Manawatu Evening Standard. MONDAY, NOV. 2, 1925. AGAINST THE EMPIRE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLV, Issue 282, 2 November 1925, Page 8

Manawatu Evening Standard. MONDAY, NOV. 2, 1925. AGAINST THE EMPIRE.

We liave heard so much of recent months by way of disclaimer that the Labour Socialists of this country, and of Australia and Great Britain, have any time for or connection with tiie Communists, that it will come as somewhat of a shock, even to those supporters of Labour who have accepted the disclaimers, to find that, at the Scottish Trade Union Congress held at Glasgow on the 13th September last, Mr Arthur Henderson, who held office in the WaxCabinet of the Coalition Government, and as Secretary of State for Home Affairs in the British Socialist Government, is reported to have said that “if they had a Socialist Government to-mor-row, there would be a countefr revolution by the owning class. While he was not a blood-thirsty chap, he would be prepared to shoot and to kill, if necessary, in order to uphold the principle of government by the people. He cared not what the workers called themselves. He would speak with the Communists or anarchists, if all agreed to work for the overthrow of the px-esent damnable system.” This , recalls the remark made by Mr F. It. Cooke, who was the president of the New Zealand Labour Party in *1921, and who is now contesting the' Christchurch North seat in the Labour interest. Speaking at the 1919 Labour Congress held at Wellington Mr Cooke said, as reported in the Maoriland Worker at the time, that “he was a Socialist and not merely a pacifist, and he took his stand against war and bloodshed because they were the weapons of capitalism, but he was not opposed to fighting for his class. ... If a Socialist Government were in power, he, alongwith all other class conscious workers, would rally to the lied Flag, armed or unarmed, and would gladly give his life, if liecessary, and his family would join with him too.” Similar utterances were made on the same occasion (that is at the 1919 Labour Conference) by Messrs W. E. Parry and It. Semple), the latter stating that “he saw no signs of the ruling class anywhere getting into a reasonable Ifame of mind or preparing peacefully to vacate , their trenches in face of the onward march of the workers. He was afraid that the struggle ahead might be a long and bitter one, and Labour must not adopt a purely passive attitude.” If these were merely isolated utterances, very little importance would be attached to them; but, with the same idea running through the minds of those who class themselves as representative men in the working class movement, they assume a decidedly sinister as-

Ipect. Tlie “Standard” has, on more than one occasion, broadly stated its opinion that the Labour Socialists who are in charge of the Labour movement in New Zealand are definitely against the Empire. It is true that, in connection with the present election contest, the party leaders have been scrupulously careful to say nothing that would even suggest they were opposed to the unity of the Empire, or that they desire to in any way impair its integrity. Yet we know that the National Executive of the New Zealand Labour Party sent a message of sympathy and condolence to the Russian Soviet Government, which is. admittedly bent on covertly warring against the British Empire, over the death of “the monster Lenin, the man who” (in the words of Mr L. M. Isitt, M.P.) “murdered hi. - way to power, who violated every principle of democracy, who suppressed the right of public meetings, free speech and the press.” THE TREND OF LABOUR THOUGHT. A f»ct which, so far as we are aware has not yet been reported in connection with the British Trades Union Congress held at Scarborough on the 12th of September last, although the cables made a great show in connection with the alleged repudiation of the Communists by the Congress, pretty clearly indicates the trend of Labour thought. An English paper (The Patriot) the 24th September records the fact that “by 3,082,000 manipulated card votes to 79,000 the congress carried the following motion as the climax of its proceedings: — This Trades Union Congress believes that the domination of nonBritish peoples by the British Government is a form of capitalist exploitation having for its object the securing for British capitalists:— (1) Cheap sources of raw materials. (2) The right to exploit cheap and unorganised labour and to use tlio competition of labour to degrade the workers’ standards in Great Britain. ■ “It declares its complete opposition to Imperialism, and resolves to support tho workers in all parts of the British Empire, to organise the Trade Unions and political parties in order to further their interests, and to support the right of all peo- ' pics in the British Empire to selfdetermination, including the right to choose separation from the Empire.” In tliat motion there is a declaration on the part of an overwhelming majority of British trades unionists that they not only desire to destroy the British Empire, but intend to support any group of persons who will assist m the operation. Not so long ago it would have been inconceivable that any considerable number of British workers would have allowed themselves to be committed by their officials to the destruction of the Empire, whicn partly feeds and provides them with employment, while offering prosperous homes to their relatives overseas. The fact that the group of murderous officials who have destroyed all liberty in Russia should apparently have captivated the fancy of many British Labour leaders supplies a baffling problem to all sane-mindeu people. The motion might have been drafted in Russia which obviously gave to its mover his inspiration. We need be under no illusion in regard to the designs of Soviet Russia, for evidence supplied of late goes to show definitely that the Bolshevist instigators" of world revolution have determined to break up the British Empire, and the intrigues they bring to bear upon the British Labour movement in all parts of the world are responsible for much of the wild talk and hot air which is heard upon the street corners of our larger centres oi population and prompts the singing of the Red Flag at Labour conferences, at both the opening and closing of their* proceedings,' as was the case at the Easter Labour Conference of the New Zealand Labour Party, held in Wellington this year. People who substitute the Red Flag for the National Anthem have no right to complain if they are branded as disloyalists, nor can they reasonably object if they are also classed as Empire breakers. Another significant fact in connection with the British Trades Union Congress is also disclosed by The Patriot. Two of the speakers who supported the motion directed against the Empire (Messrs Tomsky and Adamski) are Russian Jews, who are reported to have specialised in the corruption of Labour leaders, and apparently have gained the confidence of a not inconsiderable section of British trade unionists.

_ Although some time h'as elapsed since the announcement was made that necessary improvemejnts to the local post offico were to be undertaken, enquiry by a “Standard” reporter at the week-end failed to elicit any definite information as to wlien the work was to be entered upon. Tho Wanganui Chronicle states that when the Prime Minister’s car was being driven north to meet him as he came down through Taranaki from Auckland, it was ascertained in a Wanganui garage that someone had interfered with tho radiator. The damage, which was caused by Soap, cost £3O to repair. Shortly after 2 o’clock on Saturday afternoon, Kenneth James Dell States jumped off the Queen’s AVhprf, Wellington, into the water, just outside the wharf police office. He was rescued by the police and the Harbour Board officials in a boat. States is a middle-aged man, who describes himself as a vaudeville artist. “Is it against the law to pay a man on Saturday?” asked an assessor at the Conciliation Council sitting at Christchurch. The Commissioner (Mr AV. H. Hagger): No. Tho payment of wages on Eriday is to allow the men to do their shopping on Saturday. If they are paid on Saturday, they have no chance of 'doing their shopping. A half-caste Maori at Otorolianga, who. appeared at the Hamilton Magistrate’s Court, to show reason why a judgment order for approximately £IOO should not bo made against him, stated in evidence that he was running 70 cows on a 400 acre farm at Otorohanga, but only about 46 cows were in milk. His milk cheques averaged about £2O a month, out of which ho had to pay £l6 wages. Tho saving that truth is stranger than fiction received support-in a recent fatal accident in the Wairarapa. A man who observed the body of a young man on the railway line just after a train had killed him, rushed into a nearby house to ’phone the police. The housewife hastily went across to tho scene of the accident to see what could bo done for the unfortunate man and gazed, horrified, into tho faco of her son. AVhat must rank as a unique record for New Zealand secondary schools has been established this year in the matter of successes in degree examinations by pupils of the Now Plymouth Boys’ High (School (states the New Plymouth News). Of an unusually large total of eleven boys who enentered for tho first section of either the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Law’s examination, eight were successful in keeping terms with either Auckland or Victoria University Colleges. One of the remaining three did not sit for the examination at the last moment.. A trophy which has been donated by Mr A. Levy for competition among primary schoolboys’ hockey teams next season is a distinct and pleasant change from the usual type offered in sporting circles. It takes the form of a player in the act of dribbling the ball, being of white metal mounted on a block of marble, to which has been added a further mount of oak bearing a silver plate inscribed with the donor’s name and that of the competition. The figure is of good size and will make a worthy trophy for competition. The donor is himself an old player and his generous act should do much to encourage the game among the boys of local schools-. >■