APPEAL TO UNIONS TO STAND FIRM

Chronicle (Levin), 7 June 1947, Page 6

APPEAL TO UNIONS TO STAND FIRM

-rPress AssoQiaiioi

Mr. Fraser Fears Collapse of Laboiir Rule

By Telegranh-

WELLINGTON, June 6. •' "If the Labour Government is to continue in offiee and serve the best interests of the people of New Zealand in the future as in the past, it must have the full and cordial co-operation of the trade union movement." x This was the message of the Prime Minister, Mr. Fraser, to the annual conference of the Federation of La'bour this afternoon. "Wc have arrived at a eritical stage not only in the history of the Labour Government .but also in the history of the whole polit.ical and industrial Labour movement," Mr. Fraser said. "If we do not stand united now, the Labour movement will collapse and so will democracy in this country. "A house divided against itself cannot stand. The movement cannot be dominated by sectional, un-v controlled action. Democracy in trade unionism must mean that the "trade union movement is governed by all its members through' its eleeted offieers and executive and not. dominated by individuals or small sections. " Modern conditions had placed the re^onsibility for the maintenance oi production and distribution of essential commodities and services, u-pon Governments to an extent and over a range never ex^ perienced or accepted previously; he said. That fact made support of the Government by all trade unionists, in deeds as well as in words, more important than ever. Economic and social progress must be for the benefit of the people as a whole. The whole line must advance. Any section of workers who tried to jump ahead 011 their own initiative regardless of the interests of the rest of the people, would cause chaos in industry and must inevitably injure their fellow workers and the whole community. ' "There may be some who believe that greater gains for iadus.trial workers can be won by de--liberately creating discontent, even under good conditions, and eausing chaos, hoping they would further their own concept of revo-. lutionary action. I am opposed to them 100 per cent," Mr. Fraser said. "Sueh a policy is a complete delusion and a fatal snare." Governing the country was not going to be an easy matter and the interests of the mass of the people, including industrial workers, were now in greater danger than in the 11 years during whieli the Labour Government had been in power. It was true that immediately after the general eleetion he (Mr. Fraser) had announced that the Government would fully cafry out its responsibilities to the people of New Zealand and would not resign 011 a snatch adverse vote in the House of Representatives so long as it maintained its majority there, but it could not do so without the support and active assistance of the trade unions. No Government could administrate suceessfully if eonfronted with and harassed by a series of industrial situations sueh

as had arisen in the last 12 months. ' The Labour movement as. a whole had to decide whether it would help the' Government to maintain and ploinote the con-' tinuity and effieienejf of industrial production and disfribution so that the' progress in living standards and eoiiditions already aehieved, could be retai'ned and further progress be made, or whether it would permit or tolerate sectional action which wonid endanger the Government and the whole structure of social justice established in New Zealand. It was easy to threaten to attack the Government by industrial action and comparatively easy to commence to carry out a threat, said Mr. Fraser, but it was much more urgently neeessary to see^ where sueh action would lead all eoncerned when the Government •would take effective action to re:sist. sueh an attack. The Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Holland, had eleai'ly indicated the course the Nationalist Government would take in sueh circumstances. The recent speeeh of Mr. Holyoake . as clearly showed what the Nationalists would do if in offiee, to bring all the forces at its comrnand against those who stopped •production and distribution. "By the use of the force that is available, particiilarly when it is in line with the opinions and sentiments of the community as a whole, 0the Government could, with comparative ease, repel and smash any attack on its administration but at great cost of hardship and snffering. That was not Labopr's way.," The Labour, Government, which had received sueh splendid co-op-eration and whole-hearted assistance from the Federation of Labour and trade", unions during the whole period 6f the war, now asked for the same co-operatioii during the .post-Svar period so- that irresponsible industrial action taken without; any. reference to the trade unioii movenient as re-: presented Ity'1' the Federation of Labour, and wit|iouf any consideration or jpoiiger4..as, to , it^ . disas-' trous eifects on the. . people and country as a-' whole, can- be prevented or de'fiiiitely ' opposed, resisted and rejeeted if inditlged in. Sueh. sectional action was a gross disToyaBv to 'the industrial andCpblitical Labour 'moVeinent — to the Feder^|h>n of Labour and to the Labour Tarty. If the Government were. .cpmpelled , to take any neeessary" steps to defeat a threatened attack upon the essential industries and services of the country upon which the very lives and homes apd welfare of the whole of the- people depended, then it would wish to consult the executive of the federation and ask for support against those wreckers who would, if permitte/1, destroy the whole fabric of social justiee erected by the Labour Government than which there was nothing better "in the world. The Labour Goverhment eould not and wouid not stand . by and permit sueh destructibn.