LABOUR AT GENEVA

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 36, 12 February 1930, Page 12

LABOUR AT GENEVA

NEW ZEALAND'S NOMINEE CRITICISM OF ALLIANCE "Ifiiose in control of the Alliance of Labour are again at their old methods of 'treating an atmosphere favourable .to their own designs," said Mr. M. .J. Eeardon, in a statement to a "Post" representative to-day. Mr. Reaj-don is one of the four candidates for selection as Labour's representative at the forthcoming Geneva Conference. '*In a circular to the unions," said Mr. Reardon, "the alliance directs attention to the fact that the Govcru-men.-t, in making a selection for tho position of Labour representative at the Geneva Conference, will be influenced, in some measure, by tho voting strength of unions registered under the Arbitration Act. This method is not acceptable to tho Alliance of Labour, because unions are asked to communicate with the secretary of the Alliance of Labour, stating tho name of the candidate nominated and the membership oif the union. It is clear from this that those- unions ■ who are identified with tho Alliance of Labour are to be disciplined into casting their votes as the allianco dictates, without regard to the opinions of tho rank and file. Those .who fail to do so will bo designated as 'scabs.' .

"When I was a candidato for tho position of workers' representative on the Court of Arbitration, the story was assiduously circulated before ■ the election that tho Govenuueut of the Day would appoint me despito the decision of tho unions. Tho same trick is being tried again, and is clearly seen in the request that the unions inform tho alliance whom they voted for, and the numerical strength of their unions. When tho alliance is in a position to prove that its marionettes have danced to the righfc'tune, the allianco will bear down on the Government and endeavour to dragoon Ministers into obedience.

"The circular," continued Mr. Beardon, "is not aimed at me so much as at two very worthy representatives of the Trades Union movement in Auckland, who would be likely to secure tho support of some of tho smaller unions. There might be something in tho contention of the alliance if there was any way by which the rank and file of the workers could be consulted, but the decision of the Alliance of Labour represents the opinions of a couple of dozen men at the outside. That number would be present at any Trades Union, meeting, no matter How small the organisation. At 0120 time the Amalgamated Society of Bailway Servants exercised upwards of one hundred votes in th ■ selection of workers' representative on the Court of Arbitration, although that organisation never in its history availed itself of th.o-machinery of the Act for practical purposes. Its influence, therefore, was as great in tho election as one hundred small unions, and yet its decisions were arrived at by an executive of a dozen men. It is certain that tho Government is not interested in tho selection of the Labour representative beyond tho very natural desire to get some lead from tho Labour people. No doubt the xnethod laid down by law for the selection of workers' representative was as good as any other that could be suggested in the limited time available. The law limiting the voting power of largo organisations was adopted after the anomaly of the A.S.K.S. was apparent to everybody. "One would have thought that if these men had any sense of dignity, they would have striven to make the selection one that would havo given the recipient of the honour some feeling that he was tho free choice of the unions of this country, great and small. AH wisdom is not with the little group of men sitting in secret conclave in Wellington.''