ALLIANCE OF LLABOUR DEBATE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 2490, 7 October 1922, Page 3

ALLIANCE OF LLABOUR DEBATE.

(To the Editor.) Sir,—The Welfare League having been freely referred to in the House in the course of the debate on the question of the proposed affiliation of the P. and T. Association Ave ask leave to say a feAv Avords on the subject. Mr Holland is reported to have said “directly the result of the ballot, had been announced, that remarkable organisation, the Welfare League, had opposed the proposal and had waited on the Prime Minister.” That statement is only a part of the truth as the League openly opposed the proposal long before the ballot AA’as taken. The League has done so thoroughoul on the ground that the objective of the Alla nee- is of a political character and in principle opposed to the representative nature of the constitution of our country. We believe the rank and file of the Postal Service have been misled as to the true, character of the Alliance. They haA’e been told that it is purely an industrial body. in a recent case a Supreme Court judge said the objective of the Alliance is political, and the “Maorilnnd Worker,” commenting on that said of course the objective is political and there is no use camouflaging. Mr Holland says “the Alliance was created for the purpose of settling disputes.” That is simply not true. The Alliance is created to advance its objects, and these are stated in its Constitution to be: — (1) The organisation of the wage-Avorkers of New Zealand on the lines of class and industry. (2) The collective oAvncrship of the means of production and distribution, and control of all industries by the workers avlio operate them in the interests of the community. The principle of “control of all industries by the Avorkers Avko operate them in the interests of the community” is a definite denial of the poAver of control being exercised by the Representative Authorit--ies elected by the people in general, and is therefore an attack on our democratic basis of government.

In our opinion it is absolute hypocriey for any party claiming to be democratic to support a principle that is so clearly anti-democratic and in opposition to. Avhat is just towards our people in the mass. The plea that the Alliance is a legal body means no more than that it is not illegal. The same applies to the Communists Party, the I.W.W. and other strange combinations. We have put the question before and present it again—would Mr Holland’s party grant the same right to the Police that they ask for the Postal Officers and nlloAv them to affiliate with any body they please provided it is not an illegal body? They cannot ans Aver that because they knoAv it is a dangerous principle. All tlieir talk about an abstract is simply camouflage as they knoAv that in practice the Alliance is simply part of their party and it is for tlieir party right or wrong that they are fightng, nothing more. Being Internationalists of the class conscious type, the country is a mere side issue to them. We are, Yours, etc. n.z. Welfare league.