THE.W.W.

Grey River Argus, 1 November 1916, Page 3

THE.W.W.

CONNECTION WlTir NEW ZEALAND. STATEMENT BY HON. J. T. PAUL PREAMBLE NOT IDENTICAL WITH TACTICS. The Hon. J. T. Paul, M.L..C, made a statement in Christchurch. yesterday ' respecting the position of the New Zea land Labour leaders towards -the^ Industrial Workers of the World, whose policy of violence in Australia has attracted much attention to the organident of the "Lytelton^ijnes" .stated that the Federation pf Labcmr >a 1 M^y, 1 0 1 2, decided to adopt the I.W. W. preamble. The correspondent adds: — "There have been amendments and , additions to the Federation of Labour platform since extraordinary document was solemnly endorsed., and in the lig-ht_of the practical outcome ; of its teachings of class, bitterness ■ and violence,' it can well be imajrtntd that the Federation Leaders are will content to let their 1912 programme tie forgotten." . Mr. Paul said that the fact was that ; at the most largely attended I abpur conference ever held, in New 7eal lad, the preamble was eliminated.- In tny case, the preamble — with whkh, Yy the way, he did not agree— was qu-te apart from the I.W.W. itself; it had been adopted by organisations aotua* ly opposed to the I.W.W. tactics. The I.W.W. never included among its adherents any prominent leader of Labour in New Zealand. No person vvho held a prominent position in the I.W.W. had any prominence whateyt-r in any Labour organisation mi N^w Zealand— not one. The I.W.W. men simply came to New Zealand, apparently from the ends of the earth, as I.W.W. men. They achieved notoriety here as I.W.W 7 . men, and then went on to Australia, and also achieved notoriety the : re. as I.W.W. men. *■ FEDERATION OF LABOUR'S * PREAMBLE. x ■ ■ The following is the fall text oi the preamble adopted by the Federation ot Labour- in 19 1 2. It is based, on the preamble of the I.W.W :— The working class .and the employing class have nothing, in common. There can.be no peace so long as hunger and want are found among tiie millions of working people and r he few who make up the employing ckss, have all the good things of life. Between these two classes a struggle must go on until "the workers of the world organised as a class take possession . of the earth and the machinery of production, and abolish me wage systeni. . „ , ; We find that the centreing :f the management of industries into fewer and fewer hands makes the. trade uniunj unable to - cope with the 'ever -gro wing power pf the employing . class. The trade unions foster a state, of nffu'rs which allows one' set of workers to be pitted against another set of workers in the same industry, thereby, hc-pnig defeat one another in . wage wars. ' These conditions can.- be -"iianged and the interest of the ; working class upheld only by an organisation *orcued in such a way that all its members in any one industry, or in ail iuevstries, if necessary, cease work whenever, a. strike pr. lpck-out is on in any department thereof, thus making au injury'; to one an injury to all. -. Instead of the conservative motto: "A' fair day's wages for a fair d.svs work," our watchwprd . is : : "Abolition of the wage system." It is the historic mission of the \york ing. class to do away with capitalism. The army of production^ must be organised, not only for the everyday Struggle with capitalists, but also to carry on production when capitalism shall. have been overthrown. By organising industrially we are forini.ig the structure . of the new society within the shell; of the old. In the following year, at a Unity Conference in Wellington, to which Mr. Paul referred, the preamble was struck out. Mr. H. Tlunter, secretary to the. Federation of Labour, states that^thc pre amble was adopted . befpre he wad in office, and he explains its adoptipn by the fact that in many La'uour dbcuments there are repetitions of -phrases and sentences. He has noticed ibis in many documents connected with the Arbitration Court, secretaries simply taking ( clauses drawn up ;by pther. secretaries. The I.W.W. who visited New Zealand, he said, were antagonistic to New Zealand Labour- leaders. They had mo time for Labour organisation in New Zealand, and Labour leaders here had no time for the I.W.W. ia ctics. Recently it was alleged in spme quarters that boys- and girls from the various industrial schools and other State .institutions had been licensed, out for domestic, farming or other ser vice at lpw rates of pay. Speaking to a Wellington "Post" reporter, the I Jon J. A. Hanan stated that since he had had control of education he had pi>ld much attention to the question, an<? and increased pay and improved conditions were now being obtained. "The boys and girls who are thus licensed out," said the Minister, "are regarded by me as wards of the State, over whom we should exercise such a guardianship as will be conducive to their best interests in life. The £'ducatipn Department, would fail 'n • s duty vunless its attitude towards the boys and grils who are licensed to go out into the field of labour makes it (jlear that we believe in such wards be ing fairly and reasonably reniunerate*d j-pr their services aild properly treated in other respects." Touching on another subject, Mr. Hanan said he disapproved of those of weak intellect or the-mentally defective going put to ser vice! He considered, that, in the interests of the boys and. girj^^th^mselves, and in the interestag^jML»Dmmuhitv generally, such -d^^H^vy.buld be kept at the industjg^^HfLols until arrangeme.njis , QO«iß^niade to place them at other" Government instirUtfons for suitable training. Many hundreds of Maltese h^ve ; been arriving in. Australia during recent mpnths. They are a useful class • of labourers, and they have found.fmployment, readily enough, on; the mjti- , ing fields, on railway worKs; ' ahd J around the ■ docks, Over "300,000 : young Australians have;, enlisted, arid* it is obvipus that extra works- are wanted in sonic industries. But the labour unions have. taKgh great alarm [ writes a Syd^jy|jj|«iß^^»»*k They ; insist that JpfeTmen are, coming, in-, under conar^t tp. someone: pf other and they^Jet.b'adg-ered thje Federal :■ and State(w|ini§fers\u.ncejismg].y. ;The latter dec» c .4b at they can no eviden* AvhateyetV of a conttact, and point -?Sut th^fthe Maltese rfiay auite prpbal% ; ; haCve^tieeti* attracted^to Australia in. Me : .ordinary way. 33iey are a npt urkiesira3>^; class/ of ' SSuth' wtfo^come frQm?«i- pjaoeith ( a.thas beett-.3^h^^r,a^in;dr«*'"years^ and who-^sgiljgfr^njgfj^-iralgfej. ; t h.3 n ' Italian. ■ Qfr^road^atipnali grounds^ there can be rip obiqotion to admittiji)? them to this. Tartd;^ But the agitation, j&esi; gaily. on;' T^tei : pnti-cons^HDti^hists ■; insinuate'^thatnit is a curinrnK^canscriptipii 3?lbt. : Aindei'/ which Ai^trnli a ? s . men w.yi fl ;ft-' t .be? r senit' away. die^*\ labour brought nri;. a r>H f he ■Außtrnljan.;-unipris^en&laYj^^V^p.i£i suchjare-the arguments of thfe^afti^H