LABOR ISOLATION.

Grey River Argus, 25 June 1906, Page 1

LABOR ISOLATION.

i A DANGEROUS SERPENT.

V I E WS OFTHEUABORCOUN-

THE CLERK CLASS.

;j ( l deprecate the tendency- of labor ;to {isolate itself ffomrall -.except'manual laborers, .and predict -that they:, will regret the folly of thus r inflicting uponj themselves a^disability : in;the v proniotioij of.. their, own- adyancemeni." . ' "Mx Joim Burns, President of' the lo^ cal .Grpyernment Board,: and ;the wellknb wn English labor : made this ;s^tement^atr:the'Natiorial:Libera^GluV aivl; ,: a? yrepreseiitati^e ':Sydney ; pajper brought it under the notice r bf th 4 vLabor r.G6.uricil. ; The bf : ficials conferred,' and it was arranged that the>rPresideritT(M£ Erj/"KSvan'agh) should- :.. act. -as , the Cpuncii's ; spokesmen 'on thY: subject. /'Y'l ;-' .;;;■ "In the first place,' said Mr Kavana^h,. ,'jMr Burns.'. Remarks .cannot , be taken to apply to Australian labor brgangations, as.t he; to -; isolate itself from all except man-, uahiaborers,' which Mr Burns depreCates/^is foreign to our-Labor policy. In; f apt, I think it is unknown f in Aus-. tr^ia^ and I^ris'l jiwJHiwe'r ' so, for I- cannot conceive anythingv,more f ocllsh and; harmf uj ijp biiir icausjeTthan for Labor "pnipns^io';. attempt 'tb split the i^orkers^ ;; "We, as trade \inipnists, and %bor^siipporters.i.:: Kave^lieen :':' ac^ cused- pf doing miany foolish'v things, but I thinkYeveii Mr-Reid : Svill^gi^e us ? re idit for having; 'better sense -thian to play into his "handV .by.cohfiidihg our brganiisations to:'tlie ranks of manual laborers only. .^ ;"';"* Y-Y;. ... : V "It' is with sincere Yregret that we in Australia, learn, that our 'fellowworkers acrossY the ; £ea are", allowing, such a dangerous : serpjsn't, as this Sisplajtion- policy' to creep in. It will ; •Cause disunity in their, ranks, : and | blast v their causey which'. has so fir been prbwried with success. It is that very sucess that will bring forth many such serpents, for the other side know that their^security'.lies in. the workers' "disunity.; No Labor mpvement can ever be successful' unless 'it embraces all

workers;- Wkettier^they*'wdfk^ >:; with' 'the brain, or witi' their hands, or both, it matters not. They are workers, and our 'ranks must be open to them. "In the Sydney Labor Council we have delegates representing all sorts of workers^musicians, engineers, shop assistants — in fact v very conceivable calling,v.and our organising committee is ready and willing to organise the boot-blacks and the sparroW;Starvefs (street-sweepers) if theyY should express a desire to be so.-prganised. That is our. policy, and we are not likely to ever, alter it. The same applies to our political movement; .and; I believe, to;, the movements all over Australia. '„. " ' ; "There are many who' do not call themselves ..^workers, such as /clerks,, and it is th^ir antipathy to bie called such, and to form themselves into unipns, that cause.s them to^be forced to,; work a whole week for a wage^in many cass, • not exceeding that ' which a Union laborer receives for two days' work. I mention this because it, is the only parallel to the 'isolation ;pplicV' I knowTof in this country, only in this case it is somewhat reversed— tlic genteel worker isolates himself from the manual?- worker instead of vicevefsa, as in theiiOld, Country.. i.l fully endorse the sentiments expressed by : Mr John -Burns, and trust he, and thef Labor, men in .the Old Country wfl| do 'their utmost to "prevent such a"; split in their" ranks." r