At Auckland.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 42, 22 December 1911, Page 18

At Auckland.

AUCKLAND TRAMWAY NEWS AND

GENERAL.

Dear "Worker," —'The delegates received tliieir reply from the Tramway Company en Monday, December 4, and laid it before the Union at a special meeting laeld morning and evening of Wednesday, 6th inst. The counterproposals advanced by the company > were- of a very unsatisfactory nature, ; and were rejected unanimously by both, meetings, 174 and 161 members respectively being present. The company, in their reply, -desired !an extended grading of the uniform men, whilst on the other hand the \ union desired that every motormaai and conductor should come on full pay in 12 months' time, holding the opinion ; that if a man has driven a car or conducted & car for that time, he is quite qualified to draw top money. The company in their big-hearted way, also offered, .a, rise of |-d per hour to the \ powerhouse firemen, an offer which, was : promptly rejected. The conductors were to be graded up to six years' service, according to the counter-propo-I sals, a thing which tends to dissatisfaction and disruption in a union,, owing to the great difference between the respective wages of a first year and a sixth year man, whose wages will i show a difference of about 15s a week. Seeing that the company was deter- ; mined to play the waiting game, the : union promptly put in a written notice, bearing 498 signatures, to the comP an y> giving the requisite 14 days' notice, under the Trade Union Act, to cease work, if a suitable working agree- | ment was not arrived at by December 23. This notice will bring-us to the ; verge of Christmas. The public sympathy is largely with us, but aft© rail, is not to be depended upon, as that accident of Alf. Charley's proves that your greatest enemy may be the ver3 T passengers you seek to oblige. Anyway, if there is to be war, it will :be a. willing war, as we shall at least have the help and support of tho miners, watersiders and the general laborers, who, like ourselves, are out for better conditions and wages. The delegates attended the head office on Monday night at 8 p.m., and met the general manager and the two directors. The (jompany wished to know .why the union had rejected th-eir proposals, and they wore plainly told by the delegates' that the terms were most unsatisfactory, and that it would be tiseless to ask thexa to attend again unless it was to concede the men's demands. A vote of encouragement was passed unanimously at Mr. j. Payne's meeting on Monday night, and Scott Bennett also drew attention to the coming struggle, amid enthusiasm, at his farewell lecture at the Optra House mi Monday night. On Monday evening, December 11, the Socialists turned, out en masse to farewell our loved comrade, H. Scott Bennett, and incidentally the wowser clique that came over to New Zealand to preach prohibition and piety. The wharf was crowded. Red was thY prevailing colour, but the enthusiasm was tinged with sorrow at the departure of our sterling, uncompromising lecturer. The wowsers commenced operations with a hymn, but by-and-bye the "Red Flag" rose in the air and drowned it. Then a sorrowful young man with a black tie spake out about a 55,000 majority, only to be lost in three cheers each for the "Social Revolution," H. Scott Bennett and the Emancipation of Labor. Scott's la«t words were characteristic of the man, and his message. He emphasised the absolute and imperative necessity of the One Big Union for the workingclass. Then the whistle sounded 5 and the Victoria moved slowly away, followed by the eyes and hearts of the men and women who will watch Bennett's journey and message with an earnestness and enthusiasm born of love and esteem. Joe White., a well-known and popular motorman off the Herrie Bay" run, also left for Sydney by the- same boat and was heartily farewelled by his tramway comrades. , Comrade Savage made a splendid fight in Central, and his vote of 1800 must be very encouraging and show the trend of the Auckland workingclass towards Socialism and justice. It is a great advance on three years ago, when an .eminent union official stood for the seat and lost his deposit, and for the time being his political aspirations. I think as a, militant industrialist that it is about time the unions of Auckland got rid of a lot of wasters, and put genuine,, uncompromising MEN into their shoes. Just imagne union secretaries in Auckland getting up on a capitalist platform and telling the workers to vote for Ward or Massey when their interests are diametrically opposed. Anyway, their time is coming, and in spite of honeyed words, bluff., and sentimental appeals* they will be cast out for what they really are —lackeys and flunkeys of the master class. The Auckland "Star" quotes D. McLaren and A. Rosser as Labor authorities and the "Herald" Messrs. Ingram and.»Wa}.sli. The question is: Are am of them Labor authorities ? No ; they are not, and the workers of New Zealand do not attach any importance to any of their titterances. They are back I numbers ; counted out, and barriers in the way of industrialism. Workers. • away with this riff-raff, don't trust to blind lesid-ers. Get busy yourself and spread the gospel of militant industrialism amongst all your fellows. The Tramway Union -is getting sick of them —so are the carters, the watersiders, ibe carpenters and the hotel employees —all together, boys and out they go. Success to the "Worker."—SPANWIRE.