A SPLIT!

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 76, 23 December 1907, Page 7

A SPLIT!

TROUBLE IN THE LABOUR CAMP,

AfUNION SECEDES FROM THE TRADES ..■'■—; COUNCIL. ••■;,.•■ • I'AID OFFICIALS AND THE CONFER- ,'' '■ ''' ~;--:-,;;ENCE.-. ■'- ,7 ■ , J From time to time it becomes apparent that'. Labour—even organised Labour —has its hands full to keep thei "wheels" funning " / smoothly, .and now and again a unit arises to inform a surprised world that the Trades ' and. Labour Council does riot" voico the sen-timents-of-Labour as it is alleged-to do- -•; The wheels have been jolting a little during' tho;'■ last week over the indiscretion of an • altiliatod, Union .'daring .- to,. nominate sonic- '• one othor-than tho Trados Council's nonii-, neb', as the doputy-ropresbntativo |of employ- - • cos; on the' Arbitration. Court. At tlic annual > mooting of tho Furniture Trades' "Union'held on Wednesday last, the following letter was read-i'rom-the-T-rades and-Labour-Council:t—_ ■> ~ "Dear Sir. —My Council is in- . ■farmed that some affiliated Unions "< ;■ have been,disloyal to,tho'reebmmen- ' ,-'" ■ dations of tho annual conference, and jlid. not .nominate Mr, J.'M'Cul-" " , lough,.and , Mr! W.V.T. ',Young", as■"'', ■- .workers' representatives "to. the' Ar-.,. ,-;,_ nitration Conrt. I am-instructed to express, my Council's regret at this ! .action,' and to,urge upon all, Unions • tbe_ need for .unanimous, action on '_!■ nil- mattors nffeeting labour.—Yours ... , fraternally, W. H. .Wcstbrooke, Sec-. , '. t ■ re'tary.". '.....■'■.'■. :. It appears that, the Furniture Tradoi,, | Union at'tho election held, a few days ago '. nominated Mr. W.- H. Cooper (President of tho Trades, and. Labour Council) as the" deputy representative of tho 'workers instead 0f„Mr,...\V....T... Young .(secretary of tho Sea-:' men's Union). An explanation of this action on"the part'of 'the Furniture -Trades' Union" ' was demanded by the Council- from Mr.' Cooper, who stated that ho had been so nominated'unknown to'himself, and: his explana-tion-was accepted. The- Union oh-its part"', has- explained, to-, the Council that the- reason '*-■ which prompted its , action iti nominating Mr..Cooper was that Mr. : ' Young had accused its_'. action in sending a.deputation to tho Mh>' . ister for Labour in connection with.the proposed amendments to'the Conciliation and.Arbitration Act. .... ;,- At its meeting the' Union decided—by re -J : solution:—.) ";■"..","-' ":.;':'.' '"" ''".,''■. ' ":\ ."That tho Trades and Labour' : ;r, Council Is not a bona- fide labour; : '<. al —.body, Inasmuch as it Is controlled r ■ * 'i ; by others, than' practical trades.. unionists, who Insist on i being re- ■' . : ' cognised as the mouthpiece of trades- ; unionism and labour Generally, and... uso coercive means to silence opposition. This means a psrpetual state . of internal strife, detrimental to the "best Interests of Labour."' \H S •'. It was resolved, on the face of tho above opinion,: thatttho Union withdraw altogether from tho Trades and Labour Council, and' the secretary be' instructed that "notice to that eifoct bd forwarded, to .that body. ' At Thursday's meeting of. the Trades 1 Council it iwas'dbcided that a deputation wait iipon.'.tho 1 ) dissenting .Union at its next meeting. • .'■ ... '7

' ' Speaking to a Dominion representative, an interested party said there had been a good deal of discontent in regard to the manner in which tho Trades Council was run; hr the matter of, the ,paid officials—paid to attend." to ,t no; work'of tho Union s who .took upon them- . solves:an entire authority in matters affect-/; in'g labour, with tho result that some of the-, actions of the Council were disapproved by members of affiliated Unions. A caso in poiii't"'was''tlie'""iMuo""a"few "motiths"'ago ' of " tho famous manifesto, which had never been submitted to Unions: for discussion before it was issued. What■•' is ■ contended in this regard,by some of tho Unions is that paid officials' should | not .act. as delegates to.tho annual conference, 'which at present was ruled by who, in tho execution of thbij;J6giti'tn(it().:duties,". should bo guided by,.; tho decisions of. confero'necs in which . they take no'active part. Tho samo trouble had , cropped up in Australia, ono result of which was that a remit bad boon submitted from Elmina (Queensland) ■ to tho effect that no official acting in any paid position should Lo eligible for election to the annual conference.; .'■' Unfortunately in Now Zealand the Trades Council's rulo regarding tho qualification of-; delegates to the annual conference provided that—"Each and every delegate shall,,bo .a practical, member of. and subscribe to tho Union ho represents, in accordance with its rules. This, howover, shaif not-',"app.ly' to the President' or- Sec'ro-, t-ary .-of - a,. Federated '...Union'." ','. Tho _ 'portent; of, the; last; sentence .Was obvious, and .to . got it removed was like tho endeavour to . reform the Legislative Council—they would not'reform 1 : themselves. ; Tho public might; be surprised to learn that there wcro:almost' :is many Unions unaffiliated 'to tho Trades" Council'as therc :; were affiliated;'and the reason" for" that'" was ' tho .objection to".-' the tactics of the Executive, which '.'did not attempt to gain tho respect of tho public, whoroby.it lost weight, and added nothing to tho dignity of Organised; labour. Tho Furniture--Trades/Union, is over 200 strong, arid has a" svbstautial financial' balanc'o to" credit. j ; ,_■„, ! Mr; "ArH. 'Cooper, President of the Wellington ...Trades .-.and Labour.. Council,, gave.a Dominion reporter a statement of the case as it concerned himself. The Furniture Trades Union, without his knowlcdgo or conSent, nominated him for tho position of doputy-wprkcrs' representative on the Arbitration Court. Mr. Cooper wrote to the Union, pointing out that Mr. Young was iho Council's nominee It was then . toolato to recall tho nomination, and Mr., Cooper was thereby placed in an invidious position, as it appeared that while, as President of tho Council, ho had approved of'Mr, Young's, nomination, and, as a matter of fact, had himscll proposed that gentleman op behalf of one or two Unions, ho at tho sama .timo had accepted nomination for opposition.Mr. Cooper subsequently explained tho position to tho Council, which, by resolution, accopi'cd" liis statement.