LABOUR AND STRIKES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume L, Issue 15349, 9 July 1913, Page 8

LABOUR AND STRIKES.

Those who have followed the movement which has resulted in the Labour Conference now sitting in Wellington will not be surprised to find that moderate-minded labour men are being driven out by the actions of the extremists. The beginning of " unity" is the withdrawal of the delegates representing the railway servants for the good and sufficient reason that the objective of the conference has been " strike first, strike second and strike all the time." It is obvious that the predominating voice in the Labour Conference is the voice of Waihi. Taught in the stern school of experience many innocent men and women learned much from Waihi; some of the responsible leaders learned nothing save that it was expedient to take a longer road to reach the same goal. They propose to reach their goal by way of the Unity Conference. At a conference under such auspices it was to be expected that a proposal for a secret ballot prior to the strike would meet with defeat. Though 95 delegates voted for it there were

200 who supported the declaration that the secret ballot is the refuge of cowards. This convinced the representatives of the railway servants that it was time to withdraw from a conference in which they found from the outset that there was no intention to 'confer on arbitration, on political organisation, or indeed on anything at all except strike. Other delegates have left for the same reason and the President of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants states that a good many who remain are determined to recommend their unions not to accept a constitution under which they may be called on to participate in a strike as foolish and as unjustifiable as Waihi. There can be no unity under such auspices and so long as men who profess moderation in labour affairs give the discredited Federationists encouragement and opportunity to pose and speak as leaders there can be no labour unit/ at aIL