MR, D. M'LAREN AND THE COUNCIL OF CHURCHES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 267, 4 August 1908, Page 2

MR, D. M'LAREN AND THE COUNCIL OF CHURCHES.

,• 'Vjs- sorry to see f|ie,spectacle thai presented itself at tho Council of -.Churches ■< last evoning, when Mr. D. M'L'aren was ' given a grand opportunity of having tlio ' 'usual socialist fling at "religion anf the ! churches. The very building in which tho ,- speaker made his remarks -gives the "lie to 1 much.'of what lie said, Anyone who stops to think for a moment can seo that his statements about children of six or seven years of, ago being chained to ooal trucks in tho '• mines is . utterly absurd, ,as they would be t worso than useless'at suqhrwork at. such a tender age: .He also saysHhat '.'the Church has always . .bee#-, on tho siSoof capital, and 1 has dono nothing whatever! for the .workers, ' and should, ; stanfl out of-ijthe way of 1 -tha ' socialists." l ..< ~i ... : I. wonder what the Eev.ij. Fla'nnaganand . • hundreds, perhaps • thousands, r <jf clergymen would,say to that—men. who have,,spent the . : host years of .thqir life among'the'poor and t,le '"oKly- . about the vast:,.multitude ' or Cathoho and Protestant missionaries from i ! ,?:< 1236, idown to Moffitiraiid.'Livingstone, I who have spent :,.their livbsi in banisnmeut '; and toil and ''privation,wliilst.-.tlie speaker 1 • .and his ..socialist .friends ink-comparison are i living' lives of ease, luxury; and indolence in' i our cities arid to.igjs:-' ! of Auckland, wasj..perfectly.E.ju'stified in , his 1 remarks about, tlio .darkness ;of-.-ipaganisnr among the ■white' pcoplo In New Zealand, ' - can on thajplaiform in the ' Wcllirigton, t Y.M.p.A., and;.; talk/ as' 'Sir.".' i M Laren. did lafet ajight, ! Ido not kjioiv anyone who |3'enies v the rifeht ! °f J"® w P.rkej;s to throw don;n th?. tools and I refuse to work, but. they have no\righ't to prevent ,or object t#.'otuefyrmerii doing tho I -wprk if they, ivisbj to.'do Tq* say- that organised labour : in.. this Dqpijgion i* weak ' and requires protection .o^the'churches,is. unspeakable nojisense, as "t^e.truth, is that otgiinised. and ranipaijt labpfst, ii.the. .most , powerful and. clas£; ; in'!,tlie com- ' | munity, -aud' tl]e ;publjp' requife. all {the ..pro- '■ tection thoy caa get: from • J. H;,COLLIfeR. ;< .W^llington,'_'_July-_' \ ■ >,>"■' ' • -- . .<•! —. . iry j'-ofv. ■ " ' A CLERKS', UN(:Q.N. : ; • . .! Sir,—l, read . with inWest ?ftnd %pprbval - • the letter in. your issiie -from " i : " Petty '.Cashj", . .anent&formlKg ! r 'a "Clerks' • i JJnion, and L arai 'sure that wftla'UnS rco-opera- . .tion,.' anq" tbat : ;-of, a'tfew kindred'- spirits,. the pould.b.o successf.u]ly~'carriixr"o\jt. ::Such aj union as.t |' Petty- Gash"'- siigfcests is liecessary .na\y-a-day, ? for'\the' i over-wofjsedj olerk;Jias.no' him ■> 'but. an uncertain, ' : ' ! and moods'of his.einployersVsj'He-.is* forced tq'work overtime night aftennightfin many.-, cases with; Jreat 'inconveuienctfiritb'himself \ ' and /ateily;. Übbuld'' he; have ''without extra .rqmu.ueration, andri?]CEiii\say, with- ' out fear of .contradiction, ;t)iatj iiiaany, of tho ■ .Wellington .employers .havevjhsfisnsed with ; the services "of male clerks oyep .'after years of service, simply to'engago'fcmalo clerks in ' , their stead at less than naif;the salary. • ' ' ■The tendency.now'-a-days is'to look.upon a -- clork with contempt,' much in the same :way as an unskilled labourer .is . looked upon by . skilled . workers,, but .why should r it -be-so, i and why should he not havq.'regular yearly increases ill lus salary,' so long "as nej'ie ' steady and industrious, for- he;uk a;'ivery' important factorin' every walk oFJife"'. ' As' the ! clerk is situated ,to-day he oanuot couiit upon ■ ' a . permanent position,' for should another '' come along and; proffer his, services :at a ■ smaller . remunoration, his emjlpyer ' thinks . how much couldJje saved per 'tEtmpm, should ! ,the newcomer engaged,;'arid/Hhen it-is i usually , a case 1 of; eitlier- rbduc'itig'. his . own '.. : clerk's 1 -salary,- okgiving him a:;w'eek's no- . tice.t;Jv i "v • --.Now I expect most employers on reading ' this,.letter-:.will „thinb; that ■if such a union'as ■ Petty,,. Cashsuggests..w,ore? J . successfully formed; that it'.would try'to'.ruii_j«iatters with 'a high hand;-' but...such' ; woiild- not be the . ! case, for all that k wanted, is (1) fair and ' reasonable iwages,r (2) "thfi , prevention of fe- . . 1 male clerks ousting the males, (3)' a .regular ' yoarly. incre.ase:to those :whbse-servicesliave ; been satisfactory, (4) also .additional. remuneration to elerks..working bvertimej on more .than one. night weekly; Ltrust ; 'that"a more 1 able pen than mino 'will take Up' this important matter, and call- a meeting, to ascer-' tain..what the. feeling''of 1 clerks is '-on tlia ' subject.—l; am>".etcJ:ti July.27;'.. : . '■ UNDERPAII). . • ! SEAT OF .• , ; ; , Sir;—l->as ;plea^d'''i;o;lcariv'tha.t : isomeona . I 'has at last ; beon fouiidj-putspokcn: enough' - tp suggest/Peto'nc .' as tt*. suitable* iooality-for the orectibri of thp noif-Earliamentary Build-ings-and Offices:,',y It :has .been on' niy mind for .some t-inie past' to;; makb a similar ■ but fyaririg j jnV Juriiiifluentjal pen \vbuld .fail to''pro3uce : resuits; have refrained'fro.&''doing .soil'. Now - ', howevery- that''the.' ice Mgvbrolcerij'.'.may Lbe permitted •'to.:give'i'my;feoblo.' support, to the scheme: and : Mny..reasons'for'do.ingVsU?';, ! 'lii the firs't'place,'P4tene;iwaa, l 'tlio' ; site originalh-.,selected by' tho/e'arlj s«tlefs'"ou ' which' tile 'City -of I' be-. licve, . named Britannia) waV;to ' established. But the rivers at' that tinl'ej being ' greatly bloclccd: by fallen .-tfe6s,:''lpgs^and other debris,- caused ; the suri'buiidiiig eoun- I '' try to be flooded 'to' a : large --esteiit, -peceasitating the removal of-tliese hardy pit;;;, ors, with). ttieir household gods,.,to, : Whev« n lingtoh now stands,' pitchinjg'"tlioir • te'fff-? • tho, sei ill frbiit of tliem .and th?; 'i'v"! hills at tboir rear,' : k'ii6wii' ri'b# o al H J i iti'i!, ■Quay and Willis. Street. 1 ' ;Ti»fe for jfche bettor-the'.conditibilvof-'"affc'-i(!...'Sri Tab ilow under'. coiit^l, , 'ana';therei?: v V. ; "; gfe'r ;of the country 'i-.being' •' ' , ' tf ? while the following, reasons aro v '"s\ments ( in favour of"Petone. ''IW- 1, ~ f : imity- to central-'.Wellington; tl>' I the Government abeadj; pWn.'.n'i the duplication . iI lino of .'railway;: tlio' 0f..-.; : --: 1 cent drive,' on' what "is' no\v lcno?' » Hutt Road;the-possibility, by. h <( whole of the beautiful l vatle'y nt; X' of creating a city, level, with widr 1 fares; room for ..'recreStion-Lfgro'' would hr.ve scino ' prgtension, trt "' ft 'not a higgledy-piggledy , place."'. Mr. Soddou on' oiie occasiph' a .i'.rv lington' of to-day: Thou .th n would * have ' the - advantage '' •« whole' of those 'viliiable . M i Government Houso,' Parliai '•■«.. "ings,- and Departmental OfG : 1 for disposal, by .sale', or on- "i;, cefids or .revenue,of which wouv "'" J sufficient "to caver the outlay in.yth&erein;,' of tho how b'uirdihgs.' .j■*-' ... 'v-f. .V.'-V^, i The,.conjn)er6iaj.,coromuni,ty.^'n^id'l-ij6t '.hole , up' their bauds.'in. horror at.-tliesii-isugges- i tions.: , The main streams of would ' still remain whero they now : ,exist. - The • harboiir and tlio magnificent: wharf accora- •! modation and appliances afford, them amplo ' seourity. Neither imed tho citj-.;cris-at. large . i fear, losing the honour of AVollington being. I the seat ,of government; 'Thoy are "proua ■ . i of their oity ? . and aro-always ambitinua 'to extend thoir borders,' and mako a still .Greater|: Wellington. Why-.not include Potone in their march onwards Then tho ' citywould extend from. Island Bay to as far, up tho Mutt; Valley as'might'bo deemed de- y sirable, and it would not havo a compeor , in the southern hemisphere.' I have said nothing about a Gov-M-nment -' House, but thero is the Bellevuc G*- 'ens at ' Ijower Hutt, an ideal spot fbra.G '» ! rcsidenco. The property is, or wa stand, in the market. Anyway,.! incnt would have littlo difficulty in acq it. I trust the pcoplo of Pete'' ■ Will continue to agitate; now -' ,-j'' jeet has been, publicly broachr member for the "district, wh* j. to further its interests, an r ' successful in doing so, will t . of,supporting the.movement, -ifon the subject is before the' ,oi.' «■, etc., •. "■ .. ' i "' ■■■■' R.A. -. ■! ; Palmerston North, July 20. - " ' '