TEACHERS AND LABOUR

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23500, 14 May 1938, Page 10

TEACHERS AND LABOUR

AFFILIATION WITT FEDERATION A DECISION DEFERRED (Special to Daily Times) WELLINGTON, May 13. By 46 votes to 37 the New Zealand Educational Institute at its annual meeting in Wellington this week decided to postpone until next year consideration of the question whether or not it should affiliate with the Federation of Labour In the meantime branches are to be asked to discuss again a report on the subject prepared by a committee at the request of the previous annual meeting.

Mr M. Riske said that the committee had endeavoured to make the report as factual as possible, avoiding advocacy either for or against the proposal. Because the federation was a new body and because all of the branches had not fully discussed the matter, he considered that no decision either way should be made at present. Ho moved and Mr J. S. H. Robertson seconded that decision be deferred until the annual meeting in 1939, Remarking that he thought he knew the feeling of most delegates, Mr S. G. Macfarlane moved an amendment that the institute should not affiliate. The amendment was not accepted and the motion was carried. Among the points for and against affiliation set out in the report were: Points For " The nature of teacher representation on the district and New Zealand councils of the federation would bring educational opinion very close to the bulk of the parents organised in trades unions, the very people who have most children. “ Co-operation with the workers would benefit the cause of education in that teachers would thereby come into contact more intimately with the needs and problems of the mass of the people. . . “Affiliation would do much to break down class barriers between teachers as ‘ brain ’ workers and ‘ hand ’ workers generally. . . . “An intimate knowledge of vocational demands and opportunities would result from close co-operation with trades unions. “ Prominent sections of world opinion look to the workers as the greatest potential force in social progress. . . . Considerable enlightened opinion is frankly Socialist in our day. ... In endorsing the second aim of the federation the N.Z.E.I. would be in very good company while still entirely free from accepting any particular doctrines regarding methods of obtaining Socialism or of governing in a Socialist society. “As a force for the general improvement of social and economic conditions the federation has enormous possibilities. . . It may well be argued that in the long run the teachers cannot afford not to affiliate to the Federation of Labour. “ There is undoubted value in having the numbers and strength of the federation on the side of teachers should an era of wage-cuts and economies ever come again. Points Against “ Such an act would line the teachers up on the side of the working class in any industrial or social conflicts. “There would be a tendency for the wealthier sections of the community to look at the institute with suspicion as open sympathisers with wage earners and Socialism. _ _ “ There would be a possibility or some antagonism from the farming community, which might react against rural teachers. “The non-political 'traditions’ of the institute and the conservatism of many of its members cannot be lightly considered. “ The institute might be Involved in such procedures as general strikes, which in no way can be said to be ‘upholding and maintaining the just claims of its members.’ “Affiliation would mean that we accepted the status of ‘ workers ’ and could not afterward talk about ‘ profesisonal status.’ ” Statement to be Issued

In view of the possibility of a misunderstanding of the attitude of the institute towards the question of affiliation with the Federation of Labour, the executive of the association decided to-day to prepare a statement for publication.