TRADE UNION FUNDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18019, 18 February 1922, Page 12

TRADE UNION FUNDS.

Sir—iu a letter to the Herald, Mr. T. Bloodworth, secretary of the Carpenters' Union, bewails the fact that the State exercises some control over the trades unions. As members of the same union, I and others are glad that the State does tliis. For some years I worked in a Southern town which had a branch of the Carpenters' Union, and the extremists, who were in a minority, made themselves so obnoxious to us, the moderates, that we all refused to attend the union's meetings. We paid our subscriptions, but would have nothing more to do with the union, because at meetings wfien we, the moderates, wera prepared to debate matters in a broadminded way, they, the extremists, used insulting and abusive language toward us and our views. Well, the extremists, haying the union matters to themselves, proposed that one of them should be put up as Labour candidate at the next election, and for that purpose would have taken the union funds, which were largely subscribed by us, the moderates, but, of course, this was illegal. Another extremist who was eventually put np was heavily defeated, Now, look what happened at Wanganui last election. Mr. Veitch. the sanest Labour member in New Zealand, was bitterly attacked by the extremist element because he was loyal, and had helped recruiting, and they put up an extremist against him who was defeated. Now, if the State did nol control the unions in many cases the moderate supporters of the Ward, Massey, or moderate Labour members would have our funds filched, to- support cranks of all kinds and even enemies of our grand old Empire. J. R. Smith. Mountain View Road, Morningeide.