Labor in Australia.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 13, 2 June 1911, Page 4

Labor in Australia.

"MAORILAND WORKER" SPECIAL.

By W.R.W. and M&NDA LLOYD

t_By W. R. W.

"The Maoriland Worker."

For some time someone lias been kind enough, to send mc the interesting and mentally satisfying Maoriland Worker. Whoever has done this, has been baiting a snare for mc, which in the end has calight mc. Now I feel that I cannot get away from it, and wouldn't if I could. I have learned to love the paper as amongst the best that comes my way, and I get many good papers these days. Your paper is typographically artistic, and from a literary point of view is beyond praise. I do hope the workers of Maoriland will keep it going as strongly as it goes now., for in a few years it must be a powerful influence for the Revolution. Industrial Unionism. I note with pleasure that you are ail pulling together towards complete Industrial Unionism, and that politics are regarded by you as of only secondary importance. With us it is different yet, tor Labour was temporarily co successful at the polls that the workers had great hopes in politicians and political reforms. Now, however political labour leaders have rushed off to England to help the awful court party ""in their great Coronation pageant. Arbitration, wages boards, land taxation, and the new protection have only borne dead sea fruit, and the referenda —which was to give the Labour politician more power to deal .with the modern pirates and marauders of industry -has miscarried. Failure of Labour-in-Politics. The failure of Labour-in-politics is showing us many things. It is now plain that in all political ventures the power of money must be reckoned with. The Labour member in Parliament has to withstand the powers of corruption employed by skilled lobbyists in the Houses of Parliament. He has to guard against being trapped by his enemies into voting for something for them by specious promises which are never kept. He has to exert eternal vigilance to prevent the representatives of capital from sneaking clauses into measures of reform, which nullify and destroy their remedial character, and he has to run the gauntlet of pressing invitations to loom large ..in the press as a strong man who is independent enough to snap his angers at the workers who spent years of etfort to get him into Parliament. Federal Labour Party. Our Federal Labour Party seems to have withstood the efforts to directly corrupt them, but they have been no match for the cunning of their opponents. They passed the* Old Protection on a promise of their opponents that if they did so New Protection would be parsed under which Labour would receive a share (in higher wages) of the Delictits accruing to local industry from the tariff. The Liberals assisted to pass the Act, but their friends outeitle soon had it before the High Court (their High Court) where it was declared unconstitutional. The Land Tax is to be similarly dealt v>ith this month. The 1-teferenciii have, as you know, been swamped with money, £l!JO,O0O being spent in New South Wales alone. Arbitration and W ages Boards have been used by the workers, but the other side have responded by increasing the cost of living. So that now we are beginning to see that it is very difficult, owing to the power of money, to get anything out of politics or Courtsj and when politicians so well seasoned as are Me-ssrs Fisher and McUowan can be drawn to London b3 T those who are deliberately manoeuvring to boom a foolish and expensive monarchy and aristocracy there seems less hope from politics than from Industrial Unionism. Superiority of Industrial Field. In the industrial field there is less scope for the money-maniac to use his nefarious powers than in Parliament and law courts. When the unions are strong -enough, and internationally linked together, they will be able to meet the enemy with both money and the force of numbers. They will be able to prevent war, by giving the Jingoes enough to do at home. They will be able to break and destroy capitalistic Acts of Parliament wnich are made against them, and ruin tyrannical employers who force on *a leek.--out or a strike. They will be able to

Instructive Analyses for New Zealanders.

M—By MANDA LLOYD

substitute a true religion for the present false one, true morality for the immorality of the present system, and a co-operative commonwealth for the capitalistic State. Christianity is the capitalistic religion, the Church is a bulwark of capitalism, our morality is capitalistic, and our States are corrupt and capitalistic. They will be superseded by the religion of humanity, by a higher morality and wider justice, and a Socialistic Commonwealth. Wanted! —A Red International. For the present we must, as William Morris said, "educate towards revolution." Let us have an international interchange of ideas through papers like The Maoriland Worker and the "International Socialist" of Australia, through correspondence bureaux from which reliable news of the movement may go forth to all the world by means of our Socialist papers. We want a Red International, so that when a strike in one country occurs, support shall flow in from all countries. As the old boatman said (in "Hans the Boatman") "Yer, 'amis, Guv'ner. Yer 'ands. ,.

A Remarkable Utterance. Remarkable iitteranees of Labour Miiiistei- Griffith at a recent mayoral dinner in Sydney: "We know/ , said he, "that we have been politically misunderstood. We have realised always that any attempt to introduce into this country the principles of class legislalation must end in disaster. We realise that it's not possible to take out any particular class and achieve prosperity for that one class alone. . . . There will not be anything that can be described as class legislation. There will be no justification for any charge ot : party administration. . . . W T e realise that we cease to become the representatives of any party within the State. There will be no wild cat administration." Not Experimentalists. At the same gathering Mr Flowers, Acting Chief Secretary in this Labour Cabinet, told the assembled capitalists that his Governraentj the Government elected by the workers and trusted by the workers, had no desire to become experimentalists, and that the most Conservative citizen need not fear that the carrying out of their policy would injure him in any way. Freeholders Need Not Worry. In his Policy Speech a few weeks ago, Acting-Premier Holman told his constituents, largely composed of farmers, that all freeholders could sleep quite calmly in their beds; there would be no interference with landholders — no interference with a solitary vested right. Punishment for Striking. In the same speech this Labour leader and workers' friend outlined his new Industrial Disputes Act, under which it is proposed that ordinary participants in a strike shall be fined without the option, and that their capitalist employers shall dock their wages weekly-till the fine be paid; and that anyone who incites them to strike shall be liable to be both fined and jailed ! ! I* is not yet apparent in what way this proposal favours the workers any more than "Wade's iniquitous Coercion Act," which was so scathingly denounced by every Labour candidate before the October elections. Barrenjack Dam. When a large party of Labour members recently visited the great Barrenjack Dam, now in course of construeit was seen that the men occupied the most wretched quarters, being banked up above' one another in little bunks in a low zinc shed with" absolutely no civilised or refining influences about them. A large number of the men were married, but here isolated from their families under unnatural conditions. No Labour member seemed to think it strange or deplorable that workers for a- Labour Government should be worse housed than racehorses or pet dogs. It was also noticed that the big gang of men did not seem overjoyed to welcome those who were pledged to change the world for them. Revolt of Unions. The thoughtful section of the work-

ers of N.S.W. Ie doing a bit of hard thinking just now. Everywhere unions ure passing resolutions calling for a conference to deal with those State Labour members who worked, by silence or otherwise, against the referendum. It is realised that a split in Labour ranks at present would be a' very deplorable thing, but none the less the great body of workers is not going to allow the leaders to drift into a policy of compromise. Unfortu-

nately, even in the short time the Labour 'Party has -been in power, it has given strong: grounds for siispicion, and the Trades Hall is simmering with discontent. All evidence goes to show that the workers here want Socialism. They want no shadow of compromise with the capitalist. They are ripe for Socialist leaders, for men who will dare to stand true to them in Parliament as they have professed out of it. And

there are not wanting signs that LiOj bour will refuse to be blinded ana cajoled much longer.

When One Remembers?

When one remembers the splendid wave of enthusiasm that swept over N.S.W. last October, of the high hopes entertained of the leaders who promised so much, who seemed so ready to stand out for justice for the workers at any cost,, who preached class consciousness, who denounced capitalism and all its works, who stood pledged to the workers' cause, and theirs when one remembers all this, the recent utterances of these same leaders simply make one sick. Every fresh growl from a union is cause for rejoicing. The greatest disaster that could happen to the workers here would be their silence while their leaders schemed to "calm" the freeholder, and soothe the uneasy capitalist. Have the workers been soothed througho\it the centuries ? Has aaxybody cared whether they slept calmly in their beds or not ? Has anybody troxibled if confiscation was mentioned in regard to their poor possessions?, Has the rich man's bailiff had compunction in seizing the few cherished! goods of the victimised worker? Why all this concern for the capitalist?, Why soothe him ? Even if his system is doomed we need shed no crocodile tears for him. His course is quite simple. He must either join us in a community where men are honourecl for social service, or he may d&pa«ri into the wilderness.

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