THE MENACE OP LABOURSOCIALISM.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1729, 21 April 1913, Page 6

THE MENACE OP LABOURSOCIALISM.

The little misunderstanding between Mb. . Mori arty and the "Unity" organisation is leading to some interesting disclosures 1 concerning the plans of the Labour-Social-ists to sweep the board at the coming municipal elections. Mn. Moriarty, it will be recalled, stated at his meeting last Thursday. evening that he had been offered a place on the Labour "ticket," but refused the offer, preferring to stand as an Independent candidate, pledged to 110 class. Mr. Moriarty is a labour union secretary who believes in separating the industrial from the political in trades union organisation, and being at variance with the United Labour party on this and other, points has held aloof from its plans and activities. With his present dispute with the; "Unity" party's representative we have little concern exoept frpm the point of view of the extreme anxiety it discloses on the part of the United Labour party to work the "ticket" plan to the fullest possible extent. 1 The candidature of one Independent candidate with Labour sympathies could not in ordinary circumstances conccrn them very much where fifteen seats were being contested. Even should that particular candidate be successful it would still leave fourteen seats open to others._ But, as wc have on previous occasions pointed out, the Labour-Socialists arc on this occasion making a supreme effort, to secure for their candidates for the Mayoralty and the . City Council a block vote of the whole of their adherents. They want to fool confident that their supporters will vote "the ticket." It is not merely that they wish to obtain control of the city's affairs, hut they also desire to have their followers so well drilled that they can rely on being able to use their organisation with a machineliko certainty of result that will ensure the fullest use being made of the forces at their disposal. It is not sufficient, for the "Unity" party to win three or four seats. That would go to show their inability to control the machine. Tliey arc striving for a block "ticket" vote, and to gain that end have spared no effort. They have, even, as has been disclosed, sought, to win over so determined an ouDoncnt af their methods as

Me. Moeiaety, for, despite the fact that there is a difference of opinion as to what actually transpired at the interview under discussion, there is no disputing the fact that _ Me. Moeiaety was approached with a view to securing his withdrawal from the contest. Citizens who object to class rule in municipal affairs cannot afford to ignore the, very determined and organised effort (hat is being made by the LabourSocialists to capture the city. 'Numerically the Labour-Socialists are in a decided minority, but they have the advantage of being able to concentrate their whole strength on a "ticket," whereas the votes of the rest of the community arc liable to be spread over the whole of the individual candidates who have offered themselves outside of the Labour "ticket." This makes it imperative that all electors should go to the poll—it is the plain duty of every citizen to record his vote. Unless this is done there is very grave risk of Wellington experiencing the despotism of class rule at the hands of the Labour-Socialists.