THE CASCADE DISPUTE

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 58, 18 September 1928, Page 8

THE CASCADE DISPUTE

(To the Editor.) Sir, —The Welfare League, in its statement on the Cascade dispute published in your issue of the 13th inst., attempted to defend the action of the Cascade Tribute Party in making a private contract with the company at a mine where a collective agreement between the union and the company was already in existence. By thus coining out openly in favour of group and individjyil contracts, the Welfare League unwittingly supplied the final proof that siu-h contracts are against the interests of the miners as a whole. The Welfare League is an organisation set ,up by the- employers of New Zealand for the purpose of conducting anti-Labour propaganda. Its voice is the voice of the employing class. When it supports a move to enable the employers to bargain with individuals or with small groups instead of with the unions, the miners and all other sections of the organised workers realise that that move is in the interests of the employers. Through long and bitter experience the miners have learnt the necessity for unity iv dealing with the mine owners. They know that the institutions of contracts such as that entered into by the Cascade Coal Company and the Tribute Party can only have the effect of breaking down that | unity already attained, and weakening their organisation. Nominally, the right to bargain collectively with the employers would still remain with the unions even J it' the practice of individual contracting was allowed to creep in, but in reality j that right would have been lost as their ability to bargain effectively would have vanished. That being so, the miners have opposed and will continue to oppose such contracts no matter what specious apologies may be put forward for them by the employers' propagandists.. The demonstration at Denniston was organised by the Denniston miners as a protest against an attack on their union, which attack had taken the form of the introduction of non-union labour and the making of a contract without consulting the union. The Welfare League dared not attempt to contradict the statement that it was a peaceful and orderly demonstration, but, determined to discredit the Denniston miners at all costs, it stated that "the members of the Tribute Party were lectured to and some inflammatory references were made." The' only "inflammatory" references that it coulu produce were: (1) An alleged statement by the secretary of . the Denniston Miner/ Union that he had received a code message that the members of the tribute party were coming up the hill; and (2) an alleged statement by the chairman of the union advising the members of the tribute party to return to Westport, as he was apprehensive as to what might happen should they decide to continue on to their destination. Inflammatory indeed! The code message needs no explanation, as it will be evident to everyone but the Welfare League that no intelligent body would organise a demonstration to impress their protest upon a party without making sure that the party in question would be present. With regard to the chairman's statement that he was apprehensive as to what might happen, etc., the fact remains that his apprehension was unfounded. Nothing happened. In spite of the fact that their material interests were at stake, the miners kept cool and relied upon reason. The Cascade dispute affected them much more intimately than it affected, say, Mr. Coates, yet it is reliably reported that he failed to maintain an entirely judicial attitude when the dispute was discussed in Parliament. That makes the conduct of the Denniston miners all the more creditable to them. In the light of these facts, it is amusing to read that "The hope was expressed that no further efforts would be made to intimidate and a promise given that if any such steps were taken the Government would afford protection to those workers seeking to exercise their liberties." The Tory Government is well known to the workers as a "protector" of their liberties. . ... In regard to the settlement arrived at between the parties concerned in the Cascade dispute, an official statement will be issued by the New Zealand Alliance of' Labour. Alleged reports originating from other sources should be disregarded.—l am, etc., A. M'LAGAN, Secretary, United Mine Workers of N.Z.