CONSOLIDATING LABOR.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 279, 17 April 1913, Page 7

CONSOLIDATING LABOR.

MR. MILLS'S MISSION.

INTERESTING ADDRESS,

The movement under the auspices of the recently formed Social Democratic Party in the direction of consolidating Labor was explained by Professor W. T. Mills to an audience in the Municipal Chambers last night; in an address entitled ''Exploiters have Combined; Workers Must." Mr. Healy presided. At the outset, Mr. Mills explained that his visit was under the auspices of the Unity Congress Committee. This committee was elected by the conference called by the Federation of Labor and held in' Wellington in January. The committee's work was to complete the forms of organisation suggested by the January Conference and report its work to the Unity Congress to be held in Wellington on July 1. The purpose of Ijhe Congress was to complete the consolidation of the various factors of the Labor movement. It was proposed to organise all of the trades unions into a single federation to be composed of wage-earners only and to deal only with questions of hours, wages and conditions of emplojinent.

PROPOSED POLITICAL ACTION. Dealing with the proposed political action, Mr. Mills said: —

"A political party is to be organised which it is hoped will contain all of the industrial groups of the industrial organisations, and besides all other useful people not wage earners, or not identified with Labor unions, but interested in the Labor movement, and anxious to promote legislation on behalf of general and commercial justice. The United Labor Party was not represented by the elected delegates in the January Conference, but the conference when in seasion invited a couple of representatives of the Dominion Executive Council of that party to attend and to participate in the Conference proceedings. Mr. Ed. Tregear and myself attended in that capacity. We were given the fullest possible hearing, and both were elected to the Unity Congress Committee, under whose auspices lam visiting your city. This com-,' mittee has done a great deal of work, is sending out about one thousand letters a week, is sending a weekly communication to all the newspapers in New Zealand, is publishing a monthly bulletin, and in addition to the regular organisers of the various bodies just now has 5 three men in the field, and it is in that j Connection that I am just now on the ; road." PROGRESS OF THE MOVEMENT. -

His visit here was for the purpose of meeting as many representative men as possible connected with the LaborSocialist Party and the different trade unions. The new party was meeting with encouraging success. More than one hundred trades unions have contributed to the funds of the committee in the last few weeks. Every district council in New Zealand had approved of the Congress. It was certain that all of the bodies with the Federation of Labor and with the United Labor Party would be represented. It was quite likely that all of the branches of the Socialist Party and the large number of unions not heretofore identified with any national body, would be represented at tW July Congress. Only four trades unions in New Zealand had reported an adverse vote, and it was confidently believed that in each of these instances the decision would be reversed. THE "RED FED." ELEMENT. Dealing with the alliance -with the "Red Fed." element, the professor said that it had quite naturally happened that those who had been engaged in the factional disputes within the ranks of Labor would want the fullest information as to the new proposals before giving their endorsement. -He was told last week by a number of people that they had heretofore been quite unfavorably disposed to the Unity programme, but they stated with perfect frankness that their objections had been based on a misunderstanding of the situation. There had been a feeling that the United Labor Party had abandoned some of the things it had heretofore held to be of great importance, in order to secure unity with the Federation people, in spite of cei'tain tactics which they were now adopting, notwithstanding its previous opposition. But nothing could be further from the truth than the. assumption that any of the parties to this unity campaign were anxious to swallow or willing to be swallowed by any other organisation. Matters about which there has been serious difference heretofore had been honorably adjusted, in order that proposals concerning which they had all the time been in agreement could be given effective support. If the plans succeeded, the Federation of Labor, the Socialist Party and the United Party would terminate their existence during the first week in July, and the United Federation of Labor of the Social Democratic Party would not only become the successors of all these previous organisations, but there would he combined in the new parties the whole political and industrial movement in this country, on behalf of Labor.

THE STRIKE WEAPON.

Passing on, Mr. Mills said that the plan worked out by the Unity Committee in keeping with the instructions given by the January Conference made impossible a local strike by any trade union, except in protection of the workers against serious hazard of life or for victimisation; and even for these causes no strike could be extended beyond the local union, nor for any other cause can even the local union itself strike without the co-operation of its industrial department, and no rational industrial department could involve any other industrial department in any dispute without first referring the matter to the Dominion Executive. Under this arrangement no strike could ever take' place as the result of anger, thoughtlessness, or out of the mere purpose to be mischievous, nor could it ever occur again that under the pretence of improving a trades organisation that Labor would be forced to face its enemy wilh a divided front. Under such circumstances no strike would be undertaken which could he avoided, and strikes which could cct be avoided could not be lost. Had tins taken place before the Waihi strike, it would never have been, or if it had been approved of, it would never have been lost. A resolution was carried to the effect that, in the opinion of this meeting, a delegate be sent from each trade union iilliliated in Taranaki to the July conference.

At the conclusion of the meeting a hearty vote of thanks was accorded Mr. Mills for the efficient manner in which he had given his address.