FEDERATION OF LABOUR

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXXIII, Issue 16034, 14 September 1912, Page 3

FEDERATION OF LABOUR

ORGANISER AT ADDINGTON. WAIHI AND REEFTON TROUBLES. During the luncheon hour yesterday Mr R. Semple, organiser for the New Zealand Federation of Labour, addressed about fifty men from the Addington Workshops, placing heloio them the Federation’s version of tho Wuihi and Reefton troubles. Air E. J. Howard was chairman, and introduced Mr Semple briefly. Ho said that the meeting was called chiefly to explain the real position to the mon, and to show them that organised labour was opposed by big forces. The “Lyttelton Times” was the fairest newspaper in the dominion, but even it had become one-sided in dealing with the present industrial situation, end had permitted itself to be biased. It kept adversely criticising the Federation’s action in Waihi, where the men had conducted a law- , abiding strike, but it made no mention of Reefton, whore the employers had, illegally looked out the men. He announced that the Federation, would a meeting in tho King’s Theatre on Sunday night to discuss fully tho whole position. Mr Semple snid that tho newspapers had told tho public that the Federation war trying to coerce the engineers at Waihi into the Miners’ Union. • That was not true. Some years ago Hie Union was registered with tho Arbitration Court, and obtained awards in which provision was made for enginednvers and firemen. The competitive system was in force, and it led to numerous accidents. Application was made to the Court to have the competitive system abolished, but the Court held that it |md nothing to do with conditions of labour, that its ilinctions ceased with the regulation of wages. The Miners’ Union then cancelled its registration and obtained an agreement with tho employers by which the co-operative system was introduced. A month b&fore the agreement expired fifteen en-gine-drivers, at the invitation of the company, formed a separate Union and applied for registration. It was represented to the'then Minister of Labour, the Hon G. Laurenson, that there was already an Engine-drivers’ Union in i existence in the Waihi industrial district, and that it was not desirable that two Unions of the same character should exist in tho one district. The Department of Labour refused to allow the Union to register, but tbo Crown law office upset the decision. The Luion had loft the C-ourt on the decision arrived at by a ballot and yet fifteen men, a minority, were able to force the mon hack to the Court. Tho IVaihl men would not stand it, and had taken i extronie measures to prevent it. The same position had arisen in Kaitangata. He noticed that now a Battery Hands’ Union was being formed. It was an attempt to “bust up” the industrial democracy by the power of the law. When application was made to tho Court to object to an agreement for Knitangata being registered because it had been arrived at by a secret conference, at Which only a small section of the men had been represented, Judge Sim liad_ ruled that ho could not let the application be heard, because the applicant Union was not registered under. the Act. It had been said that the Federation was against tho men of the Court, but ‘there were loyal members of the Federation, who were supporters of the Court. But it was also truo that at Waikino an attempt was being made to remove the term “scab” by the substitution of “ arbitrations t.’’ Those men were scabs and scabs of the worst type, since they were trying to smash the industrial democracy. There wero great forces opposed to the Federation—the “Mills mob” and the Government —-but tho Federation had the men behind it. Tho response had been wonderful and had surprised the whole country. Already £16,000 had been subscribed to help tho men. and that in the middle of winter. The Federation was going on with, the contest. The coal miners, who understood the position. were supporting tho Federation. They knew what it was to go to tho Arbitration Court only to be Piet with the sneers of a class-biased judge. In Waikino the “scabs” were protected by tho bludgeons of the police. No one who resorted to such tactics was a man. (Applause.') “ The Federation has surprised the ' country.” he said, “and if the police are used too much it will surprise tho workmen and the country as a whole still more. We ore not p:oing down without a fight, and if we do go we will leave a mark on the industrial history of this country.” (Applause.) UNITED LABOT-P PARTY’S ATTITUDE. INTERYIFW Wtttt MR W. E J. i MAGUIRE. Mr W. E. J. Maguire, a member of the Representation Committee of the United Labour Party, was interviewed by a “ Lyttelton Times ” reporter yesterday in regard to the statement made by Mr R. Semple, organiser for the New Zealand Federation of Labour, that the United Labour Party was opposing his organisation. Mr Maguire, said that such a statement, if not given the most emphatic denial, was calculated to further divide tho workers. It was not in accordance with facts, being a misrepresentation of the true attitude of tho United Labour Party not only in connection with this strike, but all industrial conflicts. In the first place, tho minors of Waihi had the undivided sympathy of tho United Labour Party to a man, and, though bound by their platform in this respect, the members of the party sincerely deplored that such a condition should obtain amongst a section of their brother workers. While they had not been called Into requisition they had all the time sympathetically desired that the influence and wisdom of i the loaders of tho Federation of Labour would tend by prudent tactics in the direction of a satisfactory settlement. The Council of the party was not only at the service of tho men, but would oven act in concert with the Federation so far as discussing the situation in all its bearings, and would co-operate to promote an honourable adjustment on the lines laid down in the party’s platform, which stood for “ the settlement of industrial disputes on the lines of legally established agreements and awards, by methods of con- 1 cijiation and arbitration.” Tho party had at all times held out tho band of fellowship to the leaders of the Federation, and in every instance, Mr Maguire regretted to have to say, thero had been a lack of reciprocation. The party was, however, not only hopeful but entirely confident that tho day was at hand when the goodsense of tho workers generally would recognise, that it was to tho United Labour Party they must look for their guidance. Finally, the constitution of the party in its bearing on industrial disputes had such a wide range that it met almost any possible contingency. The constitution on this point read as follows: “ In the case of any industrial dispute, especially in tho case of a refusal of the Arbitration Court to grant an award, or in caso of a palpable miscarriage of justice in that Court, tho Executive Council shall have authority to take such further action as it may deem, necessary, on tho approval of tho federations or unions involved, and may use, to this end, the whole power of tins organisation to protect those who must otherwise become utterly defenceless under the present forms of law. "Provided that no union, of federation of unions, shall be required to contribute specially to, or join in, any strike

without first securing by referendum tlie consent of a majority of its members.” The party claimed, thorefore, thaft its method must bo eventually adopted, as the saner way of establishing social harmony, industrial concord, progreetl and solidarity. Otherwise Laoour must remain divided and derided, and no good could accrue from any leader of a section of the workers endeavouring to create a wider gulf. "Whatever differences might be considered to exist between the policies of tho two organisations in regard to strikes, a tolerant and unbiased attitude on both sides was earnestly desired, and the language and attitude of the various organisations towards each oflior should bo gravely guarded in such a period of industrial crisis.