Industrial Unionism and the Bushman.

Industrial Unionist, Volume 1, Issue 10, 1 November 1913, Page 3

Industrial Unionism and the Bushman.

That Industrial Unionism appeals to the bushman, once he understands it, is a pretty sure Idling, judging by the way the men in the lumber camps of America are getting into the I.W.W. and getting better conditions for themselves by their solidarity. Here in Hew Zealand, as soon as the bushman gets in touch with this form *)f organisation and understands its principles,/he very soon realises the advantages to be gained by collective effort, instead of remaining unorganised and trusting to politicians or labor fakirs to do things ■that he should do himself.

The reason for this is very plain, as the bushman, being naturally of an independent disposition and not much troubled with religious scruples, the very idea of working under a boss is gall to him. To dodge this as much as possible a large number of bushmen take contracts on the co-operative system, so that by going further back from civilisation and putting up with, great hardships, they can at least get a little more freedom for themselves. These conditions cannot be remedied so long as the workers remain divided and the boss has everything his own way. By organising industrially the bushmen of Hew Zealand have nothing to lose but everything to gain. For one thing the boss would find it rather a difficult business to get scabs at this work’ which requires a certain number ■of experienced men in the first place, and secondly it is not the sort of work that attracts scabs. Besides this, the bushman, being a rough-and-ready sort of animal, a scab would think twice before offering himself for employment, especially in the case of a general strike, as the police would not be able to be everywhere at once to protect them, and last the policeman and the soldier is doing a good deal of his own thinking just now as evidenced quite recently in Auckland and other places. An insight into the bushmaiTs nature is shown in the following incident : A cocky in the blackblock of the King Country last .year engaged three men to fall bush on wages. After about a week on the job they came to the conclusion that they were worth more money, and informed the boss of the fact. Ho more was forthcoming, however, so, without giving notice, they packed up and got out of it. This did not trouble the boss much just then ,as thinking plenty of men were available he rode into town the next day, to get a surprise, for after offering even more than the men had demanded not one man was forthcoming. There was but one thing for him to do — go home, look at hundreds of acres of standing bush that he wanted felled, and reflect on the justice of dhe men’s demands.

This little incident will serve to show what the millowners and .others may expect when the workers understand Industrial ITnionism, which they will do before very long, and act together for a common cause: “ The Abolition of the Wage System.”—F. Porter.