USE OF UNION FUNDS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3148, 15 July 1914, Page 8

USE OF UNION FUNDS.

A DELICATE QUESTION. WELLINGTON, July 3. Owing to a recent • decision of the Supreme Court in the Wellington Typographical Union’s case, local unionists are at present considerably perturbed over the question of whether they can legally contribute from their union funds to the funds of other unions engaged in other industries. A case in point has cropped up in an appeal from the Auckland Storemens Union. About a fortnight ago Mr E. A. Simpson (secretary of tne Wellington Storemen’s Union) received an invitation from the Auckland Storemen’s Union to go up theVe and assist in furthering the organisation of the union so that it might put up a better fight against the employers. Upon the receipt of the invitation Mr Simpson appealed to the Wellington city unions for financial assistance to enable him to proceed to Auckland. In the light of the Supreme Court decision a good many of the Wellington unions have been doubtful on the question of a contribution, but the Wellington branch of the Federated Seamen’s Union had no qualms on that score. To-day Mr W. i. Young (secretary of the Wellington Seamen’s Union) handed to Mr Simpson a cheque for £5 to be used solely for the purpose of organising the storemen generally throughout the country. The cheque was signed by Messrs D. Donovan (president), J. Cashman (treasurer), and W. i. Young (secretary). (From Our Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, July 8, The question of the right of trades unions to use their funds for political purposes was raised by the deputation of timber workers which waited upon the Prime Minister to-day. It was stated that some difficulty had arisen in this respect. Mr Massey, in replying, stated that the expenditure of union funds for other than union purposes had been a burning question in the Old Country more than here, and he instanced the famous Osborne case. The Arbitration Act provided for the registration of unions only for the purposes of the Act. A trades union was not intended to be a political association, because men of all shades of political opinion were members of trades unions. It was hardly fair to fellow a majority to use funds to which a minority were compelled to subscribe, for purposes of which the minority did not approve. That was the position.