Industrial Organization.

Maoriland Worker, Volume I, Issue 1, 15 September 1910, Page 7

Industrial Organization.

Interview with Mr. P. C. Webb, President N.Z. Federation of Labour.

On Monday, 29th August, a conference of delegates of the New Zealand .Federation of Labour (as recently registered by the West Coast miners), with delegates of the Trades Council Conference Executive, was held in the Trades Hall, Christchurch, and the opportunity was taken by a representatiev of this journal to interview the president of the Federation, Mr P. G. Webb. "What do you think, Mr Webb," asked the representative of the " Maoriland Worker," "is the principal need in the Labour world of this Dominion to-day ?'' '' To develop a sense of class consciousness among the ■workers," was the prompt reply. " What we need is industrial organisation, that is, the federating of all branches of an industry into one Union, and such Unions to be federated into a general Confederation of Labour. That was the miners' object in, forming a New Zealand Federation of Labour." " Can you tell mc why, in your opinion, the New Zealand workers are behind the Australian workers in political and industrial organisation? " In New Zealand for years we have been living under a Liberal Government and the Government has been handing out as palliatives many concessions which the Labour Party and the workers generally have had to fight for in Australia. The workers in this country have pinned their faith to a Liberal Government, and consequently have lost that fighting spirit which is dominant in Australia. The Australians have had to fight continuously for whatever little reform they have gained, whereas we in New Zealand have been allowing the other classes of society to dish out to us all the time various more or less real reforms.' , "Reforms of some benefit, surely?" asked the reporter. " Aβ a rule these have been only of a temporary benefit. The miners nave perhaps realised this more clearly than seme other workers, because miners are of a studious nature, and have studied political economy and sociology to a far greater extent, I believe, than any other one class of workers. They have been forced to recognise that craft unionism belongs to an obsolete age in capitalistic development. They were contented to give arbitration and conciliation a trial. After a trial of some fiften years, they have been forced to the conclusion that Arbitration Courts are of no lasting benefit to any bodies of workers that are well organised. Seeing, therefore, that craft or trade unionsm and the arbitration system have failed to better materially the conditions of the working classes, the miners consider that the time has arrived when all workers should be federated into one huge organisation. We believe that if such a class-conscious economic organisation were formed the working classes could better their conditions in a much more effective way than by means of craft unions or the Arbitration Court." " You do not deny, however, that the conditions of the workers: have been, to some extent, benefited by craft unionism?" '/ Oh., no. From an education point of view the unions certainly have been beneficial, but they have outlived their usefulness as craft or trade unions, and they belong to a dead age. Now, instead of being the bulwarks of progress, in many cases they are the strongholds of reaction. When the trade unions were first formed the capitalistic class was disorganised, but since that time the capitalistic system has evolved from a state of competition and anarchism to a state of trusts and combines, many of them international. While this economic development has been going on trade unions have remained practically in their sectional state. It is, therefore, abundantly clear that in order to have a perfect labour organisation we should adopt the same methods as the employing classes have already done—that is. combinations ; and by federating all those concerned in the industry into one body, and these different bodies into a general confederaton of labour, we shall make an injury to one worker an injury to all, and thereby ensure to the workers that true internal union which alone makes for strength and solidarity."