WOLF IN THE FOLD.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 575, 2 August 1909, Page 6

WOLF IN THE FOLD.

"SECRET" MEETING.

AUCKLAND WORKERS' CONFIDENCES SURPRISED. SOME VIEWS OF WARD, MASSEY, AND THE PUBLIC. j (By Telegraph—Speoial Correspondent) 1 Auckland, July 31. An Auckland reporter possesses the ability to "make-up" so that his own mother wouldn't know, him.- Certainly, when he walkod into tho , "Herald" office late last night m the guise 'of a wharf lumper, his office colleagues didn't recognise bis cherubic countenance, and wanted to show him out without ceremony. He had been at one of those meetings not open to the press, and this morning tells the following interesting story:— ' Last night was the date appointed for tho holding of the initial meeting in the formation of the New Zealand Labour party, which its zealous founders fondly consider is to bo the future power in the country, which is to grab all the land, distribute bank notes ad lib) nationalise the means of production, distribution, and exchange, hurl the "capitalistic" press from its heights, cast into tho pit of oblivion the rapacious landlord, and, in fact, turn this fair Dominion upside down, and then it will be "Arcadia."

The meeting 'ivas not open to tho press, but as tho leaders of the proposed party had been very discreet when mtoryieived as to whether it would embrace Socialism or not, a "Horald" representative,-considering that the end justified the means, attended the meeting in suitable disguise, voting with his fellow "brothers," "hurraying" for the cause, and groaning at the capitalistic press They were a, motloy collection who gathered, thirty-two in all. i' Tho dreamy Socialist, the man of hard toil, and his fortunate brother, the paid secretary, all wore represented.

' ?. All Soft Jobs. i Though it was. frequently laid down : that for-the "cause" to sucqeed, there must, be inothmg but love arid ■'goodwill, the "greeneyed monster" made his .presence' felt from the 'very start, and at intervals recriminations flow thick, and .fast. As ■ one present candidly confessed, "Wβ are all in 'the; game to get hold of-soft jobs./ We have , not the ;'capitalistic , . press here to-night to-let the ipublic know, so there's no harm in saying ■iti.'' Loud applause was the' answer. : Mr.\:Geo;: Davis, :.a prominent Labourite, occupied the chair.. Then a letter from Mr., J. K. Kneen, of the Seamen's Onion, was asking/if the new party consisted of ■all leaders,' and whether it was to be run on the lines! of previous extinct and moribund bodies' under the! same generals.; A gasp of astonishment went round.. "Theimpertinence iof the man 1" said one'delegate.; It was then to merely .recei^..the letter. As the ,'chairman remarked that he' 'would not be bound by the 'usual rules relating to the holding of meetings; a subsequent resolution was .'passed, -instructing .the' secretary' to reply statirigthe aims'/of the:party; One or two speakers.took;'the.opportunity of expressing their opinioiis of Mr: Kneeri arid his unionopinions whicYwere the.reverse of flattering.

: . Mr.; Massey; as; "Uncrowned; King.'! Mr.' Arthur .Rbsser now monqpolised .the meeting;.'if ; not i.its'' Attention, ■in describing "Why I'.turnod from .Seddonism.,", /"You know'.'".', said he, "I was.a strong siippoi-terof 'Dick' Seddon, but this, fellow Ward is runirig thd'eountry tp'destruction: Besides that, Massey, 1 though he has .only-got asmnll.folT .lowirigj .is-'virtually'the uncrowned king of, fhe-Dornirlion, ; 'ari'd asi.you know .Ward and Massoy will soon be amalgamated, and where will Labour be then?- No.fellow Labourites, let us kick: them all into the sea and,run this country as..we,iik.ai i 6 J urse]y,es."- _ •.■ '~,,■•:■ '"'•'A'speaker herii gofcruppand said, that ..when', : they■'"appointed' their .'committee .they ./should , appoiiit men who" had actuallyto w.ork, not. a, ■few' paid" secretaries'. /;'Mr. Rosser .was; doingj all the talk, and was wagging his/torigue.to'd; much; ■ H;e, (the speaker) was. really very much iri.the'.'.dark 'as-to what tlw.proppsed platform of .the. part ./was.. If they were going t<i embrace Socialism ;tHey were making a mistake,'a'e , it-was utterly impracticable for this- country, "for.'.many years-'to come: -furthermore,' there'was considerable dissatis-. faction "ia- his. arid'' , :'other i unions . .at >.the Socialistic:'tenderic'y ;6f,'.several of ;the soKialled leaders' of the \ Labour movement,": arid the .time .was';comiri2 ;: 'whfen.: , .there :would be a ,great split in 'the ranks; of' Labour.■ ■ ■: ■,• .■

Ue'ss Wages .Than iSeventeen Years Ago. " The., speaker added ithait: he had wprked at his . trade 'in'. th'o'TMniifiori'.-.' for 'severite'en years, and,' at the. pf.eSent time, . despite' the fact of haying to;. l;eep/paid agitators' supposed ~to \looki'after ••■ his, : interests, 'and the upkeep ofvCohciliatibh -and Arbitration Courts, he, was-getting .far less wages in proportion than'isoventeen-years' ago. , This speech WBs' ; the-forerunner of a .bitter war of words, which'raged for some.-minutes, but peace ';'ev«ituiilly. .^.reighed'.. again'.; The ■ "capitalistic?', .ip'ress'-,was the next target at which''t'o.ih'url the;epithet-of. scorn;. •:■ "The unemployed':,mee.tin'gj',the. other , , night, was grossly., distortod}" u'.said .-_ one; .speaker. "If we get:'into power,uwe will abolish the capitalistic"' press: said ■ another. meeting.''"Hurray," echoed .:th,e"reporter>?' .-■ ;■ ■ .■. . :The election-.of. officers: was the next, business, biit; before this could> be proceeded with there . was ano.ther' .wordy was.. One section of .the • meeting , wanted' the appointments'to'.be for a period of. tweive months, the other desiring ■"that;, it ,be w restricted to three months'.' The latter section carried tho day.; The -.following-' officers '.were then elected.:—.' ~../.;. ' -.h ■■'■/.■.-.' .. '■. .. 1 Presiderit, Mr. George Davis ;'. vice-presi--1 dents, -Messrs.' Lv :E."-Henry,; and T.', Long.; secretary, Mr." 'Arthur . Rosser; treasurer, Mr. \Y. Baniielcl/,An assistant .secretary and,'a' ; committee of ifp, u , r ' wete- also.appointed. I•'.'■=••■ . , Socialistic i Loayen. ;.; ■"-." . I ' There :was' a ; body 1 of openly aypwed Socialists, present,, and' they quite plainly* inti-, mated their intention of only supporting the proposed party' , in 'the ;event of it adopting their platrorm. It-was suggested that the Socialistic "programmeV could .be adopted On thequiet, and-this .seemed to greatly -tickle the fancy of .those present. ■' In attempting to snigger, with the rest,'the "Herald.representative; had a Harrow escape, his false moustache nearly coming off, but the incident escaped notice; ■ . >". "' ■ • ■'' . It was decided to call the body the Auckland Branch of-the Labour Party of New Zealand, to fdrm , branches iii- other centres, and to hold a general' conference . later in the year'.' It was;decided that the committee draw, up the party's, platform, the same to be submitted to a future meeting... ....,., •Nationalisation of the land, and a State bank note issue were recommended to the committee astwo of the planks, and, on the motion of a Socialist member, it was resolved bv a largo majority to also' recommend to the committee that the objective of the party be the nationalisation of the means of production, distribution, and exchange. "Don't Want the Public to Know All." "A! scion of the capitalistic press asked me on "Wednesday if the meeting would be;open tb; the. press," isaid Mr. Rosser, atthe conof the'meeting. "I \said no. He then-asked if I would supply a report. I said' I would supply' a bare report if the meeting..allowed me. Now, gentlemen, shall we allow this capitalistic press to have a report? Shall wo let.them have one, but, by holding a/pistol at their heads, refuse to allow them. to have it unless they put it in word for word, , as we give it to them. We don't want the public to know all our ob'jeots." ...''■■ ' ; >. . "Hurray," shouted the meeting. "Hurray," echoed the "Herald" representative, as he left the meeting.,/ ;