MISGUIDED UNIONISTS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1905, 13 November 1913, Page 9

MISGUIDED UNIONISTS.

GULLED BY THRU? I-EADKIIS

HON J. IIAIUI HITS OUT.

_' l ltoa,ding the report o.f the Han. J. Bigg's remarks on the strike, and incidentally on Mr. lisardoli's and my own published opinions," said tho Hon. J. iia.rr yesterday, " ono is led to the conclusion that Mr. lligg's advice is: Do not ignore this mad Gill in an hour of panic._ Mr. Rigg and' myself view the question, from different standpoints. Me has taken little active part in trade unionism during tho last teii yoirs, and at tho moment he h'is absolutely no responsibilities. Mr. lieardon and myself, on the other hand, are at the moment holding responsible positions, and a false step on our part will bring suffering to _ scores of svorkerß and ruin to the unions wo have assisted to build up under the Industrial poncßiation and Arbitration Act.

"I havo been amused at the statement that l ni> matter who he is, any unionist who at the present endeavours to break Up the solidarity of the workers is a traitor to the Labour cause.' No-one knows bettor than. Mr. Rigg the value at' the blessed word Mesopotamia, and both of us know that such claptrap ia only to further gull the misguided and unfortunate men who have been -coerced into taking part in a -bad cause.

"Personally, I dii nqt interfere with ■tlio questionable solidarity of the United Federation of Labour, but merely asked those under tho Arbitration Act to iioto tile fact that the wreckers aro at work. Break tip the solidarity of Labour, fofsoothl Who is responsible for that? Is it tho preacher of syndicalism and sabotage or the advocates of conciliation aiid arbitration ? Is it they who advocate an 'honest adherence to agreements, cr they who strenuously advise their ■followers to disregard them?

• "Is it a traitorous act to prevent the destruction of unions ilike the hotel employees and the general, labourer's, whoso members have received so much good from their organisation? Is it a traitorous act to warn those wiio are to suffer against- such wreckers as the man from Milwaukee and his shifty followers or tools ? If that is to be si traitor, then kindly dub me on.-;. I linvo not become so spineless as to be scared •at words that nifty emanato from tho minds of men like Mr. Rigg's Syndicalist friends, many of. whom can turn a somersault as clean as the little Japs who wore hero recently. "Mr. Rigg has said that 'the strike lias ceased to be a strike between the •Union Company and the waterside workers.' That I freely admit. It is now a struggle for esistonee on tlio part oi" the author of a book of extracts with that name and the othor loaders of tho Federation -of Labour. Thore who know tlio Hon. J. lUgg may says Why take him seriously? I do not. but (unfortunately) there are many .who- do not know him who may take him seriously, and I feel that in the best interests of tlio workers who aro now suffering) and who may suffer, that I s'houid water the oil that ho is pouring on tho flames."

"Mr. Rigg," added Mr. Barr, " mufel ■also know that the shipwrights 1 ' grievance was tho incident that led up to, but was not' the cause of. tho strikeIf ho will look up the daily papers of October *23 ho wall find statements by prominent officials th<it 'they had ken their agreement from A to Ho knows, 'as I know, from personal inquiry," that such statements were correct. "For myself, I am not concerned about tho Federation, but I am concerned about the I.C. and A, Act, and the unions that are registered under it. Yet it is not the unions that comprise the that aro at fault, but the handful of individuals who control and rule it regardless of constitutions and union rules. Replace them with sane leaders and labour fights in tho futuro would only take place in connection with a cloar-c-tit justifiable issue."