THE NEED FOR SOLIDARITY

Evening Star, Issue 14511, 12 November 1910, Page 12

THE NEED FOR SOLIDARITY

The following is a summary of the address delivered by Mr R. Breen at the Socialist party's meeting on Sunday evening last-: At no time in tho history of the Labor movement in Now Zealand has there been more need of solidarity than there is at tho present time. To say that there is a solid Labor party to-day would be saying what is untrae. The most optimistic man in our midst could not by any stretch of imagination jay that such a thing as solidarity existed. Now, as Socialists we claim* that where an evil exists the only wuv to remedy that evil is to get right' down to the cause and have it removed. If it is right to apply that remedy to the evils that'exist in the capitalistic system, it must also bo right to apply the same remedy to the evils ot troubles that exist in our own ranks. I propose to-night to try to get. down to tho cause of our troubles, and, if possible,'point out a way in which that trouble can be removed. In my opinion the greatest source of trouble in" our ranlcs is a want of " toleration" with one another. If we find ono who does not entirely agree with us on any political or economic question we aro too apt to go out of our way to quarrel with that person. We look upon such a person as an enemy to the- cause, and instead of trying to convert him to our way of thinking, we widen the breach by abuse, and drivo him further from us. Some of you will perhaps say it is necessary, if our movement is to' be kept clean, to speak out plainly and call a spade by its proper name; but while 1 agree with those who are of that opinion, I still maintain that wo can speak plain without stooping to personal abuso. We have had too much of this sort of argument during the past year or two, and if it is allowed to continue I see nothing for it but tho wreckage of our movement. Those who are educated on economic questions must remember that tho majority of those they are constantly coming in contact with are not ?o gifted, .and that they roquiro to be treated more as though they wore children. If a teacher in our schools wished to educate a class of children on some subject he would uot bring a university student to talk over tho heads of the children. Rather would ho take and give tho class simple lessons which he knew they would understand, and by that means gradually educate them up to tho higher branches of the particular subject. Instead of adopting such methods in our propaganda work and teaching the Kink and file tho A. B. C of economic questions our leaders are inclined to preach over their heads, and very often abuse them because they do not understand or will not see eye" to eye with them on every particular question. 'J "hero art* many men in our movement to-day who are a"littlo too impetuous, and who fail to show that spirit of toleration which, in my opinion, should be shown to others who are unable to agree with them. Some of them are ready ami willing, on the strength of another person's worth to magnify some little weakness in another, and use it as a means of vilifying that person's character. If people would only have a litle more consideration when they feel like hurling accusations, it woidd tend to bring about a better understanding among the workers. The speaker then dealt at length with the trouble between the New Zealand Federation of Ixibor estaMshed by the miners and the Federation established by the Trades and Labor Councils of the Dominion, and expressed the opinion that if more attention was given to tho merits of the two federations and less personal abuse indulged in it would be better for all concerned. Continuing, tlie speaker stated that personally ho was not opposed to industrial unionism, l>ecause he could sec in it a better system of organisation for political purposes, because by political , action only can the conditions of the whole of tho workers—men, women, and children - -be improved. The first duty of a union should be to improve the working conditions of its members, but, having accomplished that, it is certainly their duty to join with others in assisting their weaker brothers and sisters, and that can only be done bv political action. That is why I liavo alwavs advocated that those unions who have" had their conditions fixed by Arbitration Court awards should direct their energies to the political side, instead of wasting it trying to get improved conditions from the" Arbitration Court. For the benefit of new unions which are constantly being formed I would have the Act, remain, but the others have no wo for it further thamto have their industrial a.wards enforced. . I At the present, time the Arbitration Act is about the most- abused Act on _ the Statute Book, but, I know that it is a boon to a great many unions in New Zealand. as without it they, would not exist very long. The administration of the Act is what we have most grounds for complaining about, and in that the remedy lies in political action. If we want sympathetic administration of our laws wo must have men in Parliament to son that they are so administered. These laws were placed on the Statute Book to protect tho worker from the unfair employer but are thev administered in the interest of the workers? 1 sav they arc not, and will not he until we have men in Parliament to see that thev are or know the reason whv. Think what a great work lies before us Think of the thousands of people in New Zealand t'v-day who are struggling for their dailv bread, and then think of the relief we could give to those people by immediate political action. At tho present lime we have an Act on tho Statnto Book which endows the widow of the man who dies as the result of an accident, but what about, the woman whose husband dies a n-dural death? If her husband has had ■i lung illness, she will probably be left with a pile of bills to pay and no money to pav them with. She is forced to .seek charity, with all the objectionable condition-, attaelvod to it, or go out into the i world to battle for the bread to feed her children. On tlw one hand we have the woman who is entitled by tho laws ot our laud to he provided for, and on the other ha'-d the woman, who is not, and is compclh-d to battle for bread for her children or see them want. Thousands of women are suilering every day of their lives and will, for all we care, continue doing so until they die. And wo talk of industrial unionism, and snarl and quarrel with one another, instead of rising up m our strength and at least trying to inako the lot of ot"' more unfortunate brothers and sisters a little better. What, are wo ■ruing to do to remedy this state of things.' Co out on the warpath, with the inevitable split, or rally our forces, and make one solid' party to tight the common enemy ? I ask all Labor leaders to bury the hatchet, sink all personal differences, and join hands in putting tip the, biggest fight Labor has over put up in Now Zealand. Our cause is a great and noble cause, its gospel is tho gospel of humanity, ajid its -preachers should be inspired with tho spirit of Christianity if they aro to forward that great cause.