OUT & ABOUT

Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 33, 20 October 1911, Page 3

OUT & ABOUT

By EWAN RIEE.

Our Editor was ofi for a holiday, p eteg r i noting somewhere in and aromid the Queen Ciivj but before going off he took the precaution to impress tipon. mc that in leaving mc in charge of th» Scrub-Editor ihe was placing great confideince in mc. " You and the SorubEditor will have almost nothing to do w.hile I'm away," he remarked as he bade us an revoix, "only give orders to the- other fellows, and all that." The "all that" was like the "bittoek" that comes after a Scots mile. In thi3 case, it consisted of reading reports, correcting "proofs," . attending to ■''imiaking up" and writing about twothirds of the pnper —that's all! Of course, it took the two of us. Ono tc do it, and the other to see that he did it. I did the seeing part. And so it came to pass that having 60 little to do, I grew indolent and lazy, like a com-mora workingman wlen the boss's back is turned, and had almost made up my mind (a Herculean task) not to do any "Out and About" this week, when I received a postcard, bearing the following instructions in th© execrable chirography of the Editor: — Don't forget "Out and About!" Let it be spicy. Last week's was but poor stuff-—milk and water — chiefly water! Do try and write something 'worth reading. It'll be the first time.—Ed. "Af.W." On rea'ling the above insulting com■nmnieation I felt tempted to sw ; in fact, I acted just like our manager'.s clerical friend at , But 3 r ou never 2ieard the story. I'll tell you. Our manager, once in. a white, on a fine Friday afternoon, goes about humming to himself, "Blow, blow, sweet and low," and by this same- we know that "we will miss him on tfce- morrow," as he will leave that same evening for a little country town., to spend the week-end with a friend of his —a jScots minister, no less. "Weil, I'm told .that on one such visit, after '""divine service" was over for the day, the Two Apostles—he of tho Old Order $nd he of the New—went forth for a fluiet, meditative stroll, along tho bank of a, certain creek, w-ellsknown to c'fe-yo-tees of the piscatorial art, among whom the minister was certainly not the least. The loveliness of the .surrounding scenery, the loneliness of tho place, and the possibilities of a wellfilled basket of silvery trout, if only !be had had his rod and accessories ,ivith him, were all very present in the mind of our manager. At last he ventured to remark to his friend the minister, "Man, Tarn, dae ye nive-r feel tempifc to steal oot your rod, an' slip jD.wa' for an 'oor or twa's. fishiu , on a bonnio Sunday nichb sic as this isr"' [And the minister, also using tho vernacular of the land of his origin, replied, "Na, man, I niveir feel 'tempit' — I jist gang!" It was just the same with mc on tending the Editor's postcard. I didn't feel tempted to swear j I just said — well, angels didn't choose my language on that occasion. & * * The writer of a, letter in. a contemptorary the ofciior day declared that the recent strikes in Britain were not caused by any attempt on ihe part of the masters to cut wages. He assured tlie cdi tor-nian Wages during the past two years h-ave not be.en reduced, while iho number of the unemployed has cengiderably lessened. The only i\;neon for tlie strikes was the ps'e- ; soncs of too many weU-fecl agita-

The foregoing is one of those lialf-!iie3 that are Ji-aixler to fight than straightout fictions. It may be true that in Britain wages have not been reduced and that the roasters have not attempted to reduce them during the past two years. It may be true also that the number of unemployed there at present is less than it has been for some considerable time. Yet that is but a half statement of the case. The other half will be found in the new edition of Mr. ChiozzaMoneys now famous work, "Riches and Poverty." Therein he demonstrates clearly that In many industries British employ exiS can exercise •collective powers much more effectively than trades unions. Combination amongst employers . ._ . has reached a point at which it has become possible to rule alike the price of products and the price of labor. Kβ goes on to show that though nominal wages have not heen reduced, tho cost of living ha,s continued to rise. If the docker's < ( tiaamer" wsl buy now only a loaf and a-half, whereas it used to buy two loaves, is not that a reduction of wages, oh, thou sapient scribe? But even if it were not so, and the case was exactly as stated by our let-ter-to-the-editor-man, what would ye ? If employers aro not seeking to reduce wages it is for oik> very potent reason —the tiirne is inopportune. If tho number of unemployed is falling, then, obviously, it is because there is a demand for more workers. If our critic has any savoy at all he must see that such conditions not only make a srtriko possible, but they present the only conditions to-day wherein a. strike has any chamee of being successful. It would seem as if the croaker in question had fallen into the same "dvb ,3 as his very dear friend, Mr. Elijah J., when he denounced the State miners because they struck work at the "psychological moment." to use the exact words of the heir to the Fiery (Jkariot. * * # I not Leo that the bricklayers of Hjbart also have incurred the displeastn - e of Elijah «'/. I mean that they navetaken advantage of the "psychological moment." On the first of last month they decided that no member of tho Union would start work tho following week under 12s a dsv.v, and on. Satur-

day, the 9th ult., the Union's delegate to the Trades Council reported that all hands Avere getting the 12s. A few employers refused the extra shilling Avhen asked, but the men simply walked off their jobs on to others where the Union rate Avas willingly conceded. It appears that so many workers in the building trades have left Tasmania owing to the better wages offering in other States, that local contractors are not rushed for jobs, and they now find they must pay wages approximating to those current on the mainland or shut up shop. * * x And what think ye? Southland employers hare groAvn so thoughtful of employees who are compelled to leave them that they have taken to issuing what is called a "Ticket of Discharge. Said ticket very graciously states Avho the bearer is, who he Avas employed by, for lioav long he Avas so employed, and the reason Avhy he ■•left." Then, merely by the Avay, and in order that all may bo open and aboveboard as betAveen master and man,, these Avords are added And received wages at the rate of « . . .*' I suppose this is to shoAv that the employer has nothing to be ashamed of in the rate of wages paid. Only thac and nothing more. * « * I see from the wooden "Post" that at Labor Candidate Moore's Jolmsonville meeting last week the only unpleasant occurrence was the persistency with which a Mr. Robert Hogg heckled the candidate. This report is absolutely unfounded. Mr. Hogg tells mc h& didn't think it the least little bit unpleasant. I learn from "One Who Was There" that Mr. Hogg was in a ne\v role that night—that of Guardian of the Labor Party. What he tried to do Avas to save what remnant of a good name is still left Wellington Laboritcs from beins: deliberately dragged in the mud ; and that, too, by their chosen champion in tho Suburbs electorate. Mr. Moore, the candidate in quest ion, stated that he had made arrangements Avith Mr. Massey Avhich would secure for the latter the support of whatever number of labor men were returned to the House, in order to enable him to turn out the Ward Government and become Premier of Now Zealand. By a .series of pertinent questions, Mr. Hogg exposed not only the groundlesi-jness of Mr. Moore's claim to act as ambassador of the Labor Party iv such a- connection, Lait tho madness of tho man who, for one mom ont, could think such an alliance possible. "God knows," said Mr. tfugg, when I asked him about the matter, "I may ha'e my doots as to tho honesty <"i purpose animating the leaders of Labor in the Empire City, but not once have I though of questioning their sanity." Mr. EdAvaitrd Tregear has my sincere commiseration. At the same time 1 fear he has been understudying the farmer's jackdaw. You loioav the story. A farmer had a jackdaw that came home one day with one of its wing 3 .severely, shattered. On the farmer see-

ing Its condition he asked it how it came by its hurt. "Yoii did it with that gun. of ycmrs/' said the bird. "Bub I was b hooting crows 1" replied the farmer, "And shot mc," said tho jackdaw. "Your own fault," said the fanner as he turned away, "you had no right to-be the crows." The moral of the story lies .in. tJi-e application, thereof. I have heard Trades Unionists often say that Webb and Hie key and Semplo and other speakers of the Socialist Party and the Federation of Labor were too severe in .their strictures of the leaders of the spasmodic- Labor Party, This may or may not b© true 3 but I'm sure the Labor place-hunters never had anything said of them by Semple or any other Socialist that was half so bitter as the following remarks anent them in a, letter of Mr. Tregear'B in last Friday's "Post" t~ What is thd good of men pretending to be "Progressives" and calling out for clem goveminelnt when they show themselves ready for dirty work even before they have a> chance of power? Let any elector vote for Mr. Alassey if he pleases, but let it bo from conviction: not that you shall hold out a hand in pretended friendship so that you may the better hit htm in the eye. When will politicians, and tito.se who aspire to be politicdaoas, understand that to tell lies or to act lies does not pay in the end? Tlia.t about strikes them where they live I And the irony of it! Only a couple of days previous to writing the letter from which the above excerpt is taken, Mr. Tregear wrote to tho Labor Party thanking it for electing him to its council. And now he publicly denounces some of his associates ~as being ready "for dirty work," as men who "hold out the hand of pretended friendship," who "tell lies" and "act lies." Faio was ever a scurvy jade. But Mr. Tregear seems much, very much, perturbed at the want of veracity displayed by some of the Labor candidate on the hustings. Do ( you not know, Edward, that a political candidate —even a Labor candidate — generally turns out to be a man who stands and Hes in order to gain a seat? Labor Candidate Moore also stated that Socialism meant "Confiscation.-" He was taken to task on the point and asked to quote his author, but he could not remember where, or if, he had read it. Of course he read it .in the famous speech of Mr. Elijah if. Carey, delivered at the 1910 Trades Conference. This same Mr. Carey likewise is a Labor candidate. He' told the electors the other night, on tho authority of Premier Fisher, of the Australian Commonwealth, that his "fatheir was a man." I am grateful to Mr. Fisher for this assurance, but somehow the workers would have found his disinterested message more acceptable- had he boon in a position to aiHrm that Mr. Carey's male parent was tho father Of a man. But what do you think? But what was that song the blatant bard of Manners street sung- in honour of

.' V ar- I. 1 Elijah avk % ; N<s doubt you/ye heard ieft^J , A latter-day swell of ~Of A very remarkapl-p $!>sss Of Labor a leader-*' ■ ; :;'-] < Hβ isn't a bleeder , }, '' : M% : Hβ did work—once' oft f And the tie round his tMft&fi Isn't red-— ami you'll nots That his coai ■ •,' w - By its cut seems i& Sss p* S'Mark mc, I'm <<& <rar.s '';. r Avis, named 0- -yj 'kLu L Well ; known as ElijaK , tittle Elijah, 'It all/ W% tittle Elijah'!/ jj-jp , Though you? trousers fte |>fSOT. Your linen bo soraggyj !^lfi Youa* iackei $. trifle While, with boots A<ytos # Qsfst- '■ You decidedly feel r, 4, l;*fkA little bit £|& pss| To growl don't begin,"" Just pass your suba iiff And then grin. [ ; 'Tis your privilege to $Bs, For tin© fine boots and olo.tne|s And cigar 'neath the nos'lf > Of little Elijah J, ' w Little Eldjah, ? <llja% Lrbtl© Elijah J. * : g You've searched the toW3i xotUKu And a job you fouiid, |%. t At last you'll get bread f<}s fjs| kids J , T And a number nino smile y Lights your features, pie wftilf . ' In f anoy you count up jfIUS Wheaii. 10,, well I never! domes 'Lijah the cleve^, As ev>eri - ; : ,.J j Says, "You start rlg© , «Wfi§9l If my Union you join, And plank down your colj| SPo littlie EHjab J. y - ■•. _ Littfe Elijah, Mtm& Little Elijah J» Theire's SempDLe—a fooW And the Miners' Fed. School ,^ Their antics to mc se©in so> You should hear how they rays That the workers must slave _ 4 -dj&\ 'Neath a law they call "EcojaotoftSggS . Till they i-aise such & '" • 1 Take th-ei tools ol (What suction 1) Hold them for ever &&& fljel f 'That's Socialisation, And confiscation , . , * Yells Mttle Elijah tf, t ... Little Elijah, 'lriaHi, ' I Little Elijah J. ' , How often the> pure adi«L Trades Unionist ? when driven, frojn thrf'i covex of objection after objection t*'■■! Industrial Unionism, finally takes fuge in «xclaiixmig 7 "Oh, Industr'aJ I Unionism is your latest fad—a Yankee ! iiotiom, nothing more," or sojne impertinent or irrelevant remark. Theyf think that unanswerable. But it isn'fe ■ The idea of Industrial Cniqnism is ticfi new. nor is It a Yankee notion, thoudsw an it were both, does not necessarlM : imply that it is foolish or ; As ft, matter of fact, the idea of dustrial Unionism was first suggegted by Robert Owen. Otliers after hin| : groped toward the light. Some tof ' these same sa-w, even before Labor ha/S realiised itself as a distinct party ffl Parliament, that Parliamentary actiow without a strongecr and eytem of organisation would; yield, like the shearing of swine, mor<s cry than wool. One of ihs ■' olcl thinkers pute it v«i-y su<|-? ciaictly in an article contributed to "Fraser's Magazine," fifty y^a-Jf, 5 ago. Perpend: ■ rg! : The timo will come when tM worker will begin to estimate ap; its real significance what is tlra worth of the pLmse he has ly in his mouth, or to which h& is continually listening, "The nanny of capitalism/'* and aa he himself, by the nature of his occxt'-f I pation, interested in the prices o£ that which he prodiices, ho. will ask himself whether his money wages are really increased by th© of his union, and if they are, wMi I thex the gain be nob, after zlh beailly nominal, because the price if < enha-nced to himself, and tlie political body of which he m, - now an effectual member, and tai,9 economlo progress of his class, &x§>' hot really imperilled by the limii/f*^. - tions of trades xmioniam P "A :, • Read that ever again, my .Traa^l ; . Unionist friend t 4s-: j Whether the political body Qp ■ which he is now an effectual ment| ' ber, a.ud the ecoj:omic progress o# '. : his class, are not really imperilled , j by the limitations'of Trades i ism. • f ii, "The limitations of Tnades Unionist |*|. Are not these the very weaknesses Federation of-Labor is seeking to eradkt' cate in our industrial organisation)!,-, Yet these words were written years ago! The writer quoted goes to discuss the possibility .of a distincjc Labor Party in Parlianumt and its likelihood of success in its effort mere- "talk" to materially and manently improve the lot of the worl|.s erg. Something; drastic will be quired, he declares. Then, propheis* oally: • t :'"' But it is probable the workingclass, in time to come . . . may; interpret the best means for bet-« tering their conditions |- Comrades, it is foir you to say whetlvi? or not the tfme for such interpr&tatlojj is now.