UNIONS DEFENDED.

Greymouth Evening Star, 14 July 1939, Page 5

UNIONS DEFENDED.

[to the editor.] Sir,—Allow me to question Mr. Mosley’s outburst, reported in your issue of Wednesday. Mr. Mosley is rightly or wrongly credited with saying that he al least is convinced that this country is ridden to death with unions and union secretaries. , Surely he meant to say ridden to death with local bodies and Boards. As a union secretary ot long standing, I wish to ask Mr. Mosley if his knowledge of unions applies to the law clerks’ union of Westland, oi which, doubtless, Mr. Mosley is a member; then he may be quite right in his summing-up, as lie should know their position better than I do. As his remarks appear to be very wide, I wish to point out to him that I think a position of union secretary is one of a much higher standing than that of a law clerk, and one that requires much more ability, initiative and leadership than is required by a. law clerk. 1 wonder .lust how Mr. Mosley would feel, and what sort of a job he would have made in presenting a similar case for the members of a union to a Board in the same manner as Mr. Howarth had done. One wonders what the headlines would have been had Mr. Howarth been assisted by his colleagues. Knowing local body work as I do, I desire to congratulate. Mr. Howarth on the manner he prepared his case on behalf of those he represented, and I would say to Mr. Mosley that the uncalled-for remarks alluding to unions, etc., is just what the union secretaries have to contend with when dealing with people with little knowledge of the questions in dispute, and their inability when required to exercise their initiative. I want to make it quite clear that I. am not finding any fault with the Board referred to in connection with the above matters, as I have not the facts of either side. My comment is only on the way Mr. Mosley couched his remarks on union secretaries in general, in what I ell ®y e to be insulting in the extreme, to Mr. Howarth. Mr. Mosley was rather ioitunate in not having myself present to replv to his remarks, when I think lie would have been rather sorry he made them. Yours, etc. Union Secretary.