SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 1244, 12 May 1914, Page 4

SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY.

WHAT IT STANDS FOR. IS IT CONTROLLED FROM BERLIN ? ELBERT HUBBARD'S WARNING. (By a New Zealander, iu the Christchurch Press.) In the April number of that little periodical known as “The Philistine,’’ Elbert Hubbard delivers “A Message to Uncle Sam” —and in the coarse of that message an Esue is raised that is full of interest to New Zealand. Those who have followed the labour crisis in the Transvaal,, from the utterances of the deportees, will remember that one of them deferred giving a statement on one question till he heard from Berlin. This seems to show some connection between a Social-Democratic organisation in Berlin and the Labour organisation in the Transvaal. We have before us “the Constitution of the United Federation of Labour and Constitution and Platform of the Social-Demo-cratic Patty,” iu New Zealand. It was printed in the Maorilaud Worker office, Wellington, and was published at the close of last year. One of its rules states ; “The United Federation of Labour . , • . shall become affiliated with the luternational Secretariat of Berlin,” etc. Hubbard says that “rival Europe” is keeping the “1.W.W.” with hand, voice, and pocket-book to bring about the disintegration of the United States, and to effect its industries. As part of the plan of campaign, strikes are fomented. In America the larger manufacturing industries are hampered, but in Germany there are no strikes. Bids for contracts are invited iu England, America and Europe, for certain machinery, Because

of these fomented strikes neither England nor America could “bid,” and the contracts went to Germany, Europe is fomenting the I.W.W. in America to demand “absolute ownership of the mines and factories, and to gain its point revolution and overthrow of the Republic are desirable.” This is part of Hubbard’s charges. Another charge is, “Europe betters her business organisations, appropriates our (that is, America’s) inventions, sets our own people against us, and gathers in the trade.” There is no patriotism in the I.W.W’s. organisations. At a meeting held in Chicago in the Carnegie Hall, on the 15th February. 1913, one of the speakers gave utterance, amongst other things, to this: “I hate the American flag, and I despise the things it stands for.” No Union Jack floats over the I.W.W. halls in New Zealand, and we presume because the flag is hated. Another statement of Hubbard’s regarding Germany is:—“No wonder the War Lord laughs. He cannot land upon our shores a torce of men armed with Krags and Krupps, but he can, aud does, send over skilled young men, who organise publicity bureaus, aud inoculate us with the views of hate towards the very things of which we should be proud.”

It will, therefore, be seeu what is the fight before the settlers of New Zealand, and what we are threatened with —an organisation made in Germany, and so engineered as to destroy the business, manufacturing, and others of England, the United Federation of Labour in New Zealand is affiliated with the ‘‘lnternational Secretariat ot Berlin,” says article XV. of the Constitution of the United Federation of Labour, and that means much. Its objects are ” to assist the overthrow of the capitalist system, and thus briug about a co operative commonwealth based upon industrial democracy,” and “to secure employment of our members in preference to non-unionists,” “to link up with the industrial organisations of all other countries for the achievement of international solidarity, etc., etc. “It stands,” it says, “for the common ownership of all the collectively-owned agencies of wealth production lor use.” As brains are perhaps the most important agenc}' of wealth production, it must own them, and serfdom or slavery must evolve. That its members are serfs may be gathered from this fact, that it is laid down that no member ol the Social-Democratic Party shall act iu political affairs save as the Caucus decides. Individual liberty has, therefore, vanished. Of course, the hours of labour are to be reduced. They are to be 33 hours a week —6 hours on five days, and hall a day on Saturday. Pensions are to begin at 50 for women, and 60 for men, and we are to have the initiative, the referendum, and the recall. Parliament will go the way that compels it to go.

Our readers see now what the United Federation means to do and what its objects are —no doubt after consulting Berlin —and it is for New Zealanders to say whether their country is to be handed over to this unpatriotic foreign engineered association. The Americans are getting ready ro meet it, and Hubbard’s message has been circulated to the number of 225,000.