LABOUR LEADERS AND POLITICS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 5730, 27 October 1905, Page 2

LABOUR LEADERS AND POLITICS.

(To the Editor "N.Z. Times.”)

Sir.—lt would indeed appear that the labour organisations of New Zealand—at least what we see of them her© in the Empire City of Wellington—are inclined to attempt to imitate the action of that ill-advised and precipitately greedy man who “killed the goose that laid the golden egg/" No sane and fairminded member of the community can gainsay the fact that hero in this colony of New Zealand the legislative enactments put on the statute book have.been otherwise than generous and unstinted—as far as labour legislation is concerned—in protecting the interests of the workers and vastly, improving their status on the whole. In fact a great many will - say that the Seddon Government bar© gone much too far in that direction. No it has not gone too far; but it has done what no other Government here in the past would dream of doing. We do not want a reversion to the Sir John Hall regime, or that of the Atkinson Continuous Ministry if w© can help it. Now* at the present time, we find that the leaders of the workers and their nominees seem to think that their clients (if • I may us© the term), the workers, have been very hardly dealt with. And as a protest against such harsh or at least neglectful treatment; they are pitting candidates for Parliament against the present Liberal Government. What does it mean? And what will be the elfect of that ‘ shortsighted policy? It will undoubtedly be this—that it will facilitate and materi.ally help the return of the Conservative and Opposition candidates in all cases. Indeed we see already indications that some of the so-called Independent Labour Candidates are apparently being xrs-cd by the Opposition to split the Liberal vote. Workers, I say do not vote for men who might possibly throw you over and feather their nests over your backs. History, they say,- repeats itself, and we can hark back on many instances of the Labour party being made use of for political and'party ends by their own trusted leadens, and then abandoned when their own objects and aims were accomplished. Indeed wo often see the spectacle of many Labour agitators joining issue with those whom they once vehemently declaimed against, viz., the capitalist and Conservative- The present is not to my mind a fitting time to launch out at any rate. Pick out some more opportune time. Look to your own interests first. “To yourselves b© true— And then it follows as the night the day, You cannot then be false to any man.” —I am, etc.. A WORKING MAN WHO WOULD NOT WISH TO BE UNGRATEFUL. October 23rd.