THE WORKERS AND DRINK.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 41, 15 December 1911, Page 17

THE WORKERS AND DRINK.

Dear Comrade..—l was interested in reading the views of your correspondents on "Should Socialists vote prohibition?" I agree that the sober, intelligent worker should be the best fighter; should be in a better position to stand out longer in times of strikes and lock-outs : should be more alert, and quicker to grasp and assimilate knowledge as it affects social science, and the anomalies and fallacies of our present economic system; and should be in every way superior to his unfortunate brother, who imbibes too freely in the waters of Lethe or the local sliypoo brewed by the brewery magnates of W.A. Now •for the plain and authentic facts of a recent experience. On August 31 the plumbers of Perth and Fremantle decided to strike or sit in conference From (lav to day. until such times as they secured what they demanded m connection wit'll wages and . general working conditions. The conference lasted'eight week's,, and terminated on October 26. Amongst those who did not respond to. the call of the union were a" number of piece-workers, and a number of men who had been employed for years on the one job, and who had accumulated a little property saved out of their wages : 'the majority of them were total abstainers., and are classed by their employers as thrifty, industrious-and contented workers, and in many instances they, wore working at a lesser rate than the malcontents in order to secure a certain degree of per l manency as it affected their jobs. In all, there'were about 130 men involved, and 130 fought and won the battle. As chairman, I ..presided over conference every except Sunday for three or four hours,. And every nuestion in connection with the plumbing industry was discussed oxluuistivety'and always from a Socialist point of view, which' is the only correct way o' diagnosing intricacies- or economical working of any industry. At the initial stage of m\v nroeeedings 1 was impressed by the differeirl demeanour of the members concerned the majority of whojn were stranger? to mc: and as the fight became warmer and the finances lower as the day? dragged on, the true individuality and spirTt' of my comrades, as it anpearc to mc, would York out as follows:— ■Apprentices and improvers: Mo-stly teetotallers and cigarette smokers, very intelligent and determined, took a k«en interest in all discussions, and. Inst but not least, in spite of many tempting offers by the bosses, not one of them blacklegged. Amongst the men there were teetotalers, moderate drinkers, and a few who sometimes indulged too freely : the majority of them were smokers. The first'man to scab had been a hard drinker for years, the second was a professed Socialist ana a very .abstemious and individual; the third and fourth were teetotallers and professed Christians: the fifth and six were moderate clnnken: • and the last three who scabbed, ot the eleventh hour, practically on the. eve of victory. were teetotallers. ■Vrmwst the best workers at the- conference, who worked flay and night addressing kindred unions, conducting picture shows, writing letters, stating the men's case in the columns of the public press, and who bad charge Oi all negotiations, handled all trie finwere, generally speaking, the backbone of the conference and responsible for the victory achieved:, the mainritv of them were moderate oriruiers. The last meeting they had with the employers they sat for over eight hours," from 8 p.m. to 4.30 a.m.--talk-ed some of them to sleep and ail into submission for the time being. Tiiree days after work had been commenced a balance-sheet was prepared, and every penny received and expended was necounted for. In my opinion, prohibition is useless, tvranriical ami despotic, and practically means patching 0 rotten garment with new cloth. Let us get measured for a new suit or svstenT by stirring the brain cells of the worker's into activity with a knowledge of class-consciousness, industrial unionism and economics, which will do more in one year to improve humanity than all the palliative legislation ever placed on the. Statute Book in the same period. Palliative measures only prolong the life of the. capitalistic system, which is responsible for all ,-ocial ana industrial evils.—Yours, etc., D. CAMERON. •Fremantle, W.A.