The United Labor Party

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVI, Issue 8183, 26 July 1912, Page 4

The United Labor Party

carrying on extensive building oport. tkms, and sailing its own fleet of ships. All over Great Britain and the tinent of Europe these great co-oporative enterprises are spread. The total vohijae of their business is immense, and ( they are conducted without the intervention pi tjio allegedly indispenbable capitalist m any shape or form. . , TKe workers have shown conclusively that they don't need the capitalist 6 muchly-boomed ability; and the capitalist has shown that, even if they did, he hasn't the goods to deliver. Sydney “Worker,”

This page is published daily, conducted by WALTER THOMAS MILLS, National Organiser of the United Labor Party.

The United Labor Party is both an industrial and political organisation. It seeks to organise all of the useful people of New Zealand into a single national organisation, each person, however, to come into the central body through the organisation of his own occupation or industry.

Its purpose is progressive. It will seek for industrial and commercjal justice for all the people. It will strive to perfect the machinery of Government in the direction of complete democracy, to promote regular and rational employment for all, and, by legislative enactment, to secure for all the fruits of their own industry and enterprise. Its only enemy will be monopoly and privilege, but in dealing vnth these it will respect all property rights and will seek for public ownership only in those matters where the extortion of private monopoly becomes otherwise unavoidable, and then only so far and so fast as shall he approved by popular majorities.

UNITED LABOR PARTY

Continuing tlio discussion of tlic constitution and platform of the United Labor Party, ito ate giving in our columns this morning section 5 of tho constitution dealing with tho Dominion executive and the national officers of tho organisation. To-morrow morning wo shall comment at some length on tho principal points involved in tho sections to-day puolished. The provisions of tho constitution here referred to are as follow: OFFICERS AND DOMINION EXECUTIVE. 1. officers of tho United Labor Party shall be a president, secretary, treasurer, two trustees, and an organiser. The Dominion executive shall consist of one delegate from each affiliated group of unions or other organisations, together with tho president; and a majority of its members shall constitute a quorum. 2. The president shall be elected by tho annual conference. The secretarytreasurer, tho organiser, and the two trustees shall be appointed by the Dominion Executive Council; as employees of this organisation they shall bo under instructions of, removable by, and have their remuneration settled by tho council. Any member of the Dominion Executive' Council shall be eligible for election to any of these'offices, provided that on his being elected or appointed as herein provided his seat on the council shall be declared vacant, and a substitute elected by the group affected.

3. The president..of the Dominion Executive Council, shall preside at all meetings, sign, ail' official documents, certify to the" accuracy of the minutes of meetings, sign all cheques, drafts, or other financial papers and other documents, and shall have the personal custody of the seal of the United Labor Party.

4. Tie secretary-treasurer shall be a person fully qualified in clerical and administrative ability to carry out the duties of his office; he shall give a fidelity guarantee for the sum of £3(X. with some approved society, and shall be, ex oflioio, secretary-treasurer of all the affiliated groups; and his work shall be purely that of a clerical and recording officer. Ho shall receive all funds, give receipts for the same,, account for them to the affiliated bodies to which they shall belong, or to the’Dominion Executive Council, ns the case may be ( shall bank all such funds, draw all cheques, countersign the same, in connection with all such accounts, as directed; shall receive, tabulate, and transmit all reports, from unions, from

affiliated bodies, and for the Dominion Executive Council, and, together with the president, shall sign all official documents on behalf of the Dominion Executive Council.

o. Tho trustees shall scrutinise the deposit and withdrawal of funds banked in the name of the United Labor Party, and shall, together with the president, sign cheques and drafts.

6. Local unions, and Dominion organisations of these unions, shall have complete internal autonomy, as heretofore. But the secretary of each local union shall report monthly (using blank forms furnished for the purpose), giving detailed correct accounts of the current standing and activity of his union, to the Dominion organisation of the trade, service or occupation, and, through the secretary of that Dominion organisation, to the affiliated group to which it belongs. 7. Tho official executive of each affiliated group shall consist of an organiser, who shall be, ex officio, the delegate of the affiliated group to the Dominion Executive Council, and a board of control composed of one delegate from each of the Dominion organisations which constitute the group. This official executive shall seek to pro. mote the sense of solidarity of interest among all the trades, services, occupations, or societies of tho affiliated group, and to bring into their body all the workers in the industries of their group, and all workers whose occupations aro related to these,' and to create now anions for the group where necessary. The official executive shall also make! regular monthly reports (using blank forms furnished for the purpose), .giving detailed correct accounts of the current standing and activity of bli the unions of the group, to tho Dominion , Executive' Council through ' the secretary-treasurer.

8. The organiser of the United Labor' Party shall be chief over all the organisers of the affiliated groups. He' shall advise and direct in tho training of organisers and special workers, and shall supervise, consult with, and aid them in their work. He shall especially seek to secure the organisation o : all the unorganised territory and of all the unorganised workers, and particularly to multiply the number of special workers and to increase their efficiency. 9. .An annual balance-sheet, audited by • a certificated accountant, and official report shall be issued ,by the Do- 1 minjon Executive Council, and be pro-* vided for each individual member of all organisations represented in this, body; not later than February Ist. The business year and the calendar year shall bo identical, thus closing all accounts on December 31st.

10. In promoting the objects of this

organisation, the duties of the Dominion executive Council shall be: To seek to bring into this body in affiliated groups all of the organisations of labor in New Zea-

land. To create new organisations, always endeavouring to protect local

and special industrial interests. To combine properly and effectively all such organisations into affiliated groups, always along the

lines of identity of interest. To engage, instruct, and direct organisers in all lines of educational and organisation work contemplated in the objects of this

organisation. To employ trained and capable persons, who shall assist in the preparation and presentation o: cases before Councils of Conciliation and the Arbitration Court. To encourage and to assist in the organisation of special classes for the study of all topics likely t add to the industrial or political

efficiency of the workers. To call, arrange for, or manage, as the case may be, all necessary conferences and political cam-

paigns incidental to tho objects

of this organisation. To organise and manage a Press Bu-

reauTo prepare and publish monthly a leaflet, and to provide for its distribution, so as to reach eac month every family in New

Zealand. To own, prepare for publication, and publish a weekly newspaper of general interest, devoted to the objects of this organisation, ami to promote its circulation on tho largest scale possible. To give special attention to the economic interests of women an children, to enlist their interest in' such organisations as may be undertaken among them, and especially so in clubs for boys and girls over ten and unaei twenty-one years of age, and to seek to enlist the assistance of these youths in promoting their own good citizenship and in aa vancing the common good. To publish monthly an accurate report of the standing and activities of all tho affiliated bodies throughout New Zealand, and to make honorable mention of , all special workers whose services shall have been especially eifeo--1 tive in furthering tho work of their organisation, stating in what the-semes consisted, and

giving the names in the order of

efficiency. ; ! In case of any industrial dispute, especially .in the case of a refusal' of the Arbitration Court to grant an award, or in case of a palpable miscarriage of justice in '• ■ that court; the ■ executive council shall have authority to take such farther action as it may deem necessary, on the approval of the federations or unions involved, and may use, to this endj the whole power of this organisation in such further action as may seem necessary to protect those who must otherwise become utterly defenceless under tho present forms of law. Provided that no union, or federal tion of unions, shall be required to contribute specially to, or join in, any strike without first securing by' referendum the consent of a majority of its l members.

VERSES FOR WOMEN

THE TWO LAWS. There was a man, it was said one time. Who went astray in his youthful prime. Can the brain keep cool and the heart keep quiet When the blood is a river that’s running riot? And boys will be boys, the old folks say. And the man. is the better who has had his day.

The sinner reformed, and the preacher told . Of the prodigal son. who came back to the fold; And Christian people threw open the door With a warmer welcome than ever before, Wealth and honor were his to command. And a spotless woman gave him her hand. • « * • •

And the world strewed their pathway with blossoms abloom. Crying, "God bless lady and God bless groom 1” • • • • • There was a maiden who went astray In the golden dawn of her life’s young day; She had more' passion and heart than head. And she followed , blindly where fond Love led— And Love unchecked is a dangerous guide To wander at will by a fair girl’s side.

The, woman, repented and turned from ein, But no door opened to let her in; The preacher prayed' that she might be forgiven, But told her to look for mercy—in heaven. For this is the law of tho earth we know. That the woman is stoned, while the man may go. ~ w • • • A brave man wedded, after all. Bnt tho world said, frowning, “We shall not call.” —Ella Wheeler Wilcox.

THE TRUE INDUSTRIAL CAPTAINS

There is no industry carried on under capitalistic conditions which the workers could not better ■ carry on themselves. Some of the biggest enterprises on earth are exclusively in their nands to'J/hoy run tho trade unions—not only the sectional unions, but the great federations and amalgamations as well. They run the friendly societies—some of them with millions of members, and handling millions of money. They run the co-operative stores and factories —mighty organisations, complex and comprehensive. The North of England Co-operative Society, in the distributive departments alone, does over -£10,000,000 worth of business every year, and is thus among the largest commercial concerns in the world. It has also a productive side to its energies, and owns and controls biscuit works, cocoa works, soap _ works, hoot works, printing works, clothing factories, jam factories, and corn mills; besides

A NEW LITERARY THEORY

Sir Malcolm Morris the medico has this to say : ,■ ■_ * n „ “If I may judge by the quality of the literatur© produced by vegetarians, 1 do not think a Pythagorean diet likely to yield satisfactory results to men. and women of letters." • , Thank goodness, scientists too can be silly sometimes, even as you and I '• The roost brilliant and original roan ox letters in our days is a rabid vegetarian—Bernard Shaw. He can generate volcanic force from a bowl of pea soup. And when that other tempestuous phenomenon, Lord Byron, was at the height, of his powers, his dinner consisted of a very small island of boiled rice, surrounded by gin and water —a diet surely Pythagorean enough. Malcolm Morris is on the wrong lay. As a surgeon himself ho not unnaturally has an exalted opinion of the importance of tie butcher. , But virility is in tho man, not in the meal. Eaten by dunces, strong moat has the insipidity of weak tea. Consumed by genius, carrots and pumpkins dnp blood. We have got rid of tho pernicious tradition that tho man of letters must imjUjbo dead languages. tv o axe not going to start the superstition that ho must Incorporate dead animals.

EIGHT MINDTES i r ET

The other day, a long-haired man, walking along liimbton quay, near the "Times" office, met a email boy, who asked him the time.

"Ten minutes to nine." eaid the longhaired man.

“Well," said the boy, "at nine o'clock got your hair cut," and he took to his heels and ran, the long-haired man. after him.

Turning the comer into Willie street, the pursurer ran into a policeman, nearly upsetting his equilibrium. “What the devil is the matter with you," said the policeman. Very much out of breath, the longhaired in an, eaid—

“See that- boy careering away there into the distance? He asked me the time amd I told him, 'Ten minutes to nine,'- and *he said- ‘At nine o’clock, get your hair cut.'" i'Well," said the policeman, "what are you running for? You've got eight minutes yet." :

NOTES AND COMMENTS

It is not infrequently taken for granted that in those unions where the Federation of Labor has obtained control there have been immediately won for Labor advantages greater than could' have been secured under an advard. This has been asserted times without number concerning waterside workers. The following facts are In direct contradiction of these misleading assertions:—

■ According to the published , figures cargo workers are entitled to Is 5d ordinary, timo, 2a 2d overtime till 10 p.m. and 2s 3d after 10 p.m. ■ The agreement, “under the enervating influence of the Arbitration Act," which was arrived at at Napier, provides for these payments for the same work:—Ordinary time Is 6d, overtime 2S 6d per hour.

Probably about 90 per cent of the work done would come under that heading. Another item under the federation agreement is handling frozen meat—Ordinary time Is 9d, overtime 2s 9d, after 10 p.m. 2s lid. The Napier agreement provides for payment of Is 9d and 2Ss 9d on lighters. Is 6d and 2s fid on- wharves, and 2s and 3s aboard ship. Also, any time waiting at meat work on lighters or steamers between each load to be paid for at Is 6d ordinary time, and- 2s 6d overtime after, two nouns' waiting. • i • • •

_ Wo. will very soon have a supply of literature up to date and representative of the modem labor movement the world oyer. We will very soon have a new edition of the constitution and platform of the United Labor party, the present edition being almost completely exhausted. The article in yesterday's "Times" on, ‘‘Land Monopoly and how to end it" will bo put into a pamphlet. The address on "Why a Labor Party in New Zealand?" will also be put into a pamphlet; and these two articles and the pamphlet on “The Public Ownership of Monopolised Industries" will nil be available in a few days. The prices will bo 2d each, or- Is a dozen. We have now in stock a small book called "The Message," - written by a New Zealand student, of more than two hundred pages, containing a great deal of information on the land and labor questions. The retail price is Is 6d, hut so long as the supply lasts they will be furnished from this office at fid post paid. The ‘‘Struggle for Existence" is a book of 640 pages, discussing every possible phase of the labor question. More than forty thousand copies are now in use. It has been made the text book for special classes in the study of the history and economics of labor organised by trade unions and labor parties more extensively than all other publications combined. The retail price for this book is 10a, post paid for a single copy; or 8s in orders of five to one address, the purchaser paying the chargee. Orders may be made at this office. • • • • •

AH the row "in London is over the demand of the men for a 73-hour week, and a minimum wage of 22s I

In some of the great industrial towns of England, out of every thousand children born to’ working-class parents, 150 die before reaching the age of twelve months.

• • * • • Everything is done by the workers. They provide the labor; they organise and direct the labor; and they create the capital. • •••■.

In the same period in which Australian State railways increased their borrowed capital by JE13.000.000, the Cana dian privately-owned railways increased their capital by £71,000,0CK). Yet the very papers which urge Australia to cop.' Canada talk unceasingly of Labor extravagance when railway construction is accelerated to meet the crying needs of Australian producers. m s * •

Because the rabbi of a Bussian town forbade the holding of dances the girls declared a "marriage strike.’* and refused to wed until the prohibition was

lifted. In a case like that the old maids' might almost be forgiven for scabbing.

Inst to the royal oration of Phillip' f’ukden, king of tho New South Wales col kings, at tho last Paatoralists’ Union pow wow;—“The Brisbane strike, or more properly rebellion, has afforded another illustration of what would happ n under Socialistic control." Oakden is a false and foolish prophet, for the Brisbane strike happened under antiSoeialistio control, and no such event has happened in any State under a Labor Government. * m * • •

An official return of tho voles recorded at the recent Queensland elections shows that Labor got within lees than 12,(W0 votes of tho Tories. The polling was— Labor, 93,034; Ministerialists, 110,817; Independents, 6181. • * • •

An enthusiast came into the ‘’Times" office yesterday for a bundle of the -farmers’ .Number. Ha asked that one should be specially wrapped. He wanted it to SEND to LLOfD GLOIUi-c!

A prominent Trades Council secretary yesterday sent copies of the “Now Zealand Times" to the Federal Ministers of Australia. Ho thought they might be inteicsted to know how we are dealing with tho laud question in Hew Zealand. One copy was posted to the -Northern Territory. • « « • •

From a prominent politioan: "Allow me to congratulate you on the way you are tackling THE question iu your paper. The land question is the question of all questions, and until it is answered social injustice will remain. It is noteworthy that your issue of this morning should contain a. cable announcing that Lloyd George is to commence a campaign tor the overthrow of monopoly in the autumn.” - • • • •

Professor Mills will be busy at New Plymouth during this week-end. Ho is to address a meeting of working farmers. a meeting of school-teachers, a meeting of the local Brotherhood (on Sunday afternoon), and a public meeting on Sunday night. • a • • •

From the Feilding "Star":—The affairs of the local branch of the United Labor Party were advanced a further stage at the meeting in the library room on Wednesday night. Several new members were enrolled and important business was transacted. Among other things, it was resolved to take a half column of the Feilding "Star" Supplement in which to advertise the party’s propaganda, beginning next Saturday. It was also resolved to approach prominent speakers, inviting them to come to Feilding to give addresses on the aims and objects of the United Labor Party. The entrance fee to the Feilding branch was fixed at la per member, supplemented by a levy of fid per month. Mootings were fixed for the first and third Wednesdays of each month. • • . • • The Otira Industrial Uniop of Workers has levied five per cent, on the earnings of its members to assist the men out of work at Eoefton and Waihi. A proposal to subscribe to the “Maoriland Worker" as a body was defeated. • * t •' ' • MORE APPROPRIATE. Said that a Mr Butt, of Levin, Wellington, New Zealand, received a return of .£237 2s 5d from a herd of 20 cows for his milk and cream between- April, 1011, and March, 1912. But not alone in milk and cream Should he have had a flutter; Mojo fitting far, so it would seem. Had Butt gone in for butter. —Sydney "Worker." • • • • • The shocking case reported from Tasmania, in which a womai in the bush, dr-ven mad by loneliness, .liiled her children and then herself, oalis attention to one of the darkest phases of colonial life. George Essex Evans, the Queensland poet, vividly describes the sufferings of the women who go out into the back-blocks: The red sun robs their beauty, and, in

weariness and pain. The alow years steal the nameless grace

that never cumea again; And there are hours men cannot soothe,

and words men cannot say— The nearest woman's face may be a hundred miles away.

The wide hush holds the secrets of their longing and desires. When idle white stars in reverence light their holy altar fires, Afd silence, like a touch of God, sinks deep into the breast— Perchance He hears and understands the Women of the West.

SUNDAY LEUTUEE

The following amusing item is lifted from the Uahnevirke "News":—Speaking at St. John's Church last evening the acting-vicar, the Rev, J. A. McNiekle made incidental reference during his remarks on “The Fearlessness and Courage of St. John the Baptist" to Professor Mills's lecture, for which, he said, people would neglect their attendance at the church service of God, which was clearly a duty they owed to God even if they, desired to attend a political lecture the same evening, ihe latter being of secondary importance. Political lectures might very well be held on any day in the week except a Sunday evening. Concluding the reference the speaker said: If the Church of England people, who constituted nearly half the population of Dannevirke, ■ only had the courage of the ’ Baptist in voicing their convictions their protests would be of such a nature as to prevent the holding of such meetings on Sundays."_ (Note: This report was obtained this morning and involved no Sunday work. —Editor, Dannevirke "Evening News"). (Further Note: Rev. J. A. McNiekle recently preached a sermon .on "Pledge Breaking,” on Sunday, which was duly reported in the "Evening News."—Ed. Labor Page). .... (Further Note: Mr Mills’s lecture was delivered after church. The majority present were church people. —Ed. labor