LABOUR NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 235, 3 October 1936, Page 13

LABOUR NOTES.

UNION ACTIVITIES. (By INDUSTRIAL TRAMP.) UNION MEETINGS FOR THE WEEK. Monday, October ij.—Shipwrights, Hairdressers, Htoronien's Executive, Brickworkers, Tuiloiis (committee). Tuesday, October C.—Seamen (monthly stopwork). Drivers, Storemeu's Executive, Engineers. Wednesday. October 7.—Auckland Carpenters, Local Bodies' Labourers, Onehunga Carpenters, Tramways (a.m. and p.m.). Bakers. Thursday, October B.—Trades and Labour Council, Caretakers, Liftmen and Cleaners, Flourmillers.

. I A TRADE UNION PLAY. i' Somewhat of a novelty to Auckland , audiences is promised in tlie shape of a play, the theme of which is trade union ■ activities centring round a union meet- . ing, to be produced by the Auckland branch of the W.E-A. for October 17 to : October 24. The title of the play is "Waiting for Lefty," and the choice of ■ it was partly in consequence of the , W.E.A. mass meeting of trade unionists held at the Trades Hall in July last. The play is by Clifford Odets, a young , American playwright, whom "The Times Literary Supplement" lias termed "the outstanding playwright of the movement —one might almost say—of the moment." Several well-known local trade unionists are in the cast.

MANUKAU RETAINED. Polling day has come and gone, and in spite of the unsolicited and freely offered advice of the Reform Press to bring the Government up with a round turn and to place a further check and watch on its actions by voting for Mr. Doidge, the electors by over a two to one majority have chosen Mr. Osborne. Prom the outset it was realised that it would be a hard job to create the same interest in a by-election as in a general election, where enthusiasm sweeps through the Dominion like an epidemic, but Manakau generated the enthusiasm on Wednesday and a big poll was the result. I put in the day at Te Papapa and as one voter put it: "The main street is more like Melbourne than I have seen it before."

The usual handicap to Labour in an election is shortage of cars to get people to the poll, but such was not the case on Wednesday. With Mr. D. Wilson, National Secretary, in charge, and his numerous deputies to attend to the details, everything went "according to plan." Hundreds of Labour men and women devoted the day to canvassing the votes from house to house, followed by cars to pick them up. Over 100 cars were at the disposal of the party from the city and suburbs, all free. My own ear was numbered So, while one, No. 16, came from as far afield as Te Awamutu with its lady driver. One big transport firm placed all its cars at the disposal of the Labour candidate for the day, free of cost, so no wonder the voters got early to the poll in such numbers.

It has been said that both candidates were outsiders to the electorate, but that is hardly correct, for in his early days Mr. Doidge was a resident of Onehunga, while Mrs. Doidge, as a member of an old and respected family in that town was born and brought up in Oneluinga, but thnt fact made 110 difference 011 the day. Seats in the Old Country have been won "by the distaff," but Manukau votes according to its convictions, and not according to sentiment. It is claimed that the Labour majority of last November has been reduced by 900 odd votes, but on comparing the percentage of Mr. Jordan's tally to the votes cast, 70.22, with Mr. Osborne's 68.27 011 Wednesday, the point claimed is trifling. Satisfaction lies in the fact that Mr. Osborne's majority was more than two to one and practically a record for a by-election.

CHANGE OF TITLE. In view of the great activities on the part of unions to be registered under the Industrial Conciliation Act, the following, taken from "The Standard," is interesting:— "Due to the restrictions imposed on the activities of the Wellington Industrial District General Labourers' and Related' Trades Union by the legalities and formalities of the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act, the union has now been registered as a trade union under the Trades Union Act, stated Mr. P. M. Butler, secretary of the union, in conversation with 'The Standard.' "Mr. Butler stated that the title of the union was now the New Zealand Municipal and General Workers' Union, incorporating the Wellington Labourers' and Related Trades Industrial Union of Workers. This trtle and registration under the Trades Union Act would give the organisation authority to extend its field of operations. It would also enable the union to assist workers in a manner which could not have been achieved under the I.C. and A. Act."

PROPERLY EDUCATED. In my rounds at Onehunga on polling day, one fair opponent rather startled me by advancing her opinion that Mr. Jordan was not properly educated to represent New Zealanu with credit when ho was among the nobility at receptions in England. I pointed out that such a duty was only a siue line, compared with the more responsible functions that Mr. Jordan was sent Home to carry out, and that before his departure Mr, Jordan expressed his confidence in being able worthily "to wear the kneebreeches if required, as comfortably as he had worn the 'bowyangs' in the 'past." Labour does not consider a university education as absolutely essential to carrying on the work. A glowing tribute to his colleagues in Cabinet was paid by the Hon. R. Semple when responding to the toast of the Government at a 40-hour week celebration by the workshops employees of the Wellington tramways. "Without boasting—for I have travelled and I know what I am talking I about —I can say that in mental make-up | the members of our Cabinet are the | equals and more than the equals of any statesmen anywhere in the world," said Mr. Semple. "Not one of them possesses an Oxford or a Cambridge training—their university was the university of the world, and their master was the hard knocks of experience.

"And. that is the best university of ' all because, as a" man battles with the storms of adversity, he learns things that could never be learned in a college. When he is called on to face human problems that experience stands him in good stead.' "In that battle with adversity a man develops courage well as gaining experience. If he did not posses-; "*ourage he would flinch at the first difficult problem that faced him, "I can flay of my colleagues in Cabinet that there is not one of them who is quitter. Not one of them will ever stoop from principle for expediency," concluded Mr. Seruple.