The Press Tuesday, February 1, 1927. Labour Moderates and Extremists

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 18914, 1 February 1927, Page 10

The Press Tuesday, February 1, 1927. Labour Moderates and Extremists

In it- .-ino'inl report, ;in <'\frnrt from which we piuii to-day. a large Duncdin trade union complain? of the arrangement. of •• a liasis of industrial " unity" between the Trades and Labour Council-' Federation and tlie Alliance oi Labour. The Trades and Labour Council-, we are told, are "composed of moderate thinkers u hr> " prefer to deal with matters from a

" reasoned standpoint."' The Alliance of Labour, <>n the other hand, is the party of "direct action,"' pursuing extremist ends without regard to sound principle-: »r contractual obligations. What troubles ihe Dunedin union is the fact that "any wron? step" taken by the Alliance reacts against the Labour Party " when election day "come? round.'' The attitude of the Alliance in the recent dispute in the mcat-frec-zinc: industry is cited as an example. " The X.Z. Labour Party," it seems, were out to catch a sub"slanlial portion of support from the '• agricultural ;)n( ] pastoral workers,

both land owners in a small way

"and tho.-e employed by them.'' Fair progress, the union says, was being made in this direction, but this has hern nullified by the Alliance's activities. " Anyone with ordinary common- " sense judgment," it is added, ''could ''have seen that this ill-timed action " was wrong Such actions make " it extremely hard for the N.Z. Labour " Party to make much headway with •' the farming community." The union then goes on to say that between the temperament of those supporting the Trades and Labour Councils and the temperament of tlm AJlianee of Labour there is diametrical opposition, and that if the extreme element did not dominate the political position the Labour Party would sweep the polls. Its littul conclusion is that as Labour under extremist rule has made "no " appreciable progress," it would bo better for Labour if the extremists retired and allowed " the moderate " thinkers to have a turn to see what "they c-an do." This, however, the union docs not expect to see. We have so often urged the Labour Party to get rid of the wreckers who in overy time of difficulty take charge of it tliat we arc bound to sympathise with all real moderation in the ranks of Labour. But the Labour Party would not be much nearer its goal even if the extremists could be got rid of, and the reason for this is almost identical with the, reason for the difficulty that is found in getting rid of them. And the reason is this: that although some of the sub-leaders of organised Labour may honestly and on principle dislike the tactics of the extremists, most members of the Labour Party will heartily Bupport anything the extremists may do which is likely to assist "the cause." And here we come to the root of the matter. For "the "caase" of the Trades and Labour Councils and "the cause" of tho extremists of the Alliance arc practically one and the same. The main difference in temperament between the moderates and extremists is the difference between those who have not, and those who have, the courage of their convictions. The doctrine preached by the two sections is tho same; the extremists are merely tinscrupulous in preaching it and indifferent to the means by which they seek'their end. The moderation which the Labour Party should cultivate its not only moderation in method, but moderation in aim, and until this full measure of moderation is clearly seen in Labour's policy the majority of the public will continue to make little distinction between the two wings of the Party.