CORRESPONDENCE

Greymouth Evening Star, 28 March 1930, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE

INANGAHUA union. [to the editor.] Sir,—Now that we are on the eve of our election for Secretary of the Inangahua Union, members should consider what is to be done. Things have chaiiged in our Union. We have less than 400 members. One time, when gold mining was busy, we had 1250 members, and paid' no more to our secretary. For a long time with out 1250 meinbei-s we paid less than we do now for 400 members. We have about 300 gold mine members at Waiuta and less than 100 coal miners and to-day, we cannot boast of our reserve funds. I suggest that the gold miners at Blackwater mine appoint a working secretary at £5O per annum, and the coal miners to appoint ' a working secretary at £26 a year. We would save £250 per annum and in foui - years would have a reserve fund of £lOOO plus interest. All the other coal mine unions have more members, and only pay a working secretary £4O to £6O per year. A reserve fund like this would be handy to help us just now. We were kidded to sacrifice our jobs as wages men, working men for the co-operators, and were to join up as co-operators. The co-operative party would not have us and now we find the law will not allow the cooperators to have more than 10 men in the parties. We have a few wages men, and cannot be expected to pay our levies. We cannot stay on the financial side, and the owners will

have another kick because we become unfinancial. The union can post us, and the owners can’t employ us and having no vote, the co-operators have the best side, and have all the power of the union to go their direction. I don’t blame “Dave” looking on the financial side and getting £360 a year, but I think the time has arrived when the wages .men should look after themselves, and have a working secretary for themselves. I hear a co-operator has just sold out his job in a cooperative party, so he could stand for the secretaryship. We don’t want an opportunist, but a wages man working secretary, the same as every other union in New Zealand. To-day, what do you find. No other union in New Zealand will recognise our Union. I feel sorry for myself and my fellow wages men who have been stupid enough to vote themselves out of a job when they had one, working for the co-operators. The co-operators are the financial coal mine members, and are entitled to all the “spoke” at the meetings. I am not blaming the cooperative parties, if they can hold the union as their union and have the benefit of, our funds to protect them, good luck to them, but I do say the wages men should have a working secretary now for themselves, and are entitled to any money there might bo on hand for the wagesmen’s union, because the union was started for the wagesmen, not for the bosses.—Yours etc., UNEMPLOYED.