EX-STRIKERS' CAUCUS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1970, 29 January 1914, Page 6

EX-STRIKERS' CAUCUS.

ON THE NEW UNION.

' SOME BELLICOSE MOTIONS.

An assemblage, convened as ameeting of the members of the Waterside Workers' Union, but which was not authorised by the executive of the union, and which was well understood to have been engineered by ex-strikers, gathered in the Trades Hall last night, There were about 150 present. Mr. F. Curtis, president "of the old Warerside Workers' Union, was 'voted to the chair. Mr..Curtis reviewed the objects of the meeting-generally, stating that as the executive of the union had not come along, it .was not pessiblo to do much business. All they could do was to send in a few more protests at the failure of the executive of tho union to call meetings, and to let the members (all of whom, whether strikers or not, had signed on as Arbiirationists), know something about how the business of the union was conducted. He complained also of the action of members of the executive in referring repeatedly. to one section of the union as "Arbiirationists" and to the-other-section as "ex-strik-ers." He claimed that they had all signed on as Arbitrationis'ts, : and that there ought to be no such distinction. The following resolutiop, proposed by Mr. A.- L. Jones, and seconded in a speech of somo length hy Mr, E. Kennedy (secretary of the General Labourers' Union, and a member of the United Labour party), was carried unanimously: "That, this meeting of the Wellington Wharf Labourers' Union is of opinion that-the action of the secretary, officials, and execative of our union in failing to call regular meetings of th« union, and in refusing to-eonveno special meetings when so requested by. requisitions, is worthy of censure. This meeting therefore calls on them to convene a meeting to 'explain their conduct, and to.place their resignations in the hands of the chairman to be dealt with as the mooting, sees fit." A rhember present asked whether there was any possibility of enforcing tho resolution. '' Tho chairman remarked that the resolution would go out as a public protest against the treatment of members of tho union bv the executive. Mr. W. Reeves moved: "That this meeting of members of the Wharf Labourers' Union regrets tho action of the executive in continually fostering a spirit of enmity between old and new members of the union by a Press controversy on the question of preferenco of employment to member's joining boforo December 8, and is of opinion thatsuch can serve no good purpose, but will excite-continual bittoraes-s. We arc- prepared to leavo tho choice of labour in tho hands of the foremen, and. thus avoid continual strife caused by insisting on preference to'the section that joined before December 8." . '.', This motion was seconded in half a dozen places, and carried unanimously. On tho motion of Mr. D. B; Ferguson, it was tinanimously resolved: "That a committee of three men. with power to add to their number, bo appointed at this meeting to examine the books of the union, and report their finding to a future meeting, and furllier,'that tho executive be informed that they will bo held responsible for all expenditure from the funds of the union made without authority of the members of the union in meeting assembled." • Five nominations wero received for the committee, but no ballot was taken, and a committee of five was set up. The members proposed were: Messrs. E. Kennedy, A. L. Jones, Gray, Glover,

and Bruco. ■' Just 1 before the meeting dispersed, the chairman said: "Wo have been reading a lot about wheels within wheels, but I have bezun to think that about haK a dozen men have got a- — big wheel, and they are trying to stop us from ting amongst tho cogs of it."