LABOUR'S UNION SUPPORT

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22392, 4 May 1938, Page 10

LABOUR'S UNION SUPPORT

CLERKS WITHHOLD AFFILIATION ORGANISATIONS HAVE 19,000 MEMBERS EACH INDIVIDUAL SUBSCRIPTION NOT COMPUI.SORY Only one major union—the Clerical Workers' Union —has not joined the Labour Party in Christchurch. The last big union to join the North Canterbury Labour Representation Committee was the Retail Shop Assistants* Union, with a membership exceeding 2000. The Labour Representation Committee and the Federation of Labour have a membership of mora than 19,000 each. Before their merger, under the industrial unity movement, into the Federation of Labour, the Alliance of Labour and the Trades and Labour Council possessed a joint membership lest than one-half that now claimed by the federation.

"We-expect that our membership will further advance this year, as the strength of the unions is increasing and other unions are coming in," said Mr R. M. Macfarlane, secretary of the Labour Representation Committee. No invitation had been given to the Clerical Workers* Union to join the Labour Party in Canterbury. . No levy on the individual members of the unions which had affiliated had been made, said Mr Macfarlane. When unions were appealed to, they gave as they thought fit. "No levies are coming direct from the members of the union and no compulsion has been exerted on any member to pay his quota." Questioned as to the law governing the use of union funds for political purposes, Mr Macfarlane said that the law as amended by the Labour Government was quite plain. The unions could use their funds for any political object they desired.

Use of Funds It was suggested to Mr Macfarlane that the English law required that the member of any union affiliated to the English Labour Party had to "contract in" to subscriptions to the political fund. He replied that no such question had arisen in New Zealand, the unions being given freedom to use such funds as they desired in subscribing to political funds. "There is nothing the Labour movement would like better than the passing of legislation by the Government to make it compulsory on all political bodies to publish audited balancesheets and full details of all subscriptions, and the names of the persons subscribing." said Mr Macfarlane. "Labour has nothing to hide, for all contributions and their source are published weekly in the movement's official newspaper."