TRADE UNION CONFERENCE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18351, 15 September 1921, Page 3

TRADE UNION CONFERENCE

A RIFT WITHIN THE LUTE. MODERATES AMONG THE REDS. (From Our Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, September 14. A most interesting development has taken place as the result of the attempt of the militant Labour Party to wreck the Arbitration Court, and recent proceedings have revealed what was not generally supposed to exist—viz., a fairly strong body of moderates among the Rods. The sitting of the Labour (Jonlerenco hero last week was not exactly what might be called harmonious. l\lr J. Roberts, secretary of the Alliance, stated on Saturday that the resolution passed by the recent conference of the Alliance and other Labour organisations merely called upon the workers not to nominate any other person that Mr M‘Cuilougb. It did not,

bo said, cull upon them to refrain from making any nomination at all. It is now gut-hered that the resolution was not meant to bear the interpretation put upon it by iVir Roberts. Indeed the conference understood it was recommending that there should be no nomination for the vacant seat. Ono of tho delegates present at the conference has. to use a colloquialism, given the whole show away, and this morning the Dominion published a very interesting statement. 'Una delegate said: "A resolution waa moved by Mr W. T. Young to the effect that the deputy member of the Court (Mr M. J. Reardon) should be asked not to take his place on the Court, and that all unions should be asked to retrain from nominating uny successor to nil Uie vacancy. This leaoiutiou was seconded by Air C/hard. It caused a good deal of discussion. It was apparent that tnere was considerable opposition to it, ana that wnat was in the minds ot those who supported it was 10 do uway with the Court altogether. 'lhe mover saia that he wisned to God someone with an axe would knock the capitalism; concern on tho' head. ""JLiie secretary of the conference (Mr Roberts) stated mat as uio decisions of the court always had au influence in conferences batween tne employers ana. hisi own nnd other unions, wliicn would not go to the Court, no wanted tiio wlioie cuoooou out o* the way. .During the discussion it was asKcd whether tne conterence would be m labour ot re-electing iVir jU'Cullough to the position. "lhe chairman (Mr M. J. Mack) suggested that it might be wise to send a teiegram to Mr iVl'CuUough asking him it he would accept re-nomination, and to adjourn tho conference until the following afternoon, when the whole matter could ue discussed. The reason that he suggested the adjournment until 2 o'clock in the ulternoon was that the conierence had to wait on the Government as a deputation in the forenoon. "Mr E. Kennedy (president of the Trades and Labour Councin said that he would move along the line suggested by the chairman, but ne was ruled out of order as. he 3*l already spoken aguinst the motion. Then Mr F. J. Niall moved as an amendment 'that this conierenco send a telegram to Mr M'Cullough to ascertain whether lie would be prepared to accept re-nomina-tion.' This was seconded by Mr Kennedy. This amendment; was also ihe occasion ot considerable discussion. "Mr Young stated that he was against it, end that his Executive Council which had adjourned its sessions to attend this con ference would not tolerate for a moment tho adjournment of the matter, even to enable Mr M'Cullough'a views to bo ascertained. If tho amendment was carried he and his co-delegates would not attend the conference any more. "The amendment was voted on and was defeated by 14 votes to 13. "The motion was then put and was carried by 15 votes to nine. "Mr Kennedy inquired what the decision of the conference meant, and was informed that its meaning was this: That Labour should be urged not to nominate anyone for the position at all. Someone interjected: 'lf Labour refrains from nominating anyone, then the Government will do eo. "Mr T. Armstrong replied, Let them. "You see then that though Mr Roberts stated that the re-nomination of Mr M'Cullough would suit the Alliance of Labour, •nd that the conference decided on his reDomination, the conference's actual decision »'as that there should be no nomination at • 11. The Alliance of Labour is out for the destruction of the arbitration system, and is trying to stampede the unions into following its insane policy of direct action and strike. I feel sure that the good sense of the majority of the unions will enable them to see through the scheme. During the arguments on arbitration Mr Roberts stated that the Alliance of Labour held a trump card, because of the vote 3 it controlled in the election of a member of the court. Another delegate retorted that tho alliance might not control such a preponderance of voting power as it'thought. I havo no quarrel with those men or unions •who think arbitration is no good, but 1 liave a grievance against the politicians who allow these objectors the same rights and privileges as the unionists favouring arbitration enjoy. Take tho case of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants. This body is registered under the Act by a special section. It has never used the machinery of the Act for the settlement of onv dispute, or filed any agreement under the Act; nevertheless it has considerable voting power in the election of a member of the, court. It is high time that Parliament repealed the special section I havo referred to, and prevented unions which did not believe in the system from voting in such elections." Referring to this statement, to-night's Post says: "The conference referred to by the Maoriland Worker as the Alliance of Labour Conference on unemployment is receiving praise from tho official organ for doing just what Mr Roborts suggests that it did not do. The current issue of the Maoriland Worker states that: 'The unions are insisting on the one policy capable of impressing this unjust court, and reducing it to futility.' The Worker odds: 'The Alliance of 'Labour Conference on unemployment and tho unions of Christchurch and Auckland have called upon tho deputy representative not to sit, and upon the unions not to appear before the court, a policy which in the Worker's, opinion should be endorsed and backed up by active propaganda emphatically. Tho vacancy caused by Mr M'Cullough's resignation should be declared black, and tho unions by resolution and deed should affirm that as they havo no confidence in a court whose word is untrustworthy, they have no intention of 00-operating with it in any of its proceedings. If the .Government appoints a 'workers' representative,' and the employers cite the unions, the penalty of stopping away will be no worse than if they' put in an appearance. Therefore let them take courage, and while the court is extricating itself from the absurd position in which their non-co-operation will have placed it, lot them work energetically -for economic solidarity and power. A long vacation to all courts which lower the standard of life, and on with Labour's industrial and political organisation.' "It is important," adds tho Post, "that the rest of New Zealand should know that there is a certain effort to destroy the Arbitration Court, and it is doubly important that tho extent of this effort should bo known and that all camouflage should b-j stripped from it. For this reason wo draw the fullest possible attention to the Mr Roberts of Saturday; the Mr Roborts of tho conference; the conference's own state of mind, and the attitude of tho official organ, which by no means squares with the Mr Roberts' of Saturday. All that we said last week in warning against a stampede away from the court is doubly justified by what has since appeared, and by the evidence quoted."