FEDERATION OF WORKERS' UNIONS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 112, 4 February 1908, Page 4

FEDERATION OF WORKERS' UNIONS.

• NEW CONFERENCE PROPOSED. . ; ' , A/Press -Associatipiv'telegram frem.'Duhi:. ■ i odin': stated rocently .tli.it -a .communication, emanating from. tlip Waikato,Miners' Union,, had been receivcdby.thclocal.braDchofthe, Amalgamated ; Society, ofCarpenters:vand n Joiner's, submitting proposals for the.'federa- ■•'"•■• tioii of all New /Zealand; workers! unions;;." Certain',, advantages','. would. accruo to /tho under, such.- a rfcdera< ' ■ tion, ' and suggestions' were put forward foi a conference, "to; bo ;held-.at 's'omo'convenient'• centre.'' ; prppbsaJ '• was . ;r&; '' ceivisd N by',..the;,Carpenters;';Vaud...''Jouycrs l '.: Union,'and was referred" tp^.tho : ,Trades ';,and ; Labour ■~Council; ,;!with tHo-.:intimaiion tha! - /. the Uniotfwais ■prepa'i'ed to ; seiid : two .delo ' gates' to Me' conference.' ■]. Tho full'.test of 't^c^t^k^;l{s^s' f foljpjpa': '' ,)Ye • all "must ,!admit'.-.that; the. time pas - arrived wlijeii 'Tyopslippld wo arc. to 'receive ;tliat' to- which .wp* are, on-. titled,' .'jus't .'a,. fair rcmuncratiouj.fpr ipur , labour's:-'', 'It 'is also ■_cvident^thatL yro, must : . • organiso .our-. forced' if-wq wish, to .success-- ~ fully , combat those;;,who; are arrayed; ; .againsfc. us in tho.form o.f-..&'Emp!6^ters.',.FeiJ.eraf.ian,.,. and 'also ' Farmers''; JJni.w-- ;In ;these. ; wf;;.find:-. two:,;niostrfo.rmidttblo..and. r unscrupulb.us ifo.es ;■ t-o. tho-.worker,'and- should;.those two - com- , bind, as' is a. prospect, .'of/ them'.idoing, the . future /will, have ~a. still.- moteserious: outlook'.',.;Now,if. the. employers of ; a)l.,,glasses . , of - why ; not all :classes oi ; workers, .-when'by ; so-;doing, wp shall.-form,a ; ppwer -that-will .make,itself ;'fcltf..-,, ■- "It is. .essential ..that.;wc : have direct representatioh: in; Parliament-, ■ and:<as that'is-tin . ■ sourco from-'which the -power must come, \ye must •put : iii Labour members.> direct ti.om, ! tho'yrcrkers (men; who; hayo; the .cause' of: the •wcrker';at..heart)....-■-. : ' -, " It is/not■ one iota •of use, to, put in men who./.are . interested jn, the .capitalistic, side,; ,- / for every-'time wo. do so wo.shall find to oni sorrow that-wo hnve been - sold,, as tho p.it>t has proved to us. - -. '-•••• " - "It is also just as little use te stand and anatheiuatiso the 'condition-, of; tho' workers;' wo must --wprk hand in hand and in syni- , 'pathy with each otlier'aiid .so t.ry : 'and''re'ctify matters. ' .' .i " You- nsk,'' How can federation directly beuofit us?-' - Following /are : a' few; of the ■ .many ways:—(l)'Federated:';'we could prac--ticallv determine beforehand - who; we would 'put ,; in Parliament'- : to ; 'represent :us; we are'dinded'-t-his will be impossible. (2) If aU ' workers we're organised wc' cotild do- * ■ mand -' justice aii'd • secure /it 'by : legislation. (3V Tho workers ' could a|sp r'aise. niost -power--; • ful protests against- the existing; monopolies that are proving themselves :to be- so detrimental to' tho prosperity; . of : our '■and also prevent tho fdi'inirig ; of future ones.'/;] ;(4) The' employers, are' organised; thus male- ; ing it absplutely essential we iilso should be . organised: ' (5) ..Wo have , few,' if any,' mpnK '; bor's in ; Parliament! at prVsent:-who really have; tho workers' cause at'.hearti nibst of vtherii'caring more for'position _ and'tho al-'i . mighty dollar. (G) We'can (if federated) put in men -'direct 5 from''.the. workers,-, men . having, tho workers' .' cause at.' heart and thoroughly understanding what' their needs are./- (7)' Federated we can bp a help to each otheri'"apart from our political life ; wo, shall j .. be able to get in touch, with each other and 'undorst-aiid each other better. ./ • '" " The. idea of the ".committee'- that lias • boon formed to comnicncn tho work. of 'federation is to get' all, unions, to ;send -: a ■delegate to a ,conference to; be. held,,in .soma,suitable plnco (time and placo of meeting to be arranged). . . . .< ; " Small and' isolated : unions not being in...; a position to ' send 'a . delegate themselves'.. could amalgamate, with other- small unions and send' a delegate between them, or they . could 'empower any /delegate they, chose.; to veto for them -on . all matters, ho .being allowed by the conference tp do sp on pre- - sent ing his. credentials,'. Tho estimated. cpsfc of sending a delegate would bo about £12, so that a conference of oiie hundred delegates would mean' an outlay of ■' £1200, :or 10d. per anninn for each member of a union m New Zealand. shilling per ,member would clear all expenses in. connection with" the'conference." '- •r. , . This proposal of the Waikato .Miners' Union, if agreed to, would result- in tho. holding of an' annual congress of delegates from' every workers' union - throughout, the Dominion.' In. thp ojiinion of Mr,. A. H. , Cooper, President of the .'Wellington Trades and Labour' Council, a/congress of the Jrj»«'l-. ■' suggested would be tod unwieldy, as the attendance of delegates would probably bo ... something 1ik0.300. ./' . - ... ... - The executive of tho Trades and Laboui ; . Councils, at Cliristchurch, has at present.ir/ hand a proposition : which , was brought for-' ... ward at tho' Trades, and. Labour,: Conference in DHlicdin, and.'subsemtontly...submitted tc. the District Councils ; , 1 bo,idea, it, is staled, is to organi-w a national trades' and, labour. federation -of all' tho workers: unions in tho. Dominion. Thesewould be represented at the national conferences by delegates from tho district "councils,-,' ■ .. According to Mr. D. , M'Laie.n, secretarj . ■ of the. Wharf Labourers', Federation,; tho rc» ; suit of tho deliberations of tho-, oxecutiv« , upon the question will be snbmilted t-o- the forthcoming- Trados.- and;. Labour- Confereiioe to be held m WelHngton about Easier-. .