MAY DAY

Evening Star, Issue 18623, 2 May 1924, Page 8

MAY DAY

LABOR TARTY DEMONSTRATION. To commemorate May Day tho New Zealand Labor Party met in the Trades Hall lost night, when several well-known leaders addressed an audience which failed to fill the hall. (Mr F, Jones (president of tho Labor Representation Committee) was in the chair. Tho Chairman said Hurt tho celebration of May Day was a now departure for tho local organisation. It was recognised at tho recent Labor Conference that May Day should ho celebrated as an international day. It was a day for universal sympathy and brotherhood with ono another in the different countries of the world. The war had brought about various things, such as enmity between the workers of the various countries, sickness, and unemployment. Enmity was dying out, and tho workers were realising that they must come together to .gain their freedom. Throughout the colonies Lohor Governments were becoming the rule. It was a sign of the times.

Mr .T. Robinson, in explaining the meaning of (May Day gatherings, said that Labor throughout every country was holding out ithc “glad hand” to their com■radcs, who had the right to enjoy the fruits of .their labor. That task could only bo accomplished by those who wore concerned. Their task lay in their own city, their own street, and their own household to bring about unanimity between (lip, workers. A house divided must fall. The. methods of Capitalism were stronger than ever before, and Capitalism laughed behind the. mask of respectability when multitudes of unemployed were homeless and hungry. Tho effects of tho Labor Government in England were already Lein; felt, and the cards were now all on the table. There was no deception in the Labor Government’s platform. The peace of the world could not bo ensured by the building up of huge navies and' armies. Mr W. Nash funtional secretory) said that May .Day was recognised chiefly in European countries as Labor Day. It was celebrated to show that the workers in every country were 'brothers. Internationalism between workers must be recognised to .show that ench individual had his own individuality and personality. All notions and all men, had the right to their individuality, otherwise there would be no work, and the wheels of progress would never go round. Workers must have unity before, every worker could be his self-or herself. They could not have that right, while any person had the right to "demand mid command what they must do. They were practicallv slaves. Tho railway men were slaves. They had to go back, and if they had not gone back they would have been driven back by economic necessity, and before economicol necessity was done away with workers would always be in semi-slavery.' While there was any worker, black or white, working under the lash of necessity there would never bo freedom. May Day brought the message that the workers of the world were beginning to see that they must get together: During the last, few years Labor hnd been making great, steps in organisation. Capitalism was wonderfully well organised. Tho weakest, organisation of Labor was the land workers ; they were not orgonised, at all in New Zealand. The hope of the world rested in the unity of the workers of English-speaking countries, Mahon that was done war would be impossible. When workers realised that power they would march on to' freedom. Mr .1. Gilchrist referred to the May Days in England, and proceeded to describe the work done by well-known Labor men in England when tho Labor movement first started. Their efforts were now bearing fruit, -War to-day was caused by the masters. Although things looked promising politically for the workers there was much to be done. They must bo up and doing to realise tho ideal they had set before them. The movement was still in its propaganda stage, and there was still ignorance on the part of some of tho workers wjhioll bad. ta ba overcome.

He advocated brotherhood between the races of the earth.

Mr Scruple said that from thousands oi platforms that night messages of goodwill were ibeing sent out, and never were they more needed than at the preSP’nl time. The Labor Party believed that there was a place and a plate for all at Nature’s table. The worker received insufficient wealth to meet his needs, and he was at war with the class who wanted to take more from him. That was the fundamental basis of class hatred throughout the world. The socialist movement was not built, as the capitalistic movement was, on blood and destruction. The modern capitalistic system was built by the sword and on the skulls and misery of humanity. Revolution in the Socialist sense meant a change from Capitalism to Collectivism; there was no blood and thunder about it. Labor wanted a complete change in the structiue ol modern society. They were striving for a fuller and happier life and a contented people. The present strike was an instance of working men fighting working men. Labor would never succeed until it was united. He hoped that next Mas Day they would fill His Majesty s Theatre. , During the evening Mr J. Gilchrist contributed a song. , ~ , A hearty vote of thanks to the speakers and the singing of the ‘ Red Flag concluded the meeting.