LABOUR'S WOUNDS

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1018, 6 January 1911, Page 6

LABOUR'S WOUNDS

COULD MR. BOWLING BIND THEM? DIVERGENCE OF OPINIONS. IBy Teleffrupli.—Spcclal Correspondent.! Christchurch, January 5. At the meeting hold last night to con•ci<lei' the question of engaging Mr. Peter Bowling as a Labour organiser, the meeting ultimately inviting the New Zealand Federation of Labour to retain the services of/Mr. Bowling for a further term of eight uveks, and pledging itself to support it to the best of its abilitv, both financially and otlie rwiso, Mr. H. Campbell said that he 'was thoroughly convinced that Mr. Bowling had done a lot of geed in Christchurch, and that as an organiser he could do a great amount of good in the Dominion at the present titne. Labourites were divided among themselves. They should do anything thoy. could to bring the Labour forces roto. educate them. Mr. Bowling could do a lot of good industrially. There were at present two bodies attempting to bring about a federation of Labour, i t I , !l<?ls '' federation and the 'Trades and Labour Councils. Mr. Bowling could bring the two bodies together into .one 50 i i O . r £onisation, and a Labour party could be formed; not a "wishy-washy*' Labour party, but .0110 with absolute Mocjnlisin in vi«,w. No matter what Socialistic ideas a mail had when he entered Parliament at present he toned down, as the Liberal .press said, under the responsibilities of office.

, "Prejudices Swept Away." A. Patterson said all the prejudices he had had against Mr. Bowling had b&en swept away by his address oh Sunday. Mr. Bowling did not profess to be a revolutionary Socialist. IP Mr. Bowling were going out to attempt to bring the Miners' Federation and the Trades and Labour Council together,,or if ho had as an* object the increasing of the membership of craft unions, he would oppose the motion. To retain him for only six weeks would be no.good to Labour and no geed to. Mr. Bowling. They wanted him to go out to organise a now body— not to kill the craft unions, but to,swallow them up; not to go to the Government for a new Arbitration Act, but to tell the Government that the Arbitration Act was not wanted.

. A Restricted Labour Party. The organiration should not bo niade too open, continued .Mr. Patterson. If a Labour'party were going to suco&d it should b? restricted to wage-earners. That seemed to 'be Mr. Bowling's opinion, too. The time stated in the motion was too short, and at kast Mr. Bowling should bo kept until after the elections.

\Mr.-M. Badger said it -was pitiable to hear that Labour was decrepit and a cripple, and that Mr. Bowling was to be asked to bind up its wounds. Tho first thing hp should do was to organise, tho Labour leaders. Mr. Bowling could not do tho work expected of him in six weeks, six months,, or six years.

"Mr. Bowling Not the Political Moses." Mr. L. R. Wilson said that it would take Mr. Bowiing more than six years. He. could organise industrially, but ho could v.ot do it before the elections. Mr. Bowling could not heal tho breach be-tween-the two federations. One was our, for Socialism, with tho destruction of capitalism, and the Labour party wanted to mend tho system. He could organise tlvp union by first proving the'fallacy of small unions, and when ho had got them into one largo federation he could be sent out to organise tho workers. The >movement throughout the; world was for industrial organisation, and political action was a mere secondary thing. He did not think Mr Bowling would be the political Mcses to lead the workers out of Egypt—ho had not sufficient magnetism to arouse the necessary enthusiasm.

IDEAS AT AUCKLAND. THE DIVIDED LABOUR FORCES. '.By Telegraph.—Spccial Correspondent.) Auckland, January 5. • The suggestion that Mr. Peter Bowling should bo entrusted with tho mission of organising tho divided forces of Labour in New Zealand into one harmonious whole does not meet with much sympathy from a number of leading Labour representatives in Auckland, who were questioned on the subject yesterday. Tho breach referred to by. Mr. Laracy arrears to be the division caused by two federation movements initiated by the- miners' party and the'other by. the Trades and Labour Council parly.

"Mr. Bowling, is an extremist and revolutionary Socialist," said ono prominent Labour advocate on being askfd for his opinion, "and it is very doubtful whether ho is the best man to heal the breach, so deplored by Mr. Laracy. Wktn a conference between tho two parties was held in Christchurch last year an effort was mad? by the Hon. J. T. Paul and others to bring the two parties together, but the miners, whilst agreeing to meet tho Trades Council delegates ill conference said, in effect, 'Wo will not agree to give way on anything.' Ido not think that Mr. Bowling, is likely to succeed where others have 'failed. It is liko aj tempting to reconcile Christianity and Mohammedanism with Mohammed in-the role of chief mediator."

Other Labour leaders spoke to a similar effect. "Mr. 1 Bowling," said one of them, "stands for tho Socialist extremists, who are always going ahead of the people, instead of striving, as those who represent clean Labour arc striving, to proceed on moderate lines, and carry tlio people with them"