LABOUR POLITICS

Maoriland Worker, Volume 6, Issue 244, 20 October 1915, Page 7

LABOUR POLITICS

National and International

VIEWS OF ORCANISINC SECRETARY.

I , The following interview is lifted from I the "West port Times": ! Mr. V. Fras°r. Organism,, . ; Secretary I of the Social Democratic Party, has ! jus-t completed a'month's work on behalf of the Party in the Btiller district. In conversation with a Te'pre- ! sentativo ot' the 'Times" ho expressed I himself as well satisfied with tlio pro-*pect-5 for Labour hi-the Billlor deettfratc. The work of tho Labour Croup in Parliament. osjKcially that of-Messrs.-Webb and -MeCoinbs, had won the admiration of tho. workers everywhere, audj said Mr. Fraser, a great effort, would most assuredly be made by Labor at tho next election to send other Social Democrats to assist those two. Asked a? to who the Serial Democratic Party candidate for the Buller was likely to be. .Mr. Fraser replied thp.t he had not the slightest idea. That .-choice renter) entirely with-the local members of the Party. Any memb?r of the • Party ■ was eligible- to be relected as a cr.ndid.ite provided he was in good standing. • As soon as the Unions in the district, were once affiliated—and lie thought that would | be a mutter of a month or two —steps.j would be taken to select a candidate and .so to get ready in {Jccd time; women and those men who. are not eligi-ble-for membership in.unions affiliated can join' branches of the party and so participate in the selection ballot. "What is your opinion of iho National Government?" asked our representative. "Well, I think it was inevitable," was tho reply. ."It has demonstrated that there is ■ no essential difference between Reform and Liberalism. Politics in future i"n New Zealand will follow tho lines of Australia—Labor and anti-Labor;" , ■ "Is there no difficulty in tho way of Industrial Unions joining a political i party':" ■'None whatever. The Osborne Judgment has been superseded by the | Trades Unions Enabling -Bill. That, measure provides for Industrial Unions joining political parties. If any mem- ■ Ler'of a union objects to contributing \ to a political party ho can receive assitrancj thnt none of his money has ; been used for the purpose, or the alter-' .native of handing his shilling or two ; a year back can bo resorted to. , This method obviates as hear as humanly ; possible the element of either majority or minority coercion. There has been . absolutely no trouble at all in the past' of members of industrial unions on the ' matter in New Zealand." Political ac-; tion is just as imperative as industrial; organisation; and that is generally recognised." "What do you think of tho alterations to the Budget?" ':'I think the abandonment of tho duties on keroserio and' petrol is en improvement. - 1 claim a good deal of credit for tho Labor group for this alteration. L?.bor must always favour j direct taxation—lncome Tax, Death I Duties, and Tr.so.tion of Land Values, I in the order of preference given. The searching criticism of our M.P.'s, Webb, McCombs, Walker, and Hindmarsh, exposed the weaknesses of the Budget 'time and timo again. It is still far [from satisfactory/ and still two-thirds of the new taxation will fall upon ! industry and will Le an additional bur--1 don'upon the worker. When wo conUider the huge profit-? made during ! - tho war. and also the fact that one- ' eighth of the population take nearly 'one-half of the National income, leavI imj the other half to seven-eighths < f the peopla,- it is clearly seen that a Labour Minister of Finance would have I no difficulty in finding the money im- { mediately required, and also to Iflako j provision for repaying tho or loans ! during the present decade." j j "What is the position of the Party ; on' conscription?" I ,4 Yon can take it from mc that the j Party is opposed to conscription, particularly when no <?teps aro taken to ! apple conscription to property rights. !l agroo with G. H. Wells, when he ' stated recently that the nationalisof tion of wealth should precede the nation-1 i alisation of flesh and blood. Tho re- ; 'sources of the country should bo or-, I ganisea, . the land ami" the machinery | of industry taken possession of by the Government—acting on Behalf of th*> people, before compulsory military tor -civil ..service should be imposed. 1.-| -am ready' to subscribe. to the .principle j [that during-a time of national crisis, j every individual should be at,the ser-j I vice, of the country provided that every j ■ inch of property, every :foot of land, i arid every penny of money is aho placed at the country's service.'. But wo- find in New Zealand tho implied threat of . conscription without eves .food prices .j being fixed. Tho worker proceeds to J lay .down .his., life. for. his country and - his wife and family I* not even proI tected from tho food exploiters. It >'s preposterous.. 1 think the conveying o? wounded Soldiers to their' homes by I steerage a shnrne and a-dis-grace--to the country's -.humanity, and an insult to its common sense. , ' I "What : :'do you think was tho. cause I of tho labor troubles in England.-" j .""Want of organisation and cowardice lon the part..of'iho Government. The suggestions of.....iirink, shirking, and agitators can be dismissed. If the ccal mines and the ammunition factories had been, nationalised, exhorbitant profits abolished, and food prices regukj ted, there would Jinr© been ho trouble. ■.! In spitoof all the outcry we find now that tho Woolwich arsenal has never been fully utilised. Even at a I time when tho country was in gra» - e danger tho arsenal was wilfully underj worked in the interests of private ■ unv.amcnt contractors. It i* almost I unbelievable, but it was proved Iwyond jivny doubt in the British (Parliament ; by* Mr. Will Crooks and Mr. Philip, Siiowde.n. In tliis connection 1 would ~ like-' to compliment the "Westport ; Times'' on an article which'appeared i in its column-, in Aujju*' dealing with j the organisation oi tho resources »"»t .New Zealand. Tffac article iully re- ■ cognised the importance of organisalVe* ft&d «tTMk &u££o as etifliail aot»

in dealing with the present war situation. 1 am surprised that it did not receive much wider publicity. 1 do not agree with some of its sentiments, l>ut it t-ake a. big view of things and I am afraid that h a thing the pro's seldom 'dors." •What U i!».' present siate of ilie International Socialist movement': ,, • - I am pleased-to -say 'that "the I"----krnatioual Socialist Btueau, winch was completely broken up "hen the Germans invaded Brussels, !■= now reestablished ot Tho Hacruo. The secretary is tbtf well-known Belgian Socialist, Camillo Huysrnans, and thechairman the Belgian Cabinet Minister. Kmilo Vanderveldr." ' '"What is the present, attitude of the German Socinl Democratic Party"- , "The party is undoubtedly divided, but practically all iho acknowledged leader* of Socialist thought in Gti-j mr.ny now oppose the German war policy Karl Liebknocht, Franz Mehrin;;, Rosa. Luxembourg, Clara Zetkai, Karl Kautsky, K. Bernstein, Dr. Haase and other prominent members. The party executive published recently a ] manifesto agr.inst annexation and secret diplomacy,, and combating the campaign of hatred carried on in ■Germany. "Vonvaerts," tho leading Socialist paper, has kfcn .suppressed; nearly a dozen times since the war j commenced for frequent protest against i the German war policy." ' j ' ; How about the Party-in France?" j '•When the war broke out, two of thej most prominent Socialist, M. ■ Marcel j Sembat and M. Jules Guesde, joined | tho French Cabinet, and tho task <fj organising tho war resources of Hie country, corresponding to tho position of Minister of Munitions held by Llcyd George in England, was given co n Socialist Deputy, M. Albert Thomas. The peace terms advocated 1$ the French Party are similar to those advocated by the German' Socialists, only tho majority of the French Socialists consider that Belgium and | France must bo. evacuated beforo terms! of Peace can be discussed. The inter-1 national note has been well sustained: by the Socialist daily "L'llumanite," of which Jean LcDguet, grandson of Karl Marx, is one of the editors. Jean ■Taures was principal editor of "L'OHumanitti' , when struck down by the assassin's hand on the eve of the outbreak of war. That was a great lo3s to tho world's Socialist morement. Jaures was the greatest orator in France, perhaps in the world. Now we are mourning the los.s of another ] great Socialist, who was lovod whereever the cause of Labour drew on© or two workers together." "You refer to Keir Haidie? , .' "Yes, the news of his death has come as a shock to us all; w<? looked forward confidently to his recovery. -Never was a life more truly sacrificed for the working class and humanity than that or Keir Hardic He was tho friend of tho oppressed everywhere. There never lived a moro unselfish man. Never was human being more truly loved. Millions throughout the world mouri his loss. The war with its suffering and bloodshed oppressed him sore. He saw humanity being engulfed in the wild, whirling madness of wholesale daughter and'bloodshed, and his , heart .was brokou. Ho wa* on«y ai tho' prophets oi ilio brighter day. and his life left a. world ghVouded i,n darkness, overshadowed by the Angel of Death. Tho cruel irony of it. Yot he was one of those who never die." . "What i.> tho Foreign Policy o£ The .Social Democratic Partyf" 'it. can be briefly summed up. l.)err.ocraiic control of Policy, no secret diplomacy, un privatemanuia.turc , of armaments, and no annexation of any territory by any Power without iho people- of ihut iciritoiy bo iw± consulted. Personally. 1 rhink, a Liriti.h Commonwealth Council representing all tho countries under the British Haij. including India and JL'uiypr. boc-h praciical and desirable. Tlk« people of the colonies iuu*i. insisr upon bein.'iconsul ted beforo foreign polk'ii.'s which mipht lead io war am embsirkod npo.i. A Comrnouwealih.oi nation's under-the l>iti?h fla.d; well b« the forerunner of . a uorld's commonwealth. Then some sort of understanding between the European Powers to something- in tho direction oi a league of nations or a United States m Europe must follow the .presenj war .'f |.dvili"?ation. i.s to be secured, from, con- | stant violation."