"THE OUIOOK FOR LABOR"

NZ Truth, Issue 692, 21 September 1918, Page 6

"THE OUIOOK FOR LABOR"

j tp, . — 1 A Union and Its Affairs i Thus A. E. Adams (Auckland): Your article of July 20, under the above heading, gives expression to the thoughts of many who take a progressive interest m the Labor movement. As you say: 'Certainly tho honest, unbiassed observer m the ranks of Labor will find little to comfort and console him, and less to inspire and invigorate from an insight - into the inner working of the party machine." But the machine is just such as might be expected m the circumstances. In all concerns outside Labor the employer is the "boss." With Labor, however, the position is reversed — the employee becomes "boss." Whenever the Employers' Federation or the Farmers' Union convene a conference, they do not allow their servants to represent them, nor does a merchant, when he engages a clerk admit him as a member of the firm, with a controlling voice m its management. Not so with Labor; it gives its servants a free hand. With what results we know too well. When a Labor Union engages a secretary it admits him to membership, gives him control of the finances, selects him to represent, it on all conferences and other iniportaDt occasions, and makes him director of affairs m generaL A num-v ber of unions mean a number of secretaries, who have interests m common, and so there grows up, inside tradesunionism, a combine that ultimately monopolises the business, and it comes about that we are worked by a combine from within as well as -without; The inside combine is the "party machine," or, at least, the poWer that guides it. Now, how is this position to be altered? r For obvious reasons, the Labor press, such aa it is, dare not tackle the question, and a "conference" is m tlie same pickle. In trades unionism, as m other affairs, petty tyranny and suppression play a prominent part, and application of the "gag" appears to be the idea of encouraging free speech. At the last meeting of the union of which I am a member, the secretary present-' ed the half-year's balance-sheet. The favored mode of procedure on such occasions is for some member who probably knows nothing whatever -about the matter to stand up and say ' "r move that the balance -sheet be adopted," and some other member, equally enlightened on the subject, to say "I second the motion." The chairman declares the motion carried, and that i ends it. Being present, I wished ,to criticise this -balance-sheet, but the chairman, on the advice of, the secretary, effectually prevented my doing so. We have an inexperienced chair-* man, who makes his own rules and standing orders, and wastes the greater part of the time m speechifying and calling "order" when everyone i s as quiet as a mUmmy. It is practically a "back-blocks" debating club, where the chairman and secretary only are allowed to speak, except, perhaps, when some member rises to a point of .order and then moves a vote of thanks to something or other. If a member desires to attend the meetings it is best to keep his mouth shut, unless he happens to be a secretary's "barracker" or has something of a pawky nature to say. The balance-sheet shows contributions for the half-year to be £187 14s sd, expenditure £180 9s lid. I wish ,to draw attention to one or two items' Postage comes to £7 16s 9d, printing £ 8 ss, and telegrams 18s 2d. So it will be seen that printing and postage (telegrams included) is at the rate of . £33 17s lOd per annum. It may be as well to state that the union has not been running a patriotic lottery or anything of that kind, but the rules provide that members receive notice of the annual and half-yearly meetings. The previous balance-sheet had an error of £20 or £25; yet it was signed "correct" and duly adopt- [ cd. The union has, roughly, a membership of 270. The secretary receives £4 per week, with a fortnight's holiday each year on full pay for work that an average of three hours daily would cover. He is supplied with every necessary requirement, has no fixed hours of labor, no time-sheet to keep, no lost time — "no bloomin' nothin' " to worry about — and is always a sure thing for conferences, deputations and suppers. He is enabled, also, to supplement his wages by other employment, and all things considered, appears to me much better than making "donkey" chests or shoving a jackplane for eight hours a day at award rates. Apparently, nothing less than proprietorship will satisfy him. as no member dare question his actions without causing trouble. During a long ex-, perience ot- trades unionism I have never known of any dissension that was not* caused either by secretaries arrogating privileges to which they were not entitled or through jealousies and squabbles amongst themselves. Ernest men become sick of the whole business and sling it altogether, which is just what suits the "pointers" and keeps the Labor movement m a chfronic state of helplessness.