"THE MAORILAND WORKER" AND MR. FIELD.

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2801, 20 June 1916, Page 6

"THE MAORILAND WORKER" AND MR. FIELD.

Sir, —Mr. T. A. H. Field, iI.P. for Nelson, having reached that stage where he is ready to plead guilty to . inaccuracy in so far as his statements 'in the House affected the 1.W.W., at once proceeds to aggravate . his offence by adding inaccur. acy to inaccuracy. He telln us that ho made a.' "mistake in ■ confusing, the I.W.W. with the Internationals, as they are. termed by the Socialistic renews,", and-then he sets out to "bring the affiU iation with Berlin a little nearer home, and he does it iu this way: He goes back to the Unity Congress Keport ot 1013, and quotes one of tho resolutions adopted thereat: "The United' Federation of .Labour . . . shall become affiliated \v(ith the International Secretariat of Berlin, the headquarters of the Interna-' tional Trades Union movement, and it ivill especially enter into the closest possible relations with Hie Trades Union luoveiuont in all countries within or bordering on the waters of the Pacific." Now, if wo hark back- to llr. Field a speech in the House, we will find, that he therein, declares that "the I/tt'.W. is a German 1 organisation,, with headquarters, in Berlin." He' apparently wishes it to be' understood now that it is not the 1.W.W., but the International Feder tttion of Trade-Unions, that is "a German organisation." : And his inference is, of course, tnat since the New • Zealand 1913 Trade Union Congress pained a motion in favour of affiliating with tne International Federation, the United Federation of Labour is "affiliated with Berlin." Let us see., ■ The International Federation of Trade Unions is made up of trade unions in Great Britain, France, Holland, , Bel- , eium, 'Denmark, Sweden, Norway) Finland, Germany, Austria, _ Bosnia-Herze-govina, Hungary, Croatia, Rumania, Serbia, Bulgaria, Switzerland, > Italy, Spain, America, South Africa, etc. Its British affiliation is the General Federation of Trade Unions, whoso secretary (Mr. W. A. Appleton—onu of the most ardent of Britain's pro-war Labour 'uion) is its British representative. It was agreed that the secretary of tho German* affiliation —the General Commission of Trade Unions, whose office is in Ber-lin--sliould act as international secretary; and that" is all; there is m tlie charge that the federation is "a German organisation." It is essentially tlie international expression • of the worlds, Trade Union movement, and it is no more a German organisation than it would have been i a British organisation had its office been fixed'in London, with Mr. Appleton as its secretary. It would be equally sensiblo (or nonsensical) to call The "Hague Conference a Dutch organisation, or tho International Socialist Bureau a Belgian organisation. In addition to the International Federation of Trade Unions, there are a number of industrial secretariats with headquarters in various countries. For instance, the minors (including German affiliations) made Great Britain their international centre. The barbers, boot, shoe, and leather workers, glass-workers, hatters, lithographers, metal workers, postal workers, printing workers, tailors, tobacco workers, transport workers, and wood workers, all have their international centres in Germany, and all of them have English affiliations.: Other centres are: Stone workers, Switzerland; diamond workers, Belgium; commercial employees. Holland; and so on. No sane.

person ever deems it necessary to call these organisations British or German* or - Dutch; but it is quite conceivable that in Germany 6ome frenzied patriot will _ urise betimes to. promulgate tho brilliant idea that tho German miners are "affiliated with London," or eome other hated centre.

This brings us to Mr. Field's second and still more extraordinary charge. He finds that the 1913 Labour: Congress also determined that the Social Democratic Party should affiliate with the "International Socialist Bureau, the recognised headquarters of the international political working cla6s movement," and lie actually tells your readers that tho headquarters of the International Socialist Bureau is in Berlin! Can it be that Mr. lield really believes that this is so? I nnd it difficult to think lie does. The International Socialist Bureau has never had its headquarters in Berlin—but in Brussels. Its chairman is M.; Emile Vandervelde (Minister of Munitions' in the Belgian Cabinet); its secretary is a Belgian, M. Camille Huysmaans; one of its executive members is M.. Albert Thomas (Minister in tho French . Cabinet); another of its executive members was the greatest figure- in the British Labour movement, the late Keir Hardie. The British Labour Party is one of its affiliations—also the Independent Labour Party and the British Socialist Pari];. Mr. Arthur Henderson (a member of the British Cabinet) is an executive member of its British section. In the face of these commonplace facts, what becomes of Mr. Field's very wild charges. It seems to me that what Mr. Field must explain -whether his statements were made as the result of his lack of information or in deliberation. If-tho former is the case, then we are I entitled to insist'that"-our 'public men I shall become more closely. acquainted | with tho facts of current history; if the I latter, we are entitled' to demand a j higher conception of the duties that Parliamentarians owe to the public. 1 ' It may. interest your, readers to know that Mr. Field t declines to discuss tho • Conscription Bill before the trades unionists of Wellington, and thus give them an opportunity to endorse his condemnation of "The M-aoriland Worker's" sutitude. It may further interest .them tv ! e ,f n that the union miners' of Mr. Field s own. constituency have. unanimously and emphatically condemned the .Bill, and have at the same time unanimously and enthusiastically congratu* iated *" he Maoriland Worker" for liie stand it has taken.—l am, etc H. E. HOLLAND, , Editor, "The- MaorilantfT/orker."