LABOUR AND POLITICS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 821, 19 May 1910, Page 11

LABOUR AND POLITICS.

THE SPHERE OP TRADES UNIONISM. AN IMPORTANT DECISION. If the dictum of the Crown Law Officer is correct, the celebrated ease of Osborne v. the Amalgamated Society' of Railway Servants has an immediate and direct influence in New Zealand, writes the Hon £•, T.Paul,- in the "Otago Daily Times." Ihe House of Lords decided that it was illegal for trades unions to strike levies for political purposes. The Shearers' I'ederation is anxious to have provision for political action embodied in its rules, out according to the following letter from the registrar such a courso is impossible: "In reference to the rules of your unions and associations under the Industrial, Conciliation, and Arbitration Act, these have just been received back from the Crown Law Officer. As tho matter referred to him was of considerable importance, it was necessary for the Solicitor-General to go carefully into the revision. I am now advised by him Hint before the rules can be registered it is necessary that those deleted in red ink must he struck out. It appears that the English ease, Osborne v. the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, applies to tho law in New Zealand, and reference to political •>matters cannot therefore be made in tho rules linder tile Industrial, Conciliation, and Arbitration Act." The South . .Canterbury Trades and Labour Council, recent!}' formed in Tiraavu, is also affected. It has included the following clause in its rules:—"lf necessary, to take action to secure direct representation of Labour in Parliament and on locul government bodies." In this caso the matter has also been referred to tho Crown Law Officer for a decision as to whether the clause can be embodied in the rules and registration effected under the Arbitration Act. If the. decision of the registrar is that no body which includes political action in its rules can bo registered under the Arbitration Act, tho New Zealand Federation of Labour, as at present constituted, would bo prevented from registering unless it expunged the rules covering political action. As tho Jliners' Federation is. already registered under the Trade Union Act tho Trades Councils' Federation of Labour could not bo registered in its present form.