A NEW ZEALANDER ABOARD

Western Star, 24 May 1904, Page 3

A NEW ZEALANDER ABOARD

Mr Bedfor3",'M~:Hrß:, for Duheein, who%oira s -vi&it"tb""fllß 6 old cdtintry, in the "course' of a letter says he found the trade; unions j very, strong, and ; .although personally in strong sympathy with unionism, • in America it seemed to., him to be imbued with, a.spjritof great intolerance. CapftaL and labour struck him as having both-gone to! extremes ; on the one hand.was'-the opposition of trusts, 'on the other hand the tyranny of the trades unions, whose favourite methods flgemed to be those of violence -and intimidation, "One striking feature," lief continued, "is that the trades unionists seem to be just as strongly opposed to independent labour—non union labour as they are to capital. Nearly every" manufactured article has; to bear a union brand, and the unionist will boycott a "firm that sells goods made by non-union labour. I came across a work which had to be pulled' .down at, the dictation of the union because it had been done by independent. labour. In this, respect President Roosevelt •• is fighting the unions;- He does not like these attempts at coercing . men into unionism." Altogether the labour difficulty in America seemed to me to be very acute- -very different from ' what it is jg|this country. , | \ \> : / '.. .-