The Knight's of Labour.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue III, 19 September 1890, Page 2

The Knight's of Labour.

MR PIRANI, THE WORKING MAN'S CANDIDATE. A meeting convened by the Xii jlits of Labour was held on Wednesday evening in the Public Hall Fnxton, and though the night was dark and wet tb«*e was a large attendance. Mr Fnani, the organiser of the Knights, was present to explain the objo ts of the Association and, as he had oaly arrived by the evening train and had omitted to ask the Mayor in time to take the chair, ho asked the meeting to select one. By the unanimous wish of the meeting, Mr Woodham took the chair, and explained that he did so at the request of the audience, but he had no knowledge of the objects for which the meeting had been called bat would at once call on Mr Pirani to address them. Mr Pirani was listened to with great attention all through his explanations, and was frequeat'y interrupted with emphatic marks of approval. He mentioned that when this meeting had been called he had no idea of being a candidate, but t'-.c previous evening there had being a meeting at Palmerston which had been summoned to select a labour candidate. Messrs J. G. Wilson, J. Linton, and himself had been proposed and the show of hands resulted in 5 each for Messrs Wilson and Linton and 500 for himself. He then explained the objects and aims of the Knight of Labour, but first lead a report of part of a speech given by Bishop Julius. The Knights of Labour were an associations for ameliorating the lives of the working man. It was formed to strike deeper than Trades Unions and aimed at the destruction of monopoly in land, by legislation. The Knights of Labour made no difference in sex or race, in Chicago there was a female '• Master Workman " aud the first coloured assembly was formed in 1888. The Knights, hince the farmer's Grange affiliated with them in 1889, now numbered close on two millions. The objects of the order were to secure the greatest good for the gieatest number ; to secure the full enjoyment of the wealth they created ; to make industrial and moral worth, not wealth, the truest •tandard of individual and national greatness ; the establishment of Bureaus of Labour Statistics ; public lands returned for acual cottiers ; all lands held fur speculation to be taxed to full value ; the abrogation of all laws that do not bear equally on capitalists and labour ; the adoption of measures providing for health and safety of those engaged in labour ; the enactment of laws obliging employers to pay cm ploy6s weekly jtheabolirion of contract on State works ; the prohibition of tin ployment of children under 15 ; to both sexes equal pay for equal work to secure 8 hours as a day's work. Any one over 16 years of ago is eligible for membership. There wus also a scheme for a co-operative insurance fund. One member had informed him that in America he ha I had his life insured for £250 (or the small payment of four shil ings a year. Assemblies have be- n established in England t Scotland and Ireland. In Belgium all the glassworkers belonged to the order. There were also assemblies in France Italy and Spain. In Now Zealand assemblies had been formed in Auck land baring 700 members, in Wellington, 800 members andint'hrist charch. but with how many he was not sure ; in Palmerston with 800 members, in Ashurst with 70 members, in Feilding with 50 members and in Bunnydiorpe with 20 members. The Wellington organizer had also risked Utaki on Tuesday and was going on to Bui's and Marton. Iv America the order had the name as being the most successful in set* tling diffwenciee. In Palmerston the Knights of Labour had already secured the adjus meat of difficu ties. The order laid down no hard and fast rule ior wagei, each case being taken on its merits (applause). • Mr Pirani intimated that he would be willing to answer any questions, but after a pause and no one rising he said — Ue would like to gire a brief outline of hit views on the political questions of the day. He had come tot ward somewhat unwillingly but the working classes iv Palraerstou had wanted direct representation and as he was a working mechanic and a resident, the public had thought that he would get as much support as any other working man. It meant his giving up hia living and would entail a los.s of £100 a year to hi<n, and though this might be made up to him, yet it was not at all sure His platform would be, that th« first thing Parliament shou d do would be to impose a one per cent t*x on the unimproved value of land ; to abolish the pro perty Tax and Custom's Duties on all the necessaries of life : to provide an income tax : Until then there would be no triv settlement of land. Th«ro were a few landholders who held enormou-* trac's of land, and very mnny absentees who spent very litUle on the improvement of tbtSr propwtitii TU property tax

failed to reach these. The Custom's duties, realising nearly one and a half millions are paid by the people who live in the country. As the law now stands a man who puts up a shed or a house was immediately fined through the property tax, for nuking such improvement, and his ne glibour with unimproved land escaped free. Then v was necessary to aboluh the bankruptcy laws, the present law beiog a support to the dishonest trader. It was not fair that any one shou'd escape scottfree from what he owes. He would advocate the abolishment of all expenditure on defence which waa utterly useless, and only provided employment for those who were too idle to do other work. The law of Nations would not allow any power to attack us, if undefended, but the erect on of torts was simply a challenge to come and fight. Another point was to obtain a law that eight hours be made a legal day's work. The srentleinan who proposed Mr 3. G. Wilson as a candidate, at the previous night's Palmerston meeting bad good nerve to suggest Mr Wi son as a working man's candidate, as the proposer — Mr Gardner— was the very man who raised the day's work of his fla* mill hands, from eight to ten hours a day. Another plank was compu sory arbitration to which both sides would be bound to abide bye. The Education Act must not bf interfered with in its main points, and he was against the imports tion of the Bible into schools. The proper place lor re'igious teaching was in the home and the Sunday school If the Bible was taught in schools, he knew, from experience, that the bo k became viewed as merely another class book, and not as it should be. There were many pointß about i he Act that needed alteration, and he thought more power should lie given to school committees or else the areas of the Board districts sliOuTd be reduced. Inspeotors should be placf d directly under Government and interchanged. There should also be an uniform system of school books throughout the Colony He desired to mention that he had received a letter from the Hon. John Ballance, with whom, some years ago, he had serve a large part of his apprenticeship. This gentleman had written to him, as leader of the opposition, asking him to eland in the Liberal interest. He would a«k them to give him thf ir support, but, if forced to promise others, to remember that the ballot box secured secrecy, and to vote as sremnd to them right He, if returned, went to Parliament at a personal loss, but he would repre sent no large land ho'ding ola?ses. He wnu'd take another opportunity to add ess them more fully, and would ask them to make no pro* position in any way that night. — great applause. Mr Pirani then intimated thai; he would be glad if those who desired to join the Knights of Labour w«uld remain. He proposed a vote of thanks to the chair. i Tims ended a very excellent meet* ing and though the speaker was a stranger to most of his hearers, his j subject matter and his delivery won and retained their attention. Mr Pirani has not a pleasant voice, and when first heard, slightly jars on the ear, but he has a clear and distinct delivery and the art of so modulatinghis tone ■( as toemphisize the por tiong needing so doing.