A RED FIGHTING PLATFORM.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 2627, 1 September 1923, Page 3

A RED FIGHTING PLATFORM.

MINERS’ SECRETARY’S SUGGESTION.

When the Welfare League refers to the N.Z. Labour Party, or any of its leaders, as being tainted with bolshevik and communist sympathies, many good people think it is going too far in. its criticism. They read so much of the professions of moderation being indulged in by the Red politicians that they fail to understand what lies behind all these professions. To take the reader behind the scene for a little while, we present the following, published in the “Maoriland Worker,” August 15th, 1923: REVOLUTIONARY MINERS’ CONGRESS IN MOSCOW: The Editor, Sir, —The following is taken from “Common Cause” (25/7/23) :—Red Miners.—At a recent, congress in Moscow of the World’s Revolutionary Miners’ Organisation, the following general programme was adopted:— (1) Nationalisation of the mines, with gradual socialisation without compensation to the present owners; (2) organisation of Workers’ Control Committees; (3) six hour day for plain labour, and four hour day for dangerous work; (4) minimum wage guaranteeing decent life to all workers; (5) employers to pay for all insurances on their employees, old age pensions, sickness, death, etc.; (6) four weeks’ holiday each year, with full pay; (7) workers’ inspection committee to have full rights of taking all necessary measures for the protection of miners, even to use compulsion; (8) miners’ committees to have full charge of all hiring and discharging of workers. (9) complete liberty of strike and coalition rights; (10) employers to be punished by lawful penalty where they fail to provide insurance for their employees or disobey workers’ committees, etc.; (11) settlement of such cases in Court within one week; (12) support and acknowledgment of Soviet Russia.

The foregoing as .a step towards socialisation of the mining industry is dintinetly in advance of Australian Labour ideals, and merits consideration as a fighting platform.— Yours, etc., P. O’ROURKE, Secretary N.Z. Miners’ Federation. THE HUMOUR OF IT.

Mr P. O’Rourke is a leader amongst the miners of our country. He submits the above as “meriting consideration as a fighting platform.” If that does not mean support of communism or sovietism, what can it mean? From his name we should take Mr O’Rourke to be an Irishman, but from his lack of all sense of humour, in this instance, he might be taken for anything other than Irish. Perhaps this comes of dabbling in wha-t a British Labourite calls “sloppy internationalism.”

Clause (I) of this Red platform abolishes private employers by nationalising the mines without compensation—Red justice. Having wiped out the employers, and established workers committees, who will do all the hiring, ordering, and firing, it is then provided that the employers (who do not exist) shall give the best conditions of employment, pay all insurances, and be subject to summary punishment for any disobedience of the workers committees, etc. There are two or three things to be thankful for in this programme; one is the “lawful penalty,” the second is obedience to “etc.”, and finally we should think that the employers would be very grateful that they do not exist. When a responsible officer of the N.Z. Miners’ Federation, and / the organ of the N.Z. Labour Party put forward such utter rubbish is it any marvel that the Secretary of the Party reported recently that the people's attitude was just that Ihcj could not trust it. To be governed by such lunatic ideas would bring us to the same state as Russia, and yet N.Z. Labour men give such ideas countenance. , (Contributed by the N.Z. Welfare League.)