THE WATERSIDE WORKER.

Auckland Star, Volume XLV, Issue 16, 19 January 1914, Page 9

THE WATERSIDE WORKER.

(To the Editor.) Sir, —Will you kindly permit mc epace in your valuable paper to complain about the unjust treatment meted out to a section of 'by the officials of the new union J I refer to that section who possess first-class references las to character and -ability,- whose opinions are favourable tdjwards the I.C. and A. Act, and whoso -on-iy "crime" was to do what thousands of avowed arbitrationists have done recently—cease '\vork. Tlheee men have applied for admieeion to the officials of the new union and have been rejected, and thereby prevented from making a livelihood for themselves and those depending , on them. If the officials of the new union persist in rejecting euch men ac these, they ■will be doin£ an injustice, not only to the men, but also to the employers, who, for the most part, are quite willing to reinstate them. Furthermore, they (the officials) ■will be penalising innocent women and children for no fault of their own. They sborild use a little more discrimination and be-a little leas revengeful when they again decide to receive applications.—l am, etc., JUSTICE.

(To the Editor.) Sir, —The sub-leader in your issue of the 10th inst—wherein you protested against the unjust and untenable (if not illegal) tactics used by the officials of the "new Arbitration" Union of Watereiders against the old watersiders recently on strike —was, in my opinion, not only opportune, hut was likewise a valuable protest against coercive and tyrannical acts engineered or winked at by such staunch upholders of " lawn order" as "new" Unions, Labour Department officials, Harbour Boards, employers' associations, etc. I have, since the appearance of your sub-editorial as quoted—been patiently waiting for a change of tactics towards the old "watersidere, from. say. either the new Union officials or the Labour Department, but I wait in vain, apparently. It is a significant fact that the president of the new union is an ex-I-nspector of Awards, and as such should know the Arbitration Act from A to Z; notwithstanding which repeated non-compliance with both the Act and the Union's own rules occurred between the 22nd and 31st. ult, if not'since. In any case the laws of equity and justice are still being abrogated. On Thursday, loth inst., eight men who had been denied admission to the new union, but who 'had secured work on the waterfront, were sacked instantly on the demand of the new secretary. An equally strange thing is the apathy of the Registrar of Industrial Unions under the Industrial, Conciliation and Arbitration Act, when it becomes a question of registering a bona fide Arbitration Union. On Wednesday, 7th inst.. a number of members of the old Trade Union of waterside workers, who for obvious reasons (because they were debarred membership) could not conveniently belong to the new union, made application to register as the Auckland Coal and Cargo Workers Industrial Union of Workers. Their application is still being considered, although when a. new union requires registration during industrial turmoil the matter can be comfortably dealt with in less than half the time. Organised labour is beginning to realise the suicidal nature of its past policy, and as the salt of the earth, must and will remember and profit by past experience, especially in view of the recent expositions of law 'n order among the strikers, throughout New Zealand, not to mention the present position in South Africa. I trust and believe that the workers will strike at the ballot box against a government that has proved a committee of management for the organised employers, and I hope that they will equally insist on clean, soma, industrial organisation, and thus prevent sections of workers being used against each other either in industrial peace or war. — Yoare, etc^ E. E. CANEtAM.