DUNEDIN TAILORESSES’ UNION.

Evening Star, Issue 8407, 7 January 1891, Page 2

DUNEDIN TAILORESSES’ UNION.

The monthly meeting of the Dunedin Tailoresses’ Union was beldin the Choral Hall last night the president (Mr D. Pinkerton, M.H.R. ,) occupying the chair. There were about 250 members present. The ordinary business having been disposed of, the president, at the request of the sectary (Miss H. Morrison), vacated the chair, which was then taken by Mr J. A. Millar, one of the vice-presidents of the Union. The Acting ■(. hairman stated that the special purpose of that porJon of the meeting was to make some slight recognition of the services that Mr Pinkerton had rendered the Union. He was sure (hey all endorsed the opinion that those services had been exceedingly valuable to them. —(Applause.) Miss Morrison said it had been accorded to her that evening to perform a very pleasant little duty, and that was to present Mr Pinkerton, their very much respected and esteemed president, as a slight recognition of the esteem in which they held him, with a purse containing forty swereigns.—(Loud applause.) She might say that this was not intended in any way to defray his recent election espouses. She mentioned this in order that those who were contributing to that Bind might not be deterred from doing so. She might also say that no body of people or union could be prouder thsn the Tailoresses’ Union was of the high and honorable position that their president had so nobly won. (Applause. ) It was with special pleasure that she was called upon to make the presentation that evening, for she was indebted to Mr Pinkerton for the knowledge she possessed at the present time of trades unionism. She had to begin at the lowest rung of the ladder and climb up, but she had a splendid teacher; and on no occasion had she gone to Mr Pinkerton, no matter how perplexing or how difficult the subject might be, but he had given her the wisest and best of advice—and advice always of a conciliatory kind. They had passed through rattier troublous times theie had been storms! raging all aiound them—but the Tailoresses’ Union had sailed right through them, and no trouble had befallen them. There had, however, been trouble in Auckland with the Tailoresses’ Union, and they knew how successfully Mr Pinkerton unravelled a very tangled web there. Ue had been to them a most valued and faithful and true friend, and she knew how he had devoted his best interests to the Union. It was with very much pleasure that she presented Mr Pinkerton, on behalf of the Tailoresses’ Union, with a purse containing forty sovereigns.—(Loud applause.) Before sitting down, she would like to couple with Mr Pinkerton’s name that of the Rev. Rutherford Waddell, because she felt they were also deeply indebted to hia-.—(Applause.) The Union bad been only eighteen months in existence, and during that time, while they hid carefully and skilfully avoided all trouble themselves, they had contributed somewhat over L3OO in assistance to other anions.

Mr Pinkerton, M H.F., who was received

with great enthusiasm on rising, said that while the presentation was not altogether a sui prise, it war a tur prise in this respect, that he had no idea that such a sum as that would be offered to him by way of presentation from the Tiiloresses’ Union.—(Applause ) Anything that he could say that evening would only very Imperfectly express his feelings towards them for that valuable present, which showed that he retained a large number of friends in (he Tailoresses’ Union and throughout Dunedin generally. In connection with election matters, he might say that contesting an election was not all sugar plums ; but foi innately for himself he was one of those who, while gratefully receiving the congratulations of their friends, could take the taunts and abuse and scorn of their enemies with perfect unconcern. On this occasion he had been ne'.ther frightened nor daunted, and he had come out, he thought, honorably—at all events with a very large vote, which placed him at the head of the poll in New Zealand. They had fo a long time continually had the advice given them never to teach their boys to earn a living by the nee of the pen, but by manual labor; but during the recent election it was repeatedly said all over New Zealand, and it was still said, that it was presumptuous, almost Impertinent, for persons engaged in manual labor to aspire to seats in the H< use of Representatives. K that was so, the advice cf those who said that their boys should be brought up to manual labor must be wrong, for it meant that those boys should not seek seats in Parliament, or try to rise abeve the tools they worked with. That wis one of the barriers they had managed to some extent to break down, and if the electors had done nothing more beyond putting working men into Parliament they had done something for which they should be grateful. The new labor members were the pioneers of more who were to follow, and their actions would be watched very keenly not only throughout New Zealand but, he believed, throughout the entire world; for although tt id was not the first time that workI i i i • «u AQUUIUJCUUf it was the first time that working men of all gi ades had united to put members of the laboring class into Parliament, While it wasgratifyir g to know that such was the case, it placed a v ary heavy responsibility on the shoulders of those who had been elected. He felt the responsibllity, and would do his level best to p;ove himself worthy of the confidence that bad been reposed in him.—(Applause.) While be would do bis utmost to bring about tho best results on behalf of the labor party, he would do his best to watch politics generally, and not be meiely what was called a ‘•class delegate.” After their representatives had done their best-and, he trusted, succeeded—younger men would be able to come forward now that the ice had been

broken, and the working classes would never be without mon in Parliament to make their wants known and felt. It was said : " What weight will working men have in Parliament ? ” Well, if ho were put into the soaks ha might weigh some of them down.—(Laughter.) But he said that the working mon who were being sent to Parliament would have weight there, and the House would be bo nd to listen to them. He hoped that the interest he had taken in the Tatloreases’ Union, and in unionism generally, would not flag from the fact of his temporary removal from amongst them. He bad taken a stronger interest in the Tailoresses’ Union than in any other union he was connected with, for this reason: that his fiiend Mr Millar and himself knew that the girls were not so well versed in union matters, and were not so well able to take their part as men were, and therefore it was all the more necessary that those who took a hind in the formation and maintenance of (he Tailoresses' Union should devote very close attention to it. There was one word of advice that he would like to give to all unionists. They did not show sufficient patriotism, they did cot study others enough, they thought too muob of themselves and their own interests—he urged that they should study the movement more, and that they should work for the good of the movement, knowing that with the advance-

ment of their fellow-workers their own welfare was bound up, and that they alone could not succeed unless they were bound up with others. He hoped that unionists would endeavor to see aud act upon it, that unions were not things to be lightly despised, because they might not come quite up to their requirements or to their ideas of the g >od that they ( should on the spur of the moment derive from them, It was for unionists particularly to see that the lower strata of labor were raised, because they must have a sound foundation, and the foundation of unionism was the lowest grade of workers; and if those engaged in the lowest giade were brought as far as possible up in the social soale the others must rise with them. Again he thanked them for the very handsome presentation they had made him. - (Applause.) Miss Morruon, emphasising the remarks of Mr Pinkerton as to the interest he had taken in the Tailoresses’ Union, said that from the time that gentleman was elected president of the Union to the present time he had never been absent from a committee or general meeting, excepting when he was absent on their business in Auckland and Christchurch, and during the recent election campaign.—(Applause.) Mr Kitchen said that the record of the assistance given te other unions by the Tailoreeses’ Union showed that the girls composing the Union possessed good hearts, and that was an important fact, because good hearts were necessary if they were to make good wives and good mothers. The help the Tailoresses’ Union had rendered to the unions would be repaid to them with interest if their Union should ever be in trouble. He urged moderation and prudence in the endeavors of the Uniou to effect reforms. The Acting-Chairman said that since he last met the tailoresses they had gone through considerable trouble, but that trouble bad done them a lot of good.—(Applauee.) They had been tunning away with the idea that unionism was perfect, but they had discovered a number of weak spots, and they were now patching up the weak places. There were some people who imagined that the Seamen’s Union had been crushed, but he could tell them that that Union was in a healthier state now than it was six months ago.—(Loud applause.) It might not be so strong financially, bat the spirit of unionism had been brought out in the men, and the Union Company had been so kind to (hem that It had brought 800 rooruits to their ranks in men who were once (heir enemies, but were now their friends.- (Renewed applause,) He hoped that it would be many years before there was another strike, but steps were now being taken to see what co-operation oonld do, and they thought that by co operation they would get a larger share of the wealth they produced than otherwise, As a rule, he objected to anyone with

the mystic letters “M.H.R.” holding office in a society, bat he did not object here, because they had a genuine working man as their president, and he, put “M.H B.” to bis ndme—(app’auae)-and he believed that their worthy president bad to thank many of the members of that Union for his position, lor he believed that in them Mr Pinkerton had a body of unpaid canvassers who could not have been more energetic had they been paid. In oonclu- ion, he desired, on behalf of the Tailoresses’ Union, to ask Mr Pinkerton, in his seat in Parliament, to pay particular attention to the Factory Act.—(Applause.) Mr Pinkerton said he would do his best to get not only the Factory Act but all the other Labor Bills passed through Parliament.