LABOUR FEDERATION INVASION.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 15822, 22 July 1913, Page 6

LABOUR FEDERATION INVASION.

NEED FOR SERIOUS CONSIDERATION.

(Fjioh Ocr Own Correspondent.)

AUCKLAND, July 21. Some time ago when the proposals regarding the unity of Labour were distributed with a view -to some action being taken at the big conference in Wellington, a warning wa6 iesued in the course of 'a sermon in Auckland by the Rev. Howard Elliott against the threatened invasion by tho Federation of Labour, of the industrial section which. subscribes to the tenets of the Arbitration Act. Speaking to a reporter this morning, tho Rev. Mr Elliott remarked that it was to bo regretted that tho fear expressed by him had materialised. "Tho Red "Federationists," he said, "have seized the machinery that was constituted by the very much larger and more influential organisation of the United Labour party, and are now seeking to control tho whole of the Labour movement of this dominion. That they should have succeeded so far is a matter of the keenest regret, for religious leaders and Christian men must recognise that in ideal and method thi6 section of the Labour movement is wholly un-Chr: : 6tiai), and as I have said on moro than one occasion, Christian men must consider very seriously whether they can be identified in any way with an organisation under such leadership and control. Indeed Ido not think that a man could continue to call himself a Christian and sanction tho spirit and proposed methods of the Red Federationists,' which are practically identical with the methods of the Industrial Workers of _ the World, an organisation which has in its record such crimes as the blowing up of the newspaper biddings in Los Angeles, the wrecking of bridges, and numerous murders carried out ,in pursuance of its policy. " That many sober-minded and reasonable workers "have been misled in tho matter," said Mr Elliott, " there can be no doubt, and.l think that no effort should be spared by the leaders of the Christian churches in exposing to reasonable and fairminded working men the essentially anarchistic and red revolutionary principles of the offspring of the Unity Congress." The speaker remarked that the plank of the platform which practically put the decision of strikes into tho hands of a few men (who he considered were far from the hiahest type) of the adoption of the _ principle of the instantaneous strike without reference to the thousands affected bv it, was. in his opinion, simoly an attempt to .set up a control of the whole of the industrial life of this eountrv bv a eroup of men unfitted by education, experience, and mora] prnciplos'for such momentous tasks, "The lino of action that should be pursued I think." added Mr Elliott, "by all reasonable Labour men is'the enthusiastic and persistent organisation o'f tho United Labour party on its old basis and an ■ endeavour, after a basis of co-operation and action, with the Liberal party."