STILL IN THE CLOUDS

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14823, 14 November 1913, Page 11

STILL IN THE CLOUDS

TO THB KJITOR OT "TBB FRSSB." Sir,—l am afraid that you are so accustomed to consider - mc a* an opponent, when you consider mc at all, that my impartial and friendly .suggestion of last Saturday has not been met in quite the right spirit. If the proposal made in bit letter were given effect to it would not be any solution of the Wellington waterside trouble, and was not intended as such. There is nothing in it, as suggested by you, to secure the men a pound a day nor anything that would compel the shipowners or others to pay a penny more than the wodc was worth. The existing organisation of workers and the organisation of employers as such S^ o^** 1 & law - In their mutual relationship th C y w bu and -nrfc?™ • uf tOr ? er are *».«« of *?* sellers of labour; ,fche latter are sellers of working rights

and buyers of labour. As a man familiar with the markets you will knowthat there is a point of difference between quotations of sellers , prices and buyers'. Into dealing there enters the higgling of the market, and into this there is frequently introduced an el<y ment known in the vernacular as blult. Now in a dispute such as that begun in Wellington both parties aro indispensable to each other. Shipowners must have wharf-workers to unload and loau their ships. Wharf-workers must nave ships to load and unload. They get out of temper and each party puts up the "bluff" that it won't accept trie terms offered by the other, and the vow is sealed with many oaths on botn sides. Result:.a deadlock-no buyer, no seller. This position is quite com monplace, and but for the ber of men and the «» tereste involved H would attract no public attention. Aβ howevw , the vn_ tereste involved are of such g^ ral porUnce, it is well that everyeffon Should be made to use reason and nu manity in arriving at a m!"*" , "- the tfo'wpownor* and their allies to m,mnriso their immediate losses, and w ; h the hope of frightening the otno party vnto a hasty acceptance of the *?£ Ha'rW Board and tho Govern. Jnt are hocking t™.; the former givinc landing facilities, Jmti providinc an army of armed men to behaviour is not conducive to tyP"----f.,1 discussion on either -side, and only through thought and discussion can yorrr faifure to aPP'W** 6 . , *,™ 8 ?™ „_ apT>ear thnt yotir n-ncer at the 10 " lence of these workine-men tmiv W clouded your n-rcoption of the facts. I however, still hope for yonr siippmt of the reasonable course. If my wew adopts now. one P">bah]y immwliato T«mlt woiild be the calling off of the strike of s oamen and firemen and all the othms not immiKJiately connocted With the handling of cargo. This would be an immetliato relief to the community generally, and tho settlement of the dispute would bo brought measurably nearer. In the end neither party to this dispute is likely to get entirely their own way. Fighting it out is "no more likely to help one than the other. Blind force is not a wholesome factor in tho settlement, and the immediate conqueror by such nv.rms may bo tho ultimate loser. Restrict the fight and let there be an appeal to common-sense now. Patient reasoning may accomplish much. —Yours, etc., H. A. ATKINSON. Christchurch, 13th November, 1913. SYNDICALISM AND THE FEDERATION OF LABOUR. TO THB EDITOR- OF "THE PRESS." Sir,—The New. Zealand Federation of Labour is unquestionably part and parcel of the general syndicalist movement throughout the world; and though it is possible that some of the rank and file of the Fedorationiete of this Dominion do not yet'accept- the whole programme of the Syndicalists elsewhere, there is no doubt that the aims and objects of the leaders of the Federationists and those of the Syndicalists Are identical.

It is important, then, to know, from the Syndicalists themselves, exactly what it is that their movement involves. It is set out in the plainest language in the speeches and reports made and presented at the International Syndicalist Congress recently held in London, which appear in the weekly edition of the London • "Times" of October 3rd, 1913. Tho following are extracte from this report:— "The first International Syndicalist Congress, which was formally opened on Saturday, was resumed at the Holborn Hall on Monday, when Herr Fritz Kater (Berlin) (the president), delivered his, presidential address. *Tho president, in his address, asked the delegates to realise the very good progress made in the syndicalist movement, generally speaking. The . task they had to.fulfil was twofold. First, it was necessary to give a declaration of the principle of syndicalism; to elaborate the principle not only with the idea of extracting benefits, but ultimately of doing away with capitalism entirely. Secondly, they must try to realise the international organisation of the movement. They must lift their minds above the mere national standpoint and realise what the movement meant in an international sense. "Mr J.* Tanner, the English president, presented a report as to the eyndicalist movement in England, in which he stated that there were many Syndicalists in the trade unions. The English workers had, he said, been deluded too long by their 'antediluvian trade union loaders' and the political Labour Party, which was but a 'labour exchange of politicians.' "The business at Tuesday's sitting was devoted to the reading of reports on the position of the movement in different countries. From France it was reported that though the revolutienary organisation was imagined to bo at a standstill, it was not going backwards. It preserved its purely revolutionary aspect, and refused to accept the interference of Parliamentarians. Syndicalism was considered as a driving force against militarism, patriotism, the State, and capitalism, and anything which prevented the march of the movement, In Holland, it was stated, the movement was the outcome of tho lack of results from Parliamentary representation."

It will bo observed that the officially stated objects of the Syndicalists are directly opposed to, not one only, but» several of tho Ten Commandments, and to some of the most sacred principles of the Christian religion. They should, therefore, be resisted by every rightminded person; and what applies to the Syndicalists applies equally to the New Zealand Federation of Labour, as it is nothing but a part of the one worldwide movement. —Yours, etc., * ARBITRATIONIST. WHAT IS A "SCAB"? , TO THE EDITOE OF "THE PRESS." Sir, —Permit me* to call attention to the fact that the popular word ''scab" is misapplied in this country very often. As an instance, the. carter in Auckland that went on with his work was a hero, whereas many of the crowd who wanted bis blood were undoubtedly worthy of the name "scabs." Likewise, Mr "Belcher in Lyttelton, for daring to have a different opinion from some of the unionists, was called a "scab." x really believe the boot was on the other foot. —Yours, etc., ENQUIRER.