CORRESPONDENCE. LABOURITE PRINCIPLES.

Hokitika Guardian, 5 April 1924, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

LABOURITE PRINCIPLES.

iTo the Editor). Sir, —In the .Magna Carta*—the greatest Charter of English liberties arc the words, “to mine will we sell, to none will we deny right or justice” —and l!io following account of a recent incident may serve to show how we ore betrayed l>v the tyrannical falsehood of modern Labourite principles. The scene was at a local sawmill, and the time early in a busy atternooii. A small man, bugging a great book, approached me where I worked and asked me if I belonged to the Union and if 1 would join; and when I requested definite iniormation as to what the Union, was, what its aims and objects and what tie? terns of membership—he informed me I must sign a paper authorising my employer to give him sixteen shillings, and 1 would he given a book of rules. Thiswas all he would tell me, and when I failed to fall over myself wiili haste to comply, he fell to reviling me with not only blasphemous, hut filthy language, saying lie would need to he a “champion boxer or else pack a gun on the job” if he were to meet many men like me. Then 1 began to wonder who lie might ho, ami oil my asking him lie replied that he was the Secretary of the Union.

After much bluster of like sort, lie loft me to return in about an hour with the information that ho would cither force me into the Union nr out t of work, and that he could hold my ■ employer liable to a fine ol L‘loo lor giving Work to a non-union member. '

Now, Sir, what I want to Know is j this? Why should a peaceful and j loyal citizen of this Empire be thus; compelled to cither listen to or obey j the injunctions of sin-li an agent ot a j Union whose rules—like those ot a So- ; eret Society—are withheld from the prospective member? Can this be jus-, lice, as once understood among froe-men ; and true, to penalise the workman so ■ as to ensure toe incomes and jiersona! | salaries of a tew idle men, and to use ■ bis hard earned money to further; strengthen their power over him aim j his fellows? 1 am etc.. MARTIAN, j i l »'■■■■■'■ ■■"■m mwmrrnmmm ]