SEAMEN'S UNIONS.

NZ Truth, Issue 62, 25 August 1906, Page 3

SEAMEN'S UNIONS.

SHALL THEY FEDERATE? -

Secretary Yonng m Furious*- FighM ing Opposition.

j "United we stand : divided we fall." "Union is strength," etc.,. etc., are the mottoes, and truly symbolical of the aims and objects achieved, the world over, by Trades' Unionism. It is to Trades' UnionI ism that the Labor Party m the Commonwealth Parliament, and the various State Parliaments of Australia can attribute, if not its. origin, then its growth and power— a power whether for good or for evil, time, patience and the economic conditions of the worker will alone decide ; That Trades' Unionism has been responsible, for the amelioration of the condition of ground-down workers, nobody but a fool will dispute ; that it is a powerful factor at the ballot box. none but an idiox. will deny; that it is too often the means forthe perpetration of gross and cruel wrong, only its few candid friends wilLever admit. Of abuses it is; not, "Truth's" purpose just at present to.speak. There is on the .tapis, m. New Zealand a movement which to. Trades Unionists. is recognised as a matter of great importance. That is the proposed amalgamation of the two. Seaman s' Unions, the AustralasianFederated Seamen's Union and the Federated Seamen's ; Union -of New Zealand. For some reason, hard todetermine—and if a tangible . reasondoes exist, this paper would be, plad to know it— thd proposition that the 'two Unions should become one body, has met with strenuous opposition from some. of the office-jbearers m the first-named body. The most unrelenting m his opposition is the paid secretary, F. W. T.. Young, and there are some persons unkind enough to, suggest (and "Truth" does not believe the suggestion) that W-ijth the. amalgamation of the two bodies, he would have to fight hard to retain a comfortable and lucrative position. It was the Australasian Federated Seamen's Union that bore the brunt of, and . saw through to the bitter end, the great maritime strike of 1892. and since those stirring times, this body' has grown quite 1 affluent, lordly and • aristocratic, if not autocratic. As the senior Union it is quite- within its rights m dictating terms to a kindred and younger body, proposing, if the terms are reasonable, to throw m its lot with the senior body for the mutual benfit of the members m common. Though no plebiscite has been taken, the feeling is easily guaged. A majority will certainly vote amalgamation, and what is more to the point, many meniibers of the Australasian Federation are viewing the question with impartial minds and are not averse to the union of Unions. The latter body is the stronger, and if it is decided to join forces, nothing is more certain than that the junior Union will be swallowed up by the elder, and the strength of that Union cannot be over-estimated. Of all Unions m Australasia, if not m the English speakin-i?: world, that needs to be strong and influential and ready to offer stubborn resisttance and to present a solid, bold front the moment greedy, gra.spingshipping companies and ship-owners show sifms of aggression, it should be a Seamans' Union. Much as has been done to alleviate the; wretched conditions of the man before the.^ mast, the fireman m the stoke-hold, and the greaser among the pistonrods, as much more has. yet to be achieved. Samuel Plimsolls are not m every generation, but a strong Union . can now do m one day ten times as much as it took a Plimsoll to do m years. The conditions of life of seamen on our intercolonial and inter-State liners are sometimes scandalous . Those conditions only a Union and an Arbitration Court can remedy, and the stronger the Union <i ■the greater the chance of an early ', amelioration. ' That the proposed amalgamation will be achieved,' no -doubt exists, nathelesss' all obstacles place m the way. Invariably it- is a question of finances, but even : such an obstacle as that can -be- -surmounted. 'As a case m point, the amalgamation of the two great mining Unions m Western Australia— the * A.M.U. and the A.W.A.— can be cited. Here one body was rich and strong, the other heavy m debt, yet -influential. ' Difficulties of a far more serious nature than those besetting the two Seamen's Unions m Wellington were overcome. Those two bodies are now united and wield a 1 power and influence that capitalists and politicians have learned to respect. The secretary of the Australasian Federated Seamen's Union has been mentioned as one who has been most active m his opposition to the proposed amalgamation.. A secretary of such a body is likely to be backed up b" members if his untiring opposition; is based on motives of disinterest; sound logic "and reason. But members ought to look , to it and see What reasons are . actuating Mr Young. He is only the tail of the animal, and it is the- dog that always wags the tail. Mr Young' is popular, and deservedly so, if the recent presentation on the occasion of his marriage is any criterion of >the esteem m whiph he is held. A statement, however, made to "Truth" last week is of so serious a nature that it at least calls for some explanation to the members from the. secretary. One of the prime movers m the amalgamation matter is J. Gendal, a financial member. He is a fireman on the Queen of the South, which trades between Wellington and Foxton. As a rule he is not m port when the Union meets weekly. Owing to the boat being ' on the slip sometime ago, he was able to attend one meeting and moved a resolution m favor of the amalgamation. Since then he has been unable to attend. About a month aeo, wishing to see what was being done m the matter, he went to the secretary's office and ; asked, as he, as a financial member, was entitled to, to be allowed tb see I the minute book. This request, so I Gendall alleges, provoked Young into J a blind fury and he seized the fire- I man and nearly throttled him, and I finally ordered him out into the,- -J street, at the same time accusing him of carrying information fo Mr Jones, secretary of the other Union. There were no witnesses to the assault, which, if it was perpetrated, ■is fortunate for Young, as Gendall

would probably have made a Police Court matter of it, when the affairs of both Unions would have been dragged m the mire. "Truth" purposely refrains from commenting on Gendall's allegation,^, but at the same time it is to^M^ihcerely hoped that the A._Rt^^f' will investigate the matter.v^lt', seems a pity that such feeJiKgyl should enter into the consideration of such an important question as the linton of the two hodies.