ORGANISING LABOUR.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 196, 18 August 1913, Page 6

ORGANISING LABOUR.

THE NEW TJ-TITED FEDEBATION. ITS AIMS AXD iDBAIfi. If the opinion of the Hon. G. Fowlds that there will be two Labour parties' as well as a Liberal and a Conservative party, m the field ~t - !u . next general e.ection be true »_ f. lr a3 it concerns the United Labour p«,:y, it will appar . ently be equally line «., far as it concerns the L'nited l-'cderalion of Labour Ihe United Federation cf t_ bour ~-_" prises practically all ihi.-ge unions which were formerly H'l.icr the Hag of the federation of Lnb.uir. with .undrv recruits from the -Socialist party, horn the L rated Labour party, and from hitherto independent unions. Ir presents a dual organisation—an industrial section and a political section. 'Ihe political section is called the *-r,-ial Democratic party, and it was to gain recruits for the Social Democratic party that a mass meeting was held in the Opera House last night.

The very large audience carried a motion approving of the prc-gramme of the United Fedeiation of Labour, with its "social democratic section, only two votes in tlie -..hole building being recorded against the resolution. Messages of greeting and goodwill were received from .Mr. P. C. Webb, M.P. for Grey, and from Mr. Edward Tro.ge.ar.

Recent criticism of tlie constitution of the United Federation of Labour, from the point of view of the United Labour party, has been directed against the influence of the •■industrial section" in the United Federation, and against an alleged right placed in the hands of the executive council to call a general strike at will. Many of the speeches last night were directed to the clearing up of misunderstanding on these points.

Mr. M. J. -Savage presided, and the speakers were: Messrs. E. E. Canham (Waterside Workers). R. F. Way (Social Democratic party). E. J. B. AHen (General" Labourers). W. S. Moxsom (executive United Federation. Miss M. Glyde (Women's Prorrres,sivo League). P. H. Hickey (genera! secretary"U.F.L), T. Bloodworth (executive United Federation). H. Scott Bennett (Socialist party) and Wesley Richards iHencral Labourers). Various aspects of the Unity Congress were dealt with and reference made to misunderstandings. .Mr. Canham said that be had not expected all bickerings to cease: there was a certain minority that could not be expected to coalesce; but he did expect delegates to report io their unions on the lines of their speeches at the congress.

What struck Mr. Way most was the representation at the congress of men of the rank and file as contrasted with the days when secretaries and other paid officials did all the thinking for the union. Mr. .Mien urged the workers to "get inside the movement" and mould it into a fighting force. Mr. Moxsom declared empbatic—lly that the Federation was not fomenting strikes. He detested the strike, hut if, under existing conditions, an immense injustice was perpetrated, and no redress could be obtained, what else was there to do? Il was the only weapon left, the only thing the worker owned—the ri_ht to withhold iii-s labour. - Mr. Hiikev esp>.iiied that nine-tenths of the "strike clause was designed to orevent strikes. There must be organisation to prevent unthinking men from, hoppinr- o:u on ftrike here, there, and everywhere e.iv.t then calling out for help. The "central executive must have certain [lower, but there was a right of referendum nt any time on any question.