The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1907. TRADES AND LABOR COUNCIL.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2067, 19 December 1907, Page 2

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1907. TRADES AND LABOR COUNCIL.

The proposal that the Labor Unions of Gisborne should unite and form a. Trades and Labor Council for the district is one that is thoroughly worthy of support. Such a- body could perform many'useful functions. It, could assist in the formation of fresh unions where these appear to be necessary and could be considered in the light of ail advisory board for the different unions. With many of. the union demands we have no sympathy, but the -right of the workers to hand themselves together for mutual protection is incontestable, and instead of aimless railing -against the inevitable it is much preferable to assist in making the system o'f unionism as free from defects as possible. Thus an individual union may, and frequently does, make demands that are quite unreasonable and tend to make the body responsible for them ridiculous, and in such instances a Trades and Labor Council could easily be looked to to give a sane guidance in the matter under discussion. In other parts of. the Dominion the Trades and Labor Councils have, generally speaking, an excellent record. Naturally they invariably stand for the side of labor in a conflict of intercstsbetween workmen and employers, but their methods have usually been characterised bv a good sense and moderation that is unfortunately conspicuously absent from many of the other labor organisations. A conference is at present being arranged in Gisborne at which represent itives of the different. unions will attend. After all, the personnel of such bodies counts for a great deal, and it is to bo hoped that the greatest care will bo taken in the selection of the delegates .who are to form the new Council, lu the majority of cases the chief conflicts between workmen and their employers have been brought--about by the ■ constant agitation-of noisy, reckless individuals whose chief qualifications appear to bo the possession of leathern lungs and a marked antipathy to manual .1 ibor. Unfortunately, the true workman, the man who lias taken, the trouble to become a “skilled” laborer and who recognises a duty to liis employer, is usually not .blessed with “the gift of tlio gab”, and is apt to be overruled at. meetings by the wordy vaporings of incompetent and blatant agitators.' It it for this reason that the local unions in choosing representatives for the Conference should select ,not .necessarily the most fluent talkers, but those men who, while having thoroughly sound knowledge of their own trade and its requirements, are also known to be men of shrewd ideas blended with a determination to assert the .rights o.f their fellows, with a keen sense of justice to all men, and a cautious disposition that will l.ot permit them to blunder into unreasonable and profitless comlicts with employers and the general public. One other aspect is worthy of attention. It is rumored that the ■proposed new body will take up political work that for various real ns the unions are unable to undertake. No-ono can quarrel with a Trades aud Labor Council which feels that circumstances call upon it to take all possible steps to ensure that, the interests it stands for are adequately represented in the Councils of the country. .But for goodness’ sake let such propaganda be carried out 011 sane lines! As an instance of bow these things should not be done ue have only to quote the policy of the Political Labor League, a body formed in Christchurch just before the last general election, and claiming to represent the workers of that city. This body decided only to support the candidature of members who would pledge themselves, if elected to Parliament, to act at all times according to the wishes of a majority of their party in the House. 11l other words, the seeker after Parliamentary honors was invited to, become the mere tool of the leaders of tile League. One- naturally wonders wliat would become of the country if many of its -representatives were returned under such'conditions. It is nothing more nor less than an attempt to introduce the machinemade politics of the United States. It is right that the workers should combine to send men to AVellington who are cognisant of their special needs and will at all times protect their interests, but no organisation, whether it he a Trades and Labor Council or a Farmers’ Union, should impose upon its selected nominees conditions that will prevent them when in. Parliament from exercising -their full powers for the benefit, not of any special class, but of the whole community.

OUTBREAK OE TAYPdiOID. The fact that there arc at present throe cases of typhoid at the Hospital should serve as a timely warning to Gisbornoitefi of the great risks they are running through having no provision for sanitation in the town and suburbs. The result of .this neglect is a state of affairs that from .1 health point of view is disastrous, and it will be little short of a miracle if the present summer passes without the outbreak of a serious epidemic. In these matters it seems useless to look for definite and prompt action on the part of the Borough Council, and apparently the only means left is for citizens to call, a public meeting, and thus force the hands of dilatory Councillors. It is true Unit inquiries have been instituted by the Council, regarding the cost of a drainage system, hut when weeks puss into months and the months into years, and still nothing definite is done, the people unity well lie pardoned if they become impatient.

COUNTY FINANCE. To-night the -Cook Comity Council will hold one of the most momentous meetings in its existence, for u. proposal is to come forward for what must bo described as a huge borrowing scheme. Having experienced the lot very common amongst individuals of finding it hard to make both ends meet, it is proposed that the Council .should jump at once to the other extreme, and borrow a sum large enough to indulge in all sorts of luxuries and extravagances. AVo do not suggest that there is not scope for the expenditure of even so large a sum as £200,000 011 legitimate works, but it will requiro the utmost care and vigilant watching to ensure that no funds are recklessly spent- when the credit at the bank is of so handsome a- margin. Air. Lysnar has, with customary boldness, submitted a scheme of dimensions that would alarm more cautious 111011, and with characteristic vigor lie is endeavoring to rush it through the Council. He draws an attractive picture of wliat will result from his scheme, and on tlio face of it makes the whole tiling look so charmingly simple that peoples are beginning to wonder why it was not taken in hand long ago. But the fact of the matter is this gentleman’s enthusiasm has, as on formei occasions, carried him forward with no consideration for tile most vital principles of the subject affected. Thus we- have 110 indication in- such particulars of the scheme as have yet been published as to where the metal is to come from which is to provide settlers with macadamised roads from one end of the county to the other, nor any idea us to what procedure is to be adopted in getting the metal to the localities where it is -needed. •Air. Lysnar states that it has not been proved that there is no good metal in the County, hut surely tin’s is a particularly weak method of advocating the expenditure. The onus will most certainly fall upon the Council to show to the ratepayers that the metal is obtainable, and that it can be economically utilised before asking them to sanction a huge loan. The contention that- posterity imay well be called u 11011 to pay for the cost of -loading the County may be justifiable up to a certain point, that is if steps are taken to liquid ite the debt within a reasonable period, and if the. present generation makes such provision for maintenance that the roads will be handed down, to its successors in- -a satisfactory condition. If 011 tlio other hand those in power now through reckless extravagance follow the example of those wlio have sunk £200,000 in what lias been aptly named “Gisborne’s glorified ditch,” and drop a similar amount into the ruts and hollows of the County roads, then posterity will have additional grounds for rising up and cursing the mismanagement of its ancestors. To put the matter into concrete form, the Council should have particulars of a much more definite character in hand before deciding to ask the ratepayers to sanction a. £200,000 loan.