REDS’ LIE FACTORY.

Taranaki Daily News, 28 October 1921, Page 3

REDS’ LIE FACTORY.

OPPOSING HELP FOR THE UNEMPLOYED. f HOW THE WORKERS ARE MISLED. The Wellington Civic League has done its bit in the way of practical assistance to the unfortunate men (and their families) who were out of work. In the language of the Furniture Trade Union, ‘‘all honor to the league for its effort.” There was never any pretence of this being a complete solution of the unemployed problem; it is altogether a national, a civic, and a -general social and industrial question. The Civic League, instead of merely talking, set about doing its bit in the field of civic employment. In spite of some cross opposition from certain Red Laborites, the Civic League has achieved some practice! results for good. Through its activity some forty men have been placed on private jobs. The sum of £l4OO has been collected, and on latest report sixty men have been placed on work by the corporation, these men having two hundred dependents; thus to date over three hundred* men, women and children have been helped in the matter of*a living without resorting to any doles system, or attaching the taint of charity to the help rendered. Mr. W. J. Mack, President of the Alliance of Labor, wrote that he had “hesitated to take any part in the newspaper discussion on the subject, in order that the Civic League’s efforts might not be hampered by anything I might say.” Well, all we can say to that is that if he, and others, did not wish to “hamper” might have’ joined in and helped. Others we find had less hesitancy than Mr. Mack, thus his colleague, Mr. J. Roberts, published a letter, as secretary of the Alliance of Labor, in which he deliberately misrepresented the character of the appeal made by “the Civic League and in effect advised the Laborites not to contribute. That was a distinct act of hampering, and the Maoriland Worker of September 28 glories in averting that “Mr. J. Roberts put the kybosh on the nest of cadgers.” The honor coming to Mr. Roberts for his act of benevolence to the men out of work cannot certainly be very great. LIES—JUST LIES. To know how the poison is instilled into the minds of many workers one has but to read the Lie Factory Journal. It is called “Tne Worker,” but verily it is more of a destroy er lean a producer. In the issue of September 14 it says’:—“The workers ere being invited to contribute a day’s wages towards a Karatane Home (Dr. Truby King) in Wellington.’’ “The Technical'School is in need of funds, and the workers are being called, upon to subscribe one day’s wages.” Now everybody in Wellington know these state* ments to be absolutely untrue. In the same issue it says:—‘.‘The Civic League is after a day’s wages from the workers to finance work for the unemployed.” That is the half truth, worst of all lies. The Civic League suggested that “al] in work who could afford it should give one day’s pay, and all citizens should give what they could afford.” In the same issue of September 28 we find this:—“lf your day’s pay is £l, and you give it to Colonel Mitchell (unemployment fund) and he pays ft to two unemployed men at 10s a day, it means that the boss gets three days’ work for »ne day’s pay. Economical, eh?” Tn that short paragraph is concentrated four lying suggestions:— (1) That Colonel Mitchell pays out the wages, whereas the money is being paid • over to the corporation. (2) That 10s a day is the highest wages proposed, whereas ft is the lowest. (3) That the fund will place men. in work for private employers, whereas the corporation will be the sole employer. (4) That the original employer who paid £1 in wages would get three days’ work done for that payment, which, on the face o-f it, is clearly false. '

There is no other way to characterise that sort of writing than to name it as insiduous lying. THE REASON WHY. We have been asked why it is that the Reds are opposing the raising of funds to z employ the workers who are out of employment? In our opinion there axe two reasons:— (1) Their class. madness leads them to be in general opposition to anything but what they propose themselves. Raising ! subscriptions, asking the public to donate, and other actions of the kind, is right when they do it, but wrong for others to perform. (2) Their Socialist theory is that the rich are becoming richer and the poor poorer al) the time, and, therefore, they prefer to see unemployment and distress as seeming to prove their theory. They do not want these conditions but wish to use the unemployed as prji'ltical capital, and distress as a meacfe of propaganda for the advancement of their own power and revolutionary purposes. To sum up. they were angry at the Civic -League because, in its desire to do some immediate good, it forgot to consult the plans of those who wish to use the unemployed -situation for revolution* J ary ends, even if families have to bitterly in the meantime.

(Contributed by the NJS, Welfare League.)