WHARF LABOURERS' REJECTION OF BALLOT.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 732, 3 February 1910, Page 5

WHARF LABOURERS' REJECTION OF BALLOT.

. THE "REDS" AND CHAOS. < The moderate members : of. -tho Wharf Labourers' Union' have been, kept quiet by. the-influence of Mr. W.M., Hughes, and ■: there: is evidence—including that of tho recont ballot—that-his- adherents- dre still in a majority; but while the moderates figure larger in the ballot, the': militant members, termed tho "Reds," loom larger at,the meetings; and' the' result .seems to be: that- the meetings by■■ resolution negative .the ballot.; The Question Balloted. ■ Tho result of tho ballot of the Waterworkers' Union, was announced on Jan- , uary.2B. r'fho question read:—"Are:you in' favour of working on' vessels, if the work usually done by members of the Coal Lumpers'. .Union has been , done'by non-union labour ?"■ The result was that a majority voted in tho affirmative.; The figures wero:—Yes, 883; No, 787. Majority, 96. . Informal votes. 25. "Tho,union has S7oo:members.'- Of these 1G95 recorded, their .in tho ballot." In ordinary circumstances ■. (writes .; the "Sydney Morning Herald"). and in any ordinary gathering .of. .the kind tho .plebiscite would be: taken as .final and ,the roport of , the result accepted. . The meeting last night, however,; consisted of. at the most 800 members, and as. tho "Reds' were .in the majority they seized the. opportunity' to put the union to tho expense of .another: mass'meoting,-when it will be asked to take the entirely ridiculous courso : ot aocepting. or rejecting. its own ballot." .- ... v:;;

• To-day's cablegram .shows,that the mass meeting of waterside workers lias decided, "on a rough-and-ready division," to. rejoot tho result of, the : ballot. The result is expected; to be oliaos, each wharf or, section goiiig'its own wa>V Much of this was: set forth in the "Sydney Morning Herald" of January 24, as under:— "The association (wharf , labourers') is now practically in such a state of disorganisation, on account of the way in' which tho men .have taken it. to themselves lately to go :on strike wherever and whenever one or two. of the more volnblb or more .-.irresponsible take the: lead." Proceeding', to desoribo tho' meeting at which it was decided to take the ballot—tho rosult of which is now ; rejected—the "Herald" says:— ... "There is a strong body of irreconcilablcs in the union. They mustered all strength possible, and fought and howled for their aims. -The ballot, which will givo the expression of opinion of each man, they did their best to .reject. The roasons that leaders or agitators in a trouble of this kind have to. put forward for not nllowing an organised body in a democratic community to adopt the approved course of taking the voice of the individual and abiding by the decision of tho majority, is never mado clear..; At least itr is not explained by those against it, though their motives may be per. fectly intelligible to the general public..