had their union? in their mind when the climax arrived, it would have been be.atpr, by 140. Many a man vc-ill not dare tell hiV union how hp voted on that occasion. After the defeat, of the preamble, the unit? cry wa? still "No surrender." and ?o on till . the tenth day, .*hen I had to return to my <Jtity. Sir, I tbis letter, as it is my duty to inform my fellow-workers of methods that were adopted to secure unity,—l am, eta, I FTEKTCKuJS. wrr^rjyr