TRADE AND LABOR UNION.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XV, Issue 4656, 1 May 1890, Page 3

TRADE AND LABOR UNION.

working men waa held last night in the Atbecsoom Hall, when Mr S. Boreham delivered a very long address advocating amalgamation of the working clasaee. Mr Kilgonr was voted to the chair, aud on Bamming that position, The Chairman asked that apeakera might receive a patient hearing. They had met foe a purpose that affected all moat de-ply. That pnrpoae "as to see that the master did not overlap bis man or the nun his master. He had jost returned from a trip to Cbristchnrcb, where he ba6 been sent as a delegate to the Trades and Labor Conference there. While there he was surprised to find things in such a deplorable state. He hoped thoy would nnite in doing something that would benefit all parties. He oiled opoo Mr Boreham to address the meeting. Mr Bsreham said It encouraged him to ■eo so many present, as at this early stage it spoke well for Uulocs. He did not see anyone at present fit to represent them in the House of Repiesentatives. It appeared a strange thing to him that in past ages no raovtrntsat similar to the present one to amalgamate h%d been m*de. In the time of George HI- a man was not allowed to join a anion. There was ao Aot of Parliament now which made it lawful for men to amalgamate. This Act had not hitherto teen taken advantage of, bnt now they were coing to take advantage of it, and not allow the masters to have everything their own wa>. Messrs Wbiicombe, Tombs, and Cj., of Christciiarch, had been ab!e daring the last session to get a protection tariff of 25 per cent, upon imported printing, and notwithstanding that protection this firm had cot down prices, and if permitted to continue their grasplog coune it woold be impossible for men to earn sufficient to live on. He held that this country waa one of the beat nnder the son. (Applause.) Yet working men were being grcuod down to such an extent as to make it impossible for them to live. Daring Isst winter there were men working for a large landowner In this district—one who owned 80,000 acres of land—for three months, and they were then dismissed with a cypher. If men w*re to work bard for three months for a cypher how were the yoang women in this town to get married? They conld only regnlato tbes-j evils by amalgamation. They foond men with families in the Old Country workiog for 51 per hoar striking for an extra Id per hoar. Fancy having to strike for Id per hoar. It woald have been lea* expensive for the great men, who considered they had everything in their power, to have granted the demand and avoided the strike. Look at those half starved laborers in london sticking oat for their demands : did it not speak volumes for them that nothing waa said stoat their misbehaving themselves? Taey conld think of the men almost giving in and some one saying to them, " stick out a few days longer and you'll get yonr demands." (Applause.) Men have bad to look oat for themselves, they mast amalgamate and save themselves from a similar position. On the other side of the river there was a squatter with hii thousands of acres paying his men 15s and 17s 61 per week. They also saw daring harvest a farmer payiog Is per hoar for labor, and theJ step across the fenca and there they found the squatter paying only Oi per hoar for the same labor. Why should this be ? Why should the man of capital get labor cheaper than the poor straggling farmer ? It waa trade unions that were to set this right. Unions coald dictate the term*. The first thing capitalist* will do If they talked to you about anions woald be to tell yoa to look at the strike in Australia. Was it to be wondered at, treated ss the men were, that there bad been a bretch of the peace. He had conducted a strike in New South Wales, and fonnd that every means had been used to defeat him. The meanest actions were resorted to, and he came to the conclusion that there were bad men in the upper as well as the lower classes of society. The Union Shipping Company bad broken down all competition brought to bear against it; yet their men were the best-paid of all shipping companies in the world. Why waa this? Why, be causa ths men belonged to a maritime union. It was as essential that the mlads of the rising generation should be instilled with the tenets of trades' unions as with those of Christianity. He held that all the uniona of the colony should, as soon as possible, bo amalgamated and be ruled from ono head, as men could not pay into all the anions. Each branch conld have lis own committee and rules, and work oat its own detail*. All classes coald have their own rates of wages. In Oamaru there was a system that was a disgrace. He found men working 20 hours a day in tbe atores. Was it light that a man should do 2i days' labor in one day, while another man waa sitting at home or stacding idle on the Thames-street bridge. It was not safe for a man to speak against this. It conld ooly be remedied by means of a anion. Men were being engaged as rabbltera. They bad to sign an agreement which was most arbitrary, bat they signed It before coming to him, so he did not have the opportunity that time of seeing tbat a proper agreement was drawn up, but hB hoped next time rabbiters were engaged he woald have a say in the agreement. Speaking of politics, be advocated sending workingmen to the House of Representatives. He had not yet had the honor of being a member, bat no doubt woald go there some day, aod if he did be would let them see that he would be taking notes. (Laughter and applause). Mr Gladstone had told the workingmen that if they wished to get their measures passed they must send more men to represent them in the Honse of Commons. Coald they expect the laud monopolists who were represented at Westminster to legislate for tbe laborer ? He said, no; they would legislate to make thelaborerpay tbeirtaxesthroaghthecastoms.(Applause.) 1200 people own<>d more than two-thirds of the land of England and Wales, and did they pay their proportion of the taxes? He said no, for all the land of England and Wales only paid L 1,000,000, while the poor man with bis pipe paid L 30,000,000 to tho revenue- Then the aunts and aocles of the aristocracy drew as pensions, or for some office or another L 2,000,000. In New Zealand he found iblngs drifting much the same way, for be fonnd tbat IGIS persons held 18,000,000 acres of land. It was for the working men to say if they would allow this to go on. Did this land pay Its proportion through the Property Tax? He said tbat It did not, because if it did it woald p»y within LIOO.OOO of the whole Tax collected. He said this wai not ss it should be, because, to make up the deficiency, the workiog classes are taxed tbrongh the storekeepers. The only way to remedy tbls was to send a man to the House who would sea that the wealthy classes paid their fair proportion of the taxttion. He advocated tbe cutting ap of the large estates around Oamaru, as that woald affect tho town, while the settlement of the Station Peak tans woald not. As a union, they could send men to tbe Honse at the next election who would represent them and be Instructed how to act. He moved That this meeting is in favor of meetings of Trades and Labor Unions being held for the purpose of farthering the interests of its members politically. Mr Warren seconded the motion, which was carried unanimously. The Chairman thanked tbe meeting for its patient hearing of Mr Boreham, who was a credit to Oamarn. He advised them to form themselves into unions and send proper men to the Honse, and watch them when there—(Hear, hear.) When in Christchurch he had spent a little tlmej with Mr Joyce, the author of the Eight J

Hoars Bill, and that gentleman had advised him to urge upon the electors of Oamaru to unite and send a man to represent tbem who would support the Eight Honrs Bill. (Applause.) Mr Gockburn moved a rote of thanks to Mr Botebam for his able address, and stated that, although he had spoken very much aboot representation, he was aware tbat Mr Boreham bad no intention of offering himself to represent Oimaru, as tht-y bad already an able champion to support the eight hoars system. The motion was seconded by Mr Warren.

Mr Boreham, In returning thanks, endorsed what Mr Oockburn had said. A vo:e of thanks to the Chairman, proposed by Mr Boreham, closed the meatiog.