With Semple in the North.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 39, 1 December 1911, Page 17

With Semple in the North.

Records of a Strenuous Time.

organiser of the» Federation of BHabor looked in at the office of "The HH/orker" on ihis return, from Auckland. |H-Seinple was far from well, the strain Hβ ' the "open-air- speaking of the past HRonths having told on him, but he HRadily consented to giye an account, in own straightforward, vigorous style, ■ft the recent history-making epoch up H WITH THE WATERSIDMRS. Hi For the last five or six weeks Semhad been busy witii the watersidHps. At the last conference of the ■H/aterside Workers' Federation, held at HHaickland, a remit was received from unions asking that a ballot be as to whether members were fayHBurable to affiliation with the FederaHnton or not. The proposal to take a Ballot was rejected at the conference last, held at Lyttelton, when rank and file were denied the Hight to a vote on the question. This Semple considered a tyrannical The Federation determined to adthe men direct, and to see that H. ballot was taken, believing that the Helen were in favour of an organisation would remove some of the damnHlble conditions which exist to-day upon ■She waterside in New Zealand. The re--88-ilb was that Semple addressed the men ; [gild the appeal has been entirely sue- j Bossful so far, in spite of the opposi- j Dion of most of tho officers of the Hmions, and the underhand tactics Hidopted in some cases, such as issuing Heattets misrepresenting the position, Hnnd making! misstatements regarding Dphe Federation, of Labor. H Good work had "been don© on the Bvaterfront. For the first time in the Hiistory of the organisation there were Hgreat indications of a radical. change ■fcf policy. The rank and file_ were beBUinniiig to realise that nothing could Hbo gained by appealing to a class-rid-Hien judge or depending upon the craft Minions. They realised that their only Hhope was to become live members of a Hmilitant organisation, which is not only ■prepared to squeeze aril the reforms pos■sible out of the employing class, but ■whose ultimate goal is the abolition of ■the master and the slave. ■ Great things, said Semple, were to ■be looked for in the near future from' ■the Federation of Labor, which wields a ■mighty power, and is. just ' begianijig , ■to become conscious of the fact. I THE FIGHT AT AUCKLAND. I On his arrival in Auckland, Semple ■ discovered that the general laborers ■ had been driven by the contractors and j ■ the Drainage Board to take direct ac- ■ tien on the question of sub-contracts. For the benefit of "Worker" leaders who may not know the evils of this ' system, Semple explained that it is an evil that workers have long contended with, it is one of the vilest forms of the brutal law of "the survival of the fittest," and operates in the most inhuman fashion. It pits one worker against another on the "speeding-up" system so dear to the lieart of the employer, and is therefore totally opposed to the principles of industrial unionism. The man with tlie gray head is thrown, upon the scrap heap. The man who is physically fit and able under ordinary circumstances to do a fair day's work, but not able to compete with a strong, vigorous young man, is put aside, and the men have to compete one against another in the most cruel fashion. The system ,was known in England as the Butty system, and has been fought out of existence in Australia and New Zealand. The workers of Auckland realised if it were permitted to be introduced into the drainage works there it would spread throughout the country and create no end of industrial trouble. Being conscious of this fact, and determined that no retrograde step should pc taken, they deemed it wise to crush the evil at its birth. Hence their di- ' trect action. Not only would sub-contrac-ing have a disastrous effect upon the ■men working on that system, but it would tell against the interests of the I ordinary wage worker, because the latI ter Avoiild be expected to do as much I as the man - working on the contract system. In short, it squeezes the last drop of energy out of the worker. The general laborers had been fighting ao-ainst the system for some time, and liad prevented its introduction. They liad a rule on their books condemning sub-contracting, and forbidding any member taking a sub-contract. Until the dispute arose this rule <3zad been rigidly observed. The trouble was ■caused, by six men taking a sub-;on-tract. When, the contractor had succeeded in arranging a subcontract, he. •went to the next gang of men and informed them they had to take the job ton a sub-contract or get out of it. This gang was made tip of loyal members of the "union, and realised what the n.ove ttneant. They were placed in the position that they either had to disobey the rules of their union, and assist in establishing a rotten principle, or pick sap their tools and leave the job. IM-ey ' 'complained to themnion secretary, who teame upon the scene, and informed all jfcho men of what had happened, and advised them to come out in a body. •This was done; every tool was dropped. •Never before in the history of unionism in the city of Auckland was there siich a fine display .of solidarity. SEMPLE ON THE SCENE. Se'mple arrived on the scene oa the (morning after the trouble arose. A gnass meeting of the men was held in jfche Federal Hall. After investiga>;ing fthe case, he came to the conclusion that fche right thins had been done, and ea-

Something Attempted, Something Done.

dorsed tho men's action. He agreed to stay with them and fight the thing through. The first thing they did was to appoint pickets, so as to get til the other laborers in the union, at work en the municipal councils and elsewhere, to stop work. The pickets set to work, and the response to their appeal was marvellous. The men working on /the various road boards, borough councils, etc., dropped their tools as one man. For the first time in the history of Auckland the glorious principle of "an injury to one is the concern of all" was given effect to in no unmistakable fashion. It was a fine demonstration of class loyalty and industrial unionism. Continuing, Somple said that the pickets would not have been sent out that day had the Drainage Board given the question serious consideration. They \had met the nignt before, and decided to remain neutral in the dispute. The Mayor of the city boasted that he intended to take no action, and to wait till the men came to their censes. This conspiracy of silence on the part of the Drainage Board was in, face of the fact that the contractor had broken his contract with the Board, by not getting a permit from the City Engineer to let the work by sub-contracts. Clause 3 in his contract gave him permission to sublet his work only on receiving a permit from the City Engineer. This permit had not been granted, and theretho contract was illegal. i:- DUSTRIAL UNIONISM WINS. S» nlo lield that the Drainage Boai should have been very active on the i. ru's behalf, instead of keeping silence -a.that occasion, but they evidently aought that they were dealing with . handful of men and the dispute would fizzle out in a day or two. If so, they were grievously mastaken. Tie men proved that they had come to ti'pir j senses by calling out all the laborers in the city, to the number of about 800. A conference was then arranged between the men's representatives and the Drainage Board. The Mayor had i lost his dignified attitude, and began | to see that he was up against a -stone wall. The upshot of the conference was a com pie fee victory for the men. An understanding was come to that in all fixture contracts of the City Council '• Drainage Board, clause 3, wlimh gives power to sub-contract, shall be deleted. The difficulty in regard to the existing contracts had yet to be overcome. These were legally binding on both -sides, and , it was very awkward to deal with the situation. It was agreed that a. second conference be held, to be attended by five representatives from each side. This was held and clause 3 discussed. The City Drainage Board was powerless to alter the existing contracts. The contractors' solicitor said there •could be no tampering with the contracts. The conference then set about making the clause inoperative, and this was effectively done. The men's representatives submitted a draft agreement to the contractors, which they agreed to. This was, in effect, that the contractors would not insist upon sub-contracting in any shape or form. This left the position in the men's own hands. The sub-contracting clause was nullified, and the situation wa3 saved. On the determination of the existing contracts, no future sub-contracts will be allowed. The agreement was signed by tl>e Mayor and men's delegates. Another condition of the settlement was that no man> should be victimised, and all men should return to their work. This was carried out satisfactorily. There was a little difficulty with one or two small boroughs—Parnell and Mount Eden —but this was speedily overcome. There were several scabs at Mount Eden who were put on tho permanent staff for their "loyalty" (loyalty to themselves, not to their class).. A meeting of the Mount Eden Board was called, and the "loyal" creatures were quickly removed and tihe old hands reinstated. The men who struck work were scattered all over the city working for various local bodies. It seemed at the outset that there would be some difficulty in getting them all replaoed, but the determined stand taken by the n<n in insisting that all hands should be reinstated removed this, and no trouble was experienced. SIGNS OF THE TIMES. Giving expression to his impressions in regard to,the trouble and its settlement, Seanple said that it was a magnificent sign of the times. The behaviour of tlxe men during the strike wa« admirable. The solidarity and iihe perfect harmony amongst the workers strengthtiiened his heartstrings. The men worked in perfect unison, and gave & splendid exhibition of the .spirit of industrial unionism. The officers of the organisation proved a credit to their class, and handled the problem in masterly fashion. All the officers are soldiers of the Red Flag. In Fraser, the president of the Union, they have a promising fighter for industrial unionism and Socialism. He is'well informed, a good platform man, and is cool and determined in time of trouble. TJie secretary, Comrade Arns, is a ooolheaded, earnest and energetic worker, who has the confidence of members. Oliver Mason is another sturdy old battler, who has been one of the moving spirits of the organisation, and. did splendid work. Indeed, it was a pleasure to work with such splendid fellows. If the demands. of the laborers iiact been refused the- tram workers would have joined forces with them. This was a testimony to the class-conscious-ness of the tram way men. Several j other important. bodies of workers would liave strengthened the hands of the laborers kad it been accessary. Tiie j mea were invincible beofttiee they put]

into practice the principles of industrial unionism, and manifested bo the workers and masters of New Zealand that a new force has arisen in this country, which., when it demands its rights, has the power behind it to enforce these rights. While in Auckland Semple spoke at the Opera House along with H. M. Fitzgerald, who is doing grand work there. Socialism is making rapid progress in Auckland, the open-air meetings being attended by hundreds of people. Semple also met Comrade King, from Vancouver, who spoke with him at the waterfront. He speaks highly of King, who impressed him as a well-informed industrial unionist, with a strong personality and a good speaker. He would be of great assistance to the Federation, as he 13 full of fighFand dash. AT WAIHI. After the settlement of the Auckland strike, Semple paid a visit to Waihi, where he addressed eight or nine meetings in support of Comrade Hickey's candidature. The meetings were well attended, the halls being packed. The enthusiasm shown was most encouraging, more particularly so on account of the number of women present. The movement is making marvellous progress in Waihi. Since Seanpie's last visit there has been a revival in industrial unionism and Socialism. The boys are working wonders and are marching to the same tune, like their brothers of Broken Hill. He looked for splendid things from Waihi, and felt sure Hiclcey would win. AUCKLAND AND UNITY. Returning to Axickland after a vigorous campaign, the organiser of the Federation addressed several meetings, including the waterside workers and carpenters. A mass meeting of the latter was held for the purpose of hearing the unity scheme and the case for the Federation of Labor. Messrs. Ingram and Walsh spoke on behalf of the former. Ted Sayers and Semple spoke oh the need of a new organisation, and outlined at length the aims and objects of the Federation of Labor, its past work, and its future possibilities. They received a splendid hearing from the carpenters, and Semple has no doubt that when a ballot is taken amongst them the result will be' the same as that which followed the ballot among tho watersiders. Semple also had a talk with the tram workers, and found them a militant body of workers—mr deed, he was surprised at the spirit shown by them. They are making demands for increased wages, which there is no doubt they will obtain. Before leaving Auckland Semple had the pleasure of being present at a social hi the Federal Hall, held to mark the victory of the men. He was impressed by the grand feeling of class solidarity and brotherhood shown. The boys thought fit to recognise his services by presenting him with a writ- s ing case, which 'he appreciated better than gold, and would treasure as an heirloom in his family. The five or six weeks he had spent in the north were the busiest of his life, and he was now on his way home to spend a week or two with his family. Asked by the scribe if he had heard anything more about the unity scheme, Semple said it was absolutely dead. It had no more chance of taking on in the North than Massey's politics. There was no need to say any more about it —it was like flogging a dead dog. THE FUTURE. Touching on the future, Semple said that great progress had already been made by the Federation of Labor. This was an earnest of good work still to be done/ If his health permitted, he intended to carry on a vigorous campaign for the next few months right throughout the Dominion. There were a few. waterside unions to visit, after which he would focuss his attention on other important industries, with a view to getting them within the fold "i the Federation. He was making a special point of getting all the unions engaged in the production' of the necessaries of life into their ranks. In other words, he desired to ma-rshall the wage-workers who handled material needs in a raw state. This was one of the first .essentials to industrial organisation. They were going to push the fight harder than ever before. No force, no unity scheme or schemers could ever stop the growth of the Federation. of Labor. It had came to stay, but not to stand still. All the press condemnation and threats were mere empty talk so far as they were concerned. He had been held up as a criminal, and his deportation from the country demanded. In Auckland they had talked about enlisting special conr stables, which -merely served to hasten the growth of the movement and show, to the workers the need for a militant industrial organisation, to defend themselves against the exploiting class, who would use the rifle and the sword to prevent them getting their rights. Semple concluded with these words: "The days of threats from the master class are go tie. The day of concentrated action, unity of purpose, and determination of the workers is right here."