THE TRADE UNION CONGRESS

Grey River Argus, 25 November 1910, Page 1

THE TRADE UNION CONGRESS

v Mr Osborne contributes to last .Saturday's Morning Post a very interesting letter on the real .significance of the Trade Union "Congress, vote. After pointing out that the machinery of the trade unions has been captured by the Socialists and that this section alone is represented at the congress Mr Osborne proceeds to illustrate the farcical nature of card vting\ The delegates, who hold cards each representing 1000 members, can throw these cards and make the members ]v.o*e which way they like. Thus, although 73,571 railway servants were [represented, "owing to numerous canididates contesting" tne districts the "elected delegates only received an aggregate vote .of 11,731, and yet they claim to represent and be able to vote ;for.all. While the ordinary members jisplit their votes over a number of canjdida'tes, the Socialists, being organis!ed, concentrated on their few and l.carried the' elections. Neither could jthey claim to vote for the 11,731, as [they did not submit any. view on the f question to the members at the time lof the election. Not only did congress vote for 'all members in the affiliated unions, regardless of their individual 'political opinions- but the many ;th on sands who have lapsed through ; arrears, death, and numerous other Vcauses were all voted for. As a card ■is given for every thousand members or part thereof, it means that anything over the 1000 is counted .as two : thus, nearly. 100,000 men were voted for tEat are yet unborn. To add to the humour of the whole thing, they voted for myself in the majority as desiring the reversal of the. 'Osborne judgment.' "