A LABOUR OFFICIAL'S STATEMENT

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 36, 12 February 1931, Page 11

A LABOUR OFFICIAL'S STATEMENT

(To the Editor.) ■' Sir,—l think that prominence should be given in your columns to the enclosed, >vhich is part of a statement made by and signed by a responsible official of the trade tinion movement dh New. Zealand, and •which appeared'in the current issue, of *;The New Zealand Worker. Mr. Arthur Cook, for the. information of those •who do not know, is secretary of the New Zealand Workers' Union and president of the New Zealand Alliance of Labour, at present in session in Wellington. A more tactless and unconsidercd statement has liever appeared in any Press before, and I think a question should be asked: — ■ "The suffering caused by the frightful earthquake is no greater than the suffering, that is being borne by thousands of Tvoi'king people in New Zealand at the present time. There was no national appeal lhade by the Government, and big business to come to their relief. Oh, no! It was not popular. On the other hand, there was a combination of capitalist forces to grind them into servile slaves and create an army of jobless workers, ready tools for the capitalist system. The New Zealand Workers' Union is not advising its members to give one day's pay in this cause or any other unless they are in a, position to do so (and very few of them are in such a position). Further, a portion of the earnings of our members is fully taxed in order to relieve the sufferings caused by the acts of man, not God.— .(Signed) Arthur Cook." Do members "of the New Zealand Workers' Union pay this man £500 to make such unconsidered statements?—l am, etc., DINKUM UNIONIST.