LABOUR INCONSISTENCY

Observer, Volume XXIX, Issue 44, 17 July 1909, Page 3

LABOUR INCONSISTENCY

The Gospel According to Rosser,

UNDER present circumstanoes, and considering the clamour

that is being made by Labour bodies, it may be taken as an axiom rather than a postulate that the unemployed difficulty is acute. This being so, it might naturally be supposed that the various Labour organisations in the Dominion would extend all their efforts in the direction of alleviating that distress. Apparently, however, the said Labour bodies have other matters in view, to wliich they attach greater importance than the unemployed question. Workers and their wives and children may be starving, - but a more pressing matter obesses the great minds of our local Labour leaders.

The following inspiring letter was recently received by one of our leading citizens : ' ' Dear Sir, I beg to notify you that Mr J. J. Molloy and myself have been appointed to canvass the city and district for donations to the prize fund of the Labour Day Celebration Committee for the 1909 celebration, which takes place in the Domain Cricket Ground on October 13th. An inspection of last year's donation list shows that you were kind enough to donate the amount of £1, and I shall be glad to know that you will repeat your kindness to a like amount this year. Mr Molloy, or myself, will take an opportunity of calling upon you during the next few weeks to ascertain your wishes in this respect, or a note to above address will receive speedy attention. — I am, yours faithfully, Arthur Rosser."

AYe have not the pleasure of the acquaintance of Mr J. J. Molloy, but we know that Mr Arthur Rosser is the secretary of several unions. It is admitted on all sides that a very considerable number of trades unionists are out of work. In fact, so acute is the distress that the Ladies' Benevolent Society, with a view to coping with that distress, has decided to organise a street collection. Meetings have been held in the various oentres to consider the best means of dealing with the prevailing depression. 'Relief works have been organised ; in one town a soup kitchen was started ; and throughout the land the cry of. the unemployed is heard. Mr Arthur Rosser derives his income from trades unionists. As the secretary of various unions he has in the past drawn a considerable salary, and it might be supposed that, in these times of depression, his first and only official care would be to assist, such trades unionists as are out of work.

In any case, the soliciting of subscriptions towards the Labour Day sports is, at the present time, decidedly out of place. If Mr Rosser and his satellites desire to have sports on Labour Day, by all means let them do so, but let them also pay the piper. If a business man has a guinea to give away, that guinea, under present circumstances, could be better devoted to alleviating distress among the unemployed than to liouidating the oost of cups, and medals, and other tinsel trash for the

Labour Day sports. If Mr Arthur Rosser is sincere in his desire to conserve the interests of the workers, he would be well advised, instead of troubling his noble soul over Labour Day sports, to do his beet to collect subscriptions in aid of the unemploy-

ed and their wives and families. This would be a more worthy object than the soliciting of cash to spend upon such useless articles as cups. Mr Rosser has posed as a philanthropist before to-day V .vet him act as one now.