COOKE'S CLATTER.

NZ Truth, Issue 105, 22 June 1907, Page 3

COOKE'S CLATTER.

A Knock at Trades Unionism.

Ah Absurd and Inconsistent Speech.

'"Truth" j recently was the vehicle for the publication of certain remarks fathered 'by the Wellington Socialists, or, rather, given utterance' to under their auspices. One Cooke, of • Christehurph, was the principal remarker, a/nd he oibfeerved that 1 'trades, unionism had served its purpose and should 'be a-boHsbed. Now, there are a great many trades unionists who areSoeialists' .pure and simple ; the singular individual known as Cooke,, who created this disturbance-, is himself a trades 'unionist and has been a trades unionist for some years, and he.has the unspeakable gall to say, that trades * unionism is no longer required ; but let him; speak for himself, ■ "i am a, trades utiionis^," 1 he remarked. "I -have been a trades unionist for 'the past twenty years, and I only want to explain -how insufficient and. how ineffective trades unionism is to bring, about the social revolution "contemplated by us Socialist's." Tlien .he w-en-t into the 'history of trades unionism- from the Greeks to ■the present day. Ho did not transgress on the stone a-.ee, because there were no archives those times, and/ths only remembrance of public events was carried -by ia club on the skull of tho person wibo desired to remember. The lecture, m fact, became academic, and to tba hearers became as unibterestinK as the usual lecture of the d-ry-asrdust order. Mention of tbe fact thtft tho fathers of the Christian church -were trades unionists occasioned some' manifestations of interest, which suibsid'ad gradually -when it was ni'etti'tion'od that Henry, of. the one I. had endeavored to SUPPRESS THE TRADES • ' G-UILDS. It is interesting to , note ' that Wat Tyler led' the trades unionists agadhst Richard of the 'two Is., with the object of getting something. The speaker cama down to modern dates, but the tone of his remarks was tho coii'demnatjjon of the individuality which prompted the trades unionists to look after themselves. This was ."selfishness. The speaker was incap>afrle of grasping that selfishness prompted and was responsible for civilisation. In. New Zealand fri-end Cooke dated the rise of Socialism to the maritime strike sixteen years a'gp, hirt he reckoned that trades unionism was deplorable because it was merely sectional m interest and purpose. Aman who can't recognise that the maritime strike was an outburst off Socialism, 'and that trades unions are the! p-nly known vehicles .of Socialism m this enlightened couintry is one of those peculiarly bland people whom one associated with. Socialism, as a rule. Cooke objected to the policy of preference to unionists, though. Tackled by trades unioiidsts later m the meeting, ihe'insisted upon maintaining bis opposition) to tMs pri'nc!■■>''■- '-Is eld-ad: "with tbe man who would not" agitate for -btrfc-t-er-HreageS- -^nd:©ondAttons z-/Jjtttr^yiho • .seized ■ with; avidity; ''Wio;im^rbVe«i c;on* di&tras secured >y the orgacnis©dr''body' of workers. -Coolco opposed. preference' to. unionists because it benefited a,, section of line people, and" Was unable to fathom the idea <tha-t those who graft for themselves benefit only, '"We must have the whol!e of the people, embodied m the constitution, and that is what Socialism is trying to 'bring about."• Meantime fellows like Cooke are ; . • KILLING? SOCIALISM and siding with' the fat man by condemning organised effort on behalf of; the worker's to-benefit the workers by, preference to unionists. TMs strange Cooke stated that Socialism aimed, at giving better conditions to tire whole of sooiety,; and did not think it dmpossiWe to give £300 or '£400 a year to ..the whole of -the workers.Cooke pointed out that ■ ; the small' farmers were working against .the '. trades unionist, as also were ' the small shop-keepers and the great-bulk of the people.' Instead of realising' that these facts represented all the more reason why .the unions should combine, the Ohristebiiirch Cooke reckoned that the existence of 1 the, unions wasn''t justified.: Cooks held that the fight of >the Trades ;;Union, was too narrow, and the power/against'(the Trades Union was too great- 'Apparently he woifldihave the Trades Union knock off fighting and aljow, i(ts members <to accept any waffe; Cooke himself gets abou.fr' £3;5/- m Obristchurch because he- is a f member of.a Trades Union..lf he wasn't.a member he would probably get £1.15/, yet he condexKhs Trades Unionism as ineffectual- But he holds .that the Trades • Unionist should come out and fight for. a broad platform— fi>hfc for the 'good of tbe many,. He was too sectional. 'Cook© did not recognise that every great reform accomplished m history was brought about m sections. He instanced the .Christchurch tailoring Union which .sought <to' bring) about a federation of the tailoring. Unions of New 'Zealand,, and failed because the Unio»s were : . .TOO NARROW-MINDED.. This strange Cooke did not aßptear to comprehend, that the conditions of tailoring were different m every, part of New Zealand, and for that reason the honest endeavors of the tailors to faring, about federation sbouldnt be sneered at; Cooke's Socialist Party'has been endeavoring to bring about Socialism for some time, but nobody has thrown off at the party, because it has been unsuccessful. At a previous meeting our kitchennamed Socialist held that Trades Unionism should be abolished alto-, gether, - hut this 'doctrine took So Ul m Wellington.,' where Cooke is a stranger, that he was apparently induced to (quarry-the remark later. At anyrateron Sunday night he said he would not do. away with Trades Unionism (while condemning it with heated breath),, but he would advise Socialists to enter the Unions and coavert • them .to Socialism. Now this; seems .sane. It is better than f^. a: *ra'tuitras insult to 35, UUO m tbe colony who are battling for, 300,000 wptkers, wh» haven't sufficient enertrv- to be a verbal /blackieglike Cooke. i