NOT A HAPPY FAMILY.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 300, 12 September 1908, Page 6

NOT A HAPPY FAMILY.

- a TRADES' UNIONISM IN WELLINGTON. ALLEGED .THREAT TO SHOOT. One of the witnesses before the Labour Bills Committee the other day was Daniel Moriarty, president of the Furniture Makers' Union of Wellington. Ho had a sad tale to tell of dissensions in the ranks of organised labour in Wellington. " Ho stated that his union was jractically' ousted from tho We|lington Trades and Labour Council for talcing up a position showing that it did not consider the council represented labour. " It was mainly on account of the Bill of last session (said Mr. Moriarty, according to the official report). When that Bill came before the council, one of the professional secretaries moved that a Parliamentary Committee be set up to deal with it, and report to tho council. Instead of doing this and giving members of the council an opportunity to speak on it, they issued their famous manifesto. 1 We, as a union, knowing that Messrs. Young, M'Laren, and party were practically the Trades Council, and that they-had summed the Minister of Labour up as a renegado and a parasite for introducing in the Bill certain clauses, and recognising that most of these clauses were what the,workers.wanted, sent a' deputation along to the Minister to express our approval of: tho -;.s'ame. At the next meeting of the council■ we had to go 'off the mat' over it.;'Tho position of the paid secretaries is that' I ,they'are trying .to get into Parlia r ment by; any means, and it does not matter what measures wore brought down they would cry, out against them, so they moved a motion regretting our action in going to the Minister in connection with the Bill, and Mr. Young went' so far as to say outsido the council;'that''we were a blackleg union for doing so. - When the nomination of candidates for the election of members of the Arbitration Court came out, tho papers wore sent direct to our union, and wo nominated some one other, than Mr. Young, the Trades Council's nominee., This also was reported to the council, with tho result that a motion was passed regretting that any union should be so disloyal as to refuse to accept their nominee. Of course, wo explained the position before they passed the motion, and went so far as to tell them that if a Chinaman was standing against Mr. Young we would sooner voto for the Chinaman on principle; but it made no difference—wo should have sacrificed principle to suit them. They then passed a further, resolution to the effect that any union affiliated to tho Trades and Labour Council which did not abide by the decision of the Trades Council Conference should be expelled." The Chairman (Mr. Tanner): "Were you expelled?"—"No, we drew out before that. They sent a deputation to our union, and Mr. Young, who was present, said there was ■ no use in our going through the Bill at all, as ho had given 24 pages of foolscap evidence on it himself, and that should have satisfied us." " You think that the action of the Trades and Labour Council prevented your union expressing its opinion on the Bill?"—" Yes. The Trades and Labour Council was vory anxious for our union to rejoin, as they considered it would never do to have a split in the labour ranks, so they sent along the deputation to our meeting; but wo pointed out that tho resolution passed by them that every union had to obey loyally under fear of expulsion did not suit us. The position js that the paid secretaries have all the vot-ing-power on the council in thoir hands. Mr. Young, for instance, is secretary of two unions, with twelve delegates, and unless one agrees to what these secretaries say they will take somo means to get them out of the ■ council, oven if it comes to a free Sght, or threaten to shoot one, as a friend af one of the secretaries did in my case."

The emptiness of the Stadium at Shepherd's Bush is a shock when one reflects on the reputation for sport which the English possess. It is depressing not only to the promoters but to the competitors. Athletes are at their best only when there are thousands of eager onlookers; their presence is most stimulating to great deeds.—"Zeit," Vienna. The silk hat is indisputably the heathiest head covering.. Frequently people declare that the constant wearing of silk hats is tho causo of baldness; but this is an - entire misconception ; for every ono man who accurately ascribes his baldness to this causo twenty could bo produced whoso baldness has been effected by wearing close-fitting caps.—" Men's Wear." Can the housetops bo utilised for tho benefit of the people? Can tuberculosis wards be established on many of thorn for the help of hundreds of sufferers to whom tho country outing is impossible? Organisation and money might accomplish much in this direction. The outlay in individual cases would bo small. The results might bo surprising,— " Dailj Tribune," Chicago.