ORGANISING LABOUR.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 15273, 13 October 1911, Page 3

ORGANISING LABOUR.

POWER OF THE UNIVERSAL STRUCK. MR TREOEAIt SPEAKS. iFuoir Quit Ow.N CORKESI'OSDOT.) WI'ILMNCiTQK, October 12. Though he has retired from the position lie occupied in the Labour Department, Mr E. Tregear intends still to take an active interest in laboiir. He was recently appointed to represent the party 011 the Dominion Executive Council ot tho National Federation of Affiliated Unions. At the present time, wlusn there is in the air a good deal of vague talk about a general Strike prior to the elections, Some remarks made by him in a letter accepting the position will prove, of interest, lie refers to the importance of a full and complete organisation of labour, "not only for the sake of its own wellbeing, Cut because it would otherwise become a danger to the whole community. The workers might know how to stop the machine, but not how to set the whole complex business of industrial and national life going again under ncjv and improved direction. If the universal strike should stop the engines of the ship of State, it should 1* done by the skilful trained hand of labour's own engineer, and Uieu the only stoppage would be to make endues work bettor, tiefore resorting to the universal strike let the worker*4rst make sure that- le?s violent mean* had utterly failed. Labour must organise for both political and in-. dustrial work, and then it could tise either method. In Australia they saw organised labour in political command, able through its own leaders to carry 011 the direction of focivl and national a.flairs at least as ably »i its opponents. If labour when united could achieve this in New Ze.v • land, ft could at least get ready by organisation to evolve order out of the chaos that would ensue when labour turned to bay and moved 011 to inevitable victory. j