THE MODERATE MAN AND THE SOCIALIST.

Grey River Argus, 25 November 1910, Page 2

THE MODERATE MAN AND THE SOCIALIST.

An attempt is being" made to ma,!>nifv tEe effects of the judgment b* declaring 'that the ordinary objects of a i-rade union are being restricted and th;it the_ Trade Union Congress; trades councils, and such bodies are endangered, and that a union cannot promote legislation in the interest of its own members, such as regulations for mines or factories. Yet there can : be no objection 'to these matters being, referred to the law officers or some' .other committee of inquiry. It is not for political reasons only that' -trie j early attention of Parliament is demanded for this subject, for the trade unions and, 'through , them, the industrial position generally have been profoundly affected by the Socialist alTianefc. The affiliation of the trade un-. ions with the' Socialist organisations and the adoption of their creed has to all intents made Socialism the test of trade unionism and has had the tendency to keep the more moderate taking any active part in them, while it. has attracted tEe more extreme men. Thus the unions are becoming like ships with toa much sail and too little ballast, and the effect is already felt disastrously m the ' industrial world. Many .thousands of staunch . find well-balanced men have left our unions during the last few years ra.^ ther than suffer tJie Socialist domination. In \he Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants thousands were watcliiiig my appeal xo the courts for relief, and when in July 1908 the case .cum-t before the Chancery Court and I lost, and there, seemed no hope of redresb, many had jerry w-n' weary of waiting lor the 'trial; others-heard the judgment with -3. feeling of despairj, and in that year 30.000 men left the society, ■lorfeiting their contribution ana their benefits rather than suffer political domination in a purely induSr iria.l organisation. iAy the unons become more and moie poJitical their stability must be , affected. Politici. have a disintegrat- ! irig influence and breed ■ mistrust, and where collectve barganug is concerned if is necessary that the leader^ ahould have the full confidence of the m«n for whom they_ bargain, and this j cannot exist where politics prevail. The adherents of one political party cannot be expected to trust the leader of another section, fearing always that -the industrial interest will' be subordinated to the political. Thus the want of confidence, produces loose discipline Iri .the interests of the liberty of the subject, the purity of Parliament, as well as of' our industrial structure, it is necessary that there should be no revrsal, of the Osborne judgment. !

, • An interesting anomaly in .railway, races was notitedby an,Jmpo.rter who vent. 'a' moor car to Oamani a day or iwo ago. The cost of sending the car rrom ' Dunedin *«■ •" Oamanr wa s . less, than f-t would" 1 have been to" send it troih Oamaru breakwater .to Oamaru. The. rate from Dunedin is according tp deadweight; thajt from Oamaru breakwater according to ship's manifest. To h.a>ve brought this car from Port Chalmers -to Dunedin by rail would have cost £2 9 S 6d The cost of sending it from there ito .Oamaru was 30s.

"In my. time I have examined something" like 100,000 life-saving classes, .a-n-d hiave'-n ever yet fottrid the methods being; wrongly ' carried but;" 'said Mr W. -"Henry, when the life-sawhg- demon-' stration was in a.t Stunner. "TKn-t spekiks; well 'for the simplicity of the methods propounded l»: T the Royal Life Saving Society. 1 '