WASHING LINEN.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 424, 5 February 1909, Page 5

WASHING LINEN.

labour ethics and state billets.

"LOST LEADERS" OR FRIENDS AT COURT? I AMUSING DISCUSSION BY TRADES _ ' COUNCIL. . Tho fact-that Government "positions have ,-'*■■ been offered to somo labour; leaders was obviously ranklmgm the minds of. a-few: of the S? ! --.' delegates-'-afc last;,njght's . meeting; of tho! Trades; and.. Labour Council,; and matters came to a heads when. Mr.: D.': J. Conchia ; forward the following motion:— -..v.-: - ; Owing :_to '; tho' continued ■ number of . . men-holding, prominent positions in tho trades-councils-of the Dominion accept- '■ YYY-Y- :i ' : ing .Government .-positions, this . council . sr-.YY is or opinion- that it is. inimical, to tho 'Y ' '. Y best interests of ; organised labour..Mr.. Conehie': said' he.,did--.not...bnhgl forJ ward the motion an - auy.'personal mannor, but they had- had.;nwivin the;council• who wero willing, to :use:that body, ps :i- stepping-skino to -.Government .positions. - Ho .did-not .say f. Y- -. that tho .men; were the most suitable for the! positions,.,nor-that the couiicil were;,well' rid .- of-thom,„;lt; was,, a question of -principle.. - ;Whenover :a maii. received a Government appointincnt, he,.was : practically .won over. to. ■j i flis .employers.' He tlid ; : notthink '■ tho .rulo, , of tho :Xabour Department was. improved; by ■ : tho'officials tt'ho:had-. comeifrornitho, Labour , ranks.- -.TOenover tliey to bring. W.'fc^•^%;;A^^ ~ their; information,!, from outside sources,-arid ?;•;-. y>. even 'had. .to complain .to tho. niiriistor.. of. tho >. j lackadaisical manner ihv.w.hich the cases .were barifed; . 'to Kim that at.a labour'co'nfereri(» ho could '. .' always pick tho man .who. was.goiiig be '. , tho next Government, appoiiitee. .Ho noticed -. that the. men appointed wero' always, thoso . who'.took-'.particular cato not to offend tho. •iGpyernment. 't!;Tfa!'-ptacHce;iw4lfoforctl»''.GOT-.. ernment to'rselect tliesd;men )^ ; and then say to Labour, "See what'.', we /■have ,dono, for jou."' Mr. Dowdall seconded tlie. motion. . ..f :.Mr.;Collinsfsaid;thata^waß,the discontent of the labour lrien'thai?liad uut; their leaders • -..in. Goyorriment positions'. ' They were always . agisting, for paid Secretaries, and thus.en- ' ; j j cpuraged thfe;- huniings for/.Government • po'si's=;i himßolf - - for - a Government posi-;t-iottjas^S^scatfolding inspector,. but-.had not' Wq appointed. f iiioughfc i ; it' Vwas 7 t;y[^he r -_a pitiable thing' t-hat 'they should havo": ?Uiscus«oHs ; £^h^M.-t)ii3.; / It was. merely an . attack on tbo Go^ernniciit/which appointed ; / .menirom; tho; , labour^rahlcs 1 'to.'ehdeavo , iir : to- ,• • deal fairly lsetween employers. and employed. . After, they had, by. .agitation,.;, got . some 'of ;.- .their. niembera ;apnoihted ;as; iiLspectors, l there' ' -. ' w .ero_ complaints aoout their unfitness for the; f/' : v of tho councils—their, : most prominent, men— • .' were not.'fitted for the positions, who.was? p- 0 . l ,aro . understood the motion ,if. it, . - . had ,been that the men who :helcl; tlio/most. .. prominpnt. positions; should; be-the only ones, V . chosen,.but. as it.,was it appeared,to be..mero : petty spitfc and.childishnossi'-Mr.,Collins had ; stated -.that-' the- inover ;had himsolf applied.i° r a Govxrnm'ent position,, though, his unioa ■. had ndminatecl others, and- ye t' ; that man got' U P .ind, complained when* men - were chosen who occupied prominent positions in. Labour for;.tbe',Qo^6^*inaejft. : billets".!' ile : ; thought, thero ,was .nothing ! which could . ; earn thorn more contempt from tho general , .- . public than' the passing of 'such' a:.motion.',' *j- -Dowdall said r he was sorry that tlio - discussion-.'had. become a personal attack on . the • mover-He was not concerned fwith the an tecedents of. the mover, but what did coni>;: ' cern hini was tho fact -that; ni'any : of th'eirsecretaries . and- 'other,- usedtheir positions as a means" qf porsohal aggrandise- , - _ ment. . whenever- these men did get Govern- ..: . roent positions labour -'invariably found' that instead ot bo:ng heart and - soul for 'the ■ v,-oTi;ers; ,they irere hand - in" glove l :with ; :the - 1 - V jr wie seeretanes-of; the '.nnioßß''"ifbrd.: outside the .door. Whenever a ; motion • was brought % Several members : interjecting ' tliat 1 ' the sneaker, was getting, away from", tho point, 'tne-chairnian'said:.'.''Yon have.only been a - . little ; while, you' cannot • . know. much, about- this' matter." :■<]: -* : Dowdalh At any .rate; I-am ,not. ! going v-: <o^°' a J e i d delegate, while: I am'.here. ' „f lr - \ 0U »B said that tho paid sec--.for ip^ r j . |°nal aggrandisement. -If he had wished to Jie could have been out of the union movement with personal benefit long ago. In re'h sccretari€s ? Ehould bo out of.-the. door' of the = council,' been • insido the,door • about five! minutes. He "J was a -secretary himself, and he did evervthmg he could to advanco the labour interests. If. ho went out of the door, ho was , sure that >s union had. that much confidence m him that it would go.'out (with him. (A voice- Question.") Coming to'.the' mo- .. . 'tion itself, he did.not ; agree; with it. : All the' labour legislation on. the/statutes,'emanated w worn Labour, and it was best that -t-he'y should - have their own ma:i. to administer that ..' legislation... If' tho.v had. to go' to tho other e ' aamimfetrators;: they." would - licked., .every time. .Mr/Westbrooke had • been - appointed" recently---; . : Wesibrooke; Nol , '-. Mr...Young: AVoll any. way-'he is. in .the'' Government, and I do not object to that. '' rpl r '- Thank you! ; -. . ... ; , ' liio speaker went on to say -that the rnotion was practically one of censure on their chairman, .who iecently /.heen offered a . ..bovornmentbilletj;;'and.'instead passing it • i-°Lr- ? ald P? ss ■ 0110 '- congratulating ' !vTr. ;;,; : wsluioot'on his apiipintment. • . ... - s-.v ; ; '. /Mr. Xwt'thought' it would benefit 'them 1 i .J 10 ™ 11 . tliey had tlieir. own'men to-adminis- ' thd: % lr timo and energy to the work • oi,.the unions, they should; be.paid for it. ■ Abat v the. ot'his union '- : Sd ff h„ m n — ; - ; than he " be. wero.m ordinary employment', i ®"PW^3>the;:niQ^ion,.but : did ; a-greo .with. t-he_manner in whioii it:had' : • fu- 1 ? "c*- , did .not think that it ys m. their £est. interests that their .men : • ;; should accept Government.- positions, , thus weakening , tlio labour ranks. They word of y m < t^ c j r P' -11 ? Secretaries. None of, them ever , tried-to dominate tho : council r■ ' °if, ore authority, upon themselves than .-. • they really possessed.' , .. .. . ' 1.-' UU ?r i °''" er delegates spoke, Mr. I. Brown asking pointedly who would please ' tho mover ,as-tho - Government -appointees- if, he was not.satafied, with men from tho lab- ;; our ranks, men from- the - employers or men V ' . • 3 . 1r - in ; reply, admitted that he v! : " bad a,pphed for a position,'' and said that Y'" ho- told nis_union he was- making tho anplication.- He did not bring forward tho mo-tion-m a personal vein, but if the'cap fitted "i . any. man present ,he:,was, at:liberty ,to 'wear , - it. The; Government did not ask-t'bo council whether they approved of the appointments, ' ar-d that.wis how they used that'method to : j ;;Delltt-lo Labour,XiC . Tjio. motion .was put and lost by 18-votes' Mr. F. Brown then moved that the council - TOn .Gfatulat(s Mr.- Liehtfoot ■on . the offer , 'Which'had .been. made: him of a position in 1 : Y'. 5' 1 ® .Labour, Department, and; hoped tliat his' ;.... iiituro actions, would-, justify his '.-appoint- ;. I • ment. : ;.r .'. :: . i•. r - Parlane opposed the motion, strongly, lyico ho said-that the acceptance of such an •' J' tcr 1 wou ld; give .colour' to the rumour that ; f{]9: leaders of. tho Labour' movement, were. I ; : ; there for ;personal>benefit.; If the "offer, were ■"! refused. it would do much to. help on tho :; .:inovement.Y ! :r;Vv,:;v::;-i;;v;:Y'':'-.4 : i Reardon said -ho also opposed the mo-■■'■.'-J?on;..;'-tat--.-»6t : .ior-,;the.;sariie;rcason-','tii'atVlie- , j... orie;! ! 'Bonfei-ences', -;-°/v j''"'i-i, i : .B r " 1 ranks',and,thereforo,' that motion.was iiicoiisisterit, but it .was. a , . dilferent, matter w-lien it camo to congratu,j. latmg a man on _accepting a Government position.-' If:tho offer of a position' were r(?. .■ ■ -■ 1 1: Would -do much t-6 show that ■ pro-; .;; ■ .mineht men could ,libt be enticed away from* ..; -. the Lalionr ranks.-l-Ie hoped that Mr. Brown : ; i':;. v.-onhl a;;rt'e. to-withdraw his motion, : ;. • V-," / - : The nwtio-. v.-as earri«l h.v 15. to 7 oii "a ishov.-'of hands,.and.on a division beinn called '.. to.by IS to a ;'-f'