IS IT RED?

Marlborough Express, Volume XLVIII, Issue 89, 17 April 1914, Page 5

IS IT RED?

THE LABOR CONFERENCE

Concerning the Labor Conference now. sitting in Wellington, Wednes•day's Evening Post says:—• .-'■ ; "Mr Rosser was elected chairman of the conference and Mr B. ;Mai"tia. secretary. Pi-ess representatives, witih. the exception of a Maoriland Worker reporter, were then excluded." So runs a passage in yesterday's reporti of "a conference of delegates from Ai-bitsration unions of New Zealand,, convened by the Auckland Union Secretairies' Association." An average reader might have thought that the conference was fairly representative of this country's Arbitration unions, but suspicions must have been airoused by the compliments paid to Mi- Rosser and to the Worker, the official organ-of the Red Federation of Labor. The chairman is the same Mr Arthur Rosser whose voice was raised for tihe Reds during the Waihi strike. That) struggle proved to the Reds that they could not 'hop© to prevail by terrorist methods (termed "peaceful picketing" and "education") unless they had some kind of understanding with the. police, for mutual benefit) at the cost of the public. Vigorous efforts were made to "emancipate" the police, and the most energetic organiser of "classconsciousness" was Mr Rosser, now president of a conclave open to only the Red press. The Wellington and Dunedin Labor Councils decided that tlliey would not he represented, and altogether the assembly is not as large as its name. The promoters have declared that it is a muster of "genuine Arbitration unions," but the real." character of the conference has yet to be revealed. For instance, one remit (from the Auckland General Laborers' Union) is:—"That conference take mo steps towards forming any new federation or amalgamation of unions that does not (a) co-operate with the United Federation of Labor, (b) affiliate with the United Federation of Labor." The word "united," ais used by tihe Federation of Labor, is just as absurd as "united," used by the .Labor 'Party.- The Reds have shouted the word "united" since the middle of,'last year, but their organisation is practically the- same old Red Federation wii/h , the same leaders. . If that Auckland-remit is approved by the delegates of the alleged;1 "genuine Arbitration, unions, 5;. then the redness of the gathering will be too -.glaring for concealment. by any thin veil of pretence.