MR HICKEY AND AMALGAMATION.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 11, 19 May 1911, Page 10

MR HICKEY AND AMALGAMATION.

(To the Editor.) Sir, —In Worker of May 5 an article appeared from the pen of Mr. P. H. Hickey and headed "No Compromise?" As a member of the N.Z. Shearers Union and consequently a member of the N.Z. Federation of Labour 1 claim the right to protest against the remarks in that article. The Trades and Labour Councils are a bona fide and true body who are out for better conditions for the workers of N.Z. and are quite justified in asking to amalgamate the present tw\> Labour Federations for the welfare of all Workers. Mr. Hickey and all

members of the N.Z. Ixabour Federation, if true to the masses generally, should try and assist and heal the present breach. If the two Federations are going to fight each other as they are doing at. the present time solidarity of the workers will never' be an acconrplished fact in New Zealand. It is a certainty that each Federation must give way in some things. Now, I am no believer in strikes or lock-outs, as I have been, for many years a member of the A.W.TT. in Australia and I havo been in the thick of the fight more than once and still can say we never gained anything by strikes. The only strike that the masses can ever hope to better their conditions by is a strike at the ballot box. It costs nothing to the worker and it benefits him by bettering hie conditions. I believe lam safe in saying that even in New Zealand with, an* imperfect Arbitration Act and Judge feim to administer it, if a vote of organised labour was taken to-day arbitration or strike the vote would be in favour of arbitration. It is only about six or seven months till the next ■elections here and if organised labour is to go to the ballot box and vote labour solidly then the two Federations must join hands, and that soon; and it is up to Messrs Hickey and others or the Federation to prove they havethe interests of the workers at heart and join forces with the Trades Council and not try and widen the breach which exists at the present time. lours, etc., JACK TOWNSEND. Blenheim.