N. Z. ORGANIZER

Industrial Unionist, Volume 1, Issue 9, 1 October 1913, Page 3

N. Z. ORGANIZER

(From Letters to Local 1.) The N.Z. national organiser (Tom Barker the enthusiast), recently let loose on the unsuspecting and unsophisticated population of God’s very own by that bunch of designing and disruptive reptiles, Local 1. N.Z., has had thumping good meetings on both sides of Cook Strait, and has got after the skin of all and sundry, down South, who uphold the Wage System, whether by barriking for State Socialism, for Craft Unionism, or as open enemies of the Working Class. The concrete result of Tom’s tour, so far, is Local No. 2, with plain enough prospects of Locals 3,4, etc., etc.

Starting off early in August our organiser soon arrived and got busy in the windly metropolis. At the kick-off meeting in Post Office Sq., Aug; 6, many intellectual bombs in the shape of Direct Action pamphlets were disposed of. Later some of the slaughtermen’s notions of unionism were slaughtered, and the meaning of SOLIDARITY made clearer. A good meeting was also held in the Wellington S.P. Hall. Later in the month Tom crossed the channel (converted Pelorous Jack into a Direct Actionist on the way), had a good meeting in the Christchurch S.P. Hall, and spoke to a large crowd in Cathedral Square. Early in September a bunch of Teds got together and formed Local 2, with Fellow-Worker Earn. Kean (late secy. P.R.U.) as secy, treas.

On Fri., Sept. 5, the Christchurch Local held a meeting at Addington workshops, speakers: Reg. Williams and Tom Barker. At night, same date, the Passive (!) Resisters’ Union and the I.W.W. held a joint meeting at the Clock Tower, and again on Saturday. Sunday saw the Cathedral Square alive with an enormous crowd. As a result of all this activity the police have bumped Barker with a blister for “ obstruction.” He expects to keep out of jail by handling his own case, and proving that the police handle the truth rather carelessly. The organiser that the “ workers paradise ” is rotten ripe for dinkum Industrialism, but makes no particular mention of wonden-shoeism. —P.R.