THE LABOUR PROBLEM.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4671, 19 June 1893, Page 1

THE LABOUR PROBLEM.

in. [BT H.L.R.] The toilers of the earth, who should be united in advocating their own interests, will never form a Bolid union unless legislation step in to help them. Workers are found in every trade who seem to be unable to comprehend that union is strength, and so we see that whilst a large majority are ready and willing to ahb consistently together, their efforts are neutralised by the pariahs who are ready to snap up the bone which the honest and altruistic units ccc has no meat on it. The duty of the Government of the psople by the people and for the people, is to organise and conEOlidate, for the masses whom they represent are toilere. The capitalists are banded together by a -common interest, the worship of mammon, and rarely is even the pirate— on the recognieed commercial standard of morality, left outside their Union. When the socalled common interest is in danger all their forces are called into requisition to fight in the industrial war. The iron heel -of plutocracy is on the neck of tho toilers, and every means is used to keep them down in the mud of ignorance and want. The antagonistic elements want a power to bring to an end these continual fights, and -the power that must do it is legislation. But what form should legislation take ? "Whilst the toiling masses are left to their ■own devices, hunger and want will never -allow complete organisation. Strikes are the curse of labour Unions, and the prolific source of loes to both sides— capital and labour. The solution Appears to be enforced organisation or Legislative enactments which will cause a complete union of labour. Let an Act be passed which shall make it compulsory for every worker to join a State Labonr Union, not a Union in the present sens**, whioh is simply a small portion of a group fighting against the ■comtajied opposition of interested capital, and ignorant, hungry, so called free labour-era or parasitical egoists, who fatten on the loyalty which causes combined action for common justice. But let it be c, complete and compulsory system, which shall make each trade or each jDnion, an integral part of a great whole, a State Union of labour bodies. On the other hand capital shouSd have fair play, so make it law that all employers of labour must form a Union. The details of what the functions of the t\tQ bodies should be, will, of coarse, have to be wcrked out, but an outline will perhaps be an incentive to those who are anxious to see a solution of the question j secured, and to think oat the plan arid ! adjust its functions in a manner based on \ justice to all. That outline, space will not permit me £0 give in this portion of my article, but «W ely the altruistic feeling is not confined co the Labour party. Surely many Capi£*lists see that whilst their interests ahoald .be conserved, Labonr has claims Whioh carrot be ignored, and thatalaeting

settlement would be as much to their interest as to the interest of Labour, and to the enhanced glory of the State. (To be continued.) ; j j [ ' t I \