By NAUTILUS.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 2, 8 December 1911, Page 7

By NAUTILUS.

All the new officers in the Wellington , Waterside Union are Revolutionary Socialists. Five years ago the Socialists in this Union could be counted on the fingers of one hand. Yet Laborites say we should not tell the workers the whole gospel. * « « A certificate of registration has been issued fo the Nelson Waterside and General Workers' Union. This union is registered under the Trades Union Act, 1908. ■ * *. * Patea Waterside Union has given notice of withdrawal from the Waterside Workers' Federation. » * «f The action of the Greymouth Waterside Workers in dismissing a bucko foreman has had a salutary effect on all pannikin bosses along the coast. * * * The attempt to form a scab union by the disgruntled opponents to the Labor Federation at Wellington is a fitting expression of their intelligence. Mr. Parry addressed the watersiders there on this subject recently. The result has been a "smelling out" for the scabs. To mention opposition union now is sufficient to bring curses round the offender's ears and warnings of more serious penalties to follow. The chief, fossil and exponent of this insane L idea has drawn in his horns considerably. Prospects are brighter, and for the good of the great multitude it is pleasing to see the opponents of the Labor Federation coming round. The progressive party will push forward towards healing the breach caused by the constitutional crisis, resignation of officers, etc., and immediately there is a sufficient majority, imbued with the militant spirit the registration of this union will be cancelled and registration effected under the Trades! Union Act. * • * The utility of maintaining the Waterside Federation as a dues-paying organisation must be considered by the unions. The expense entailed, by-affili-ation with the N.Z.F.L. will mean that many of the smaller unions will withdraw from the smaller organisation and bend their energies to bringing the drivers and seamen into the N.Z.F.L., towards establishing an industrial union of the three. These unions could very well amalgamate; many seamen and drivers spend three to five months of the year on the waterfront. * * ' • The constant shifting from one uliion to another entails a good deal of needless clerical work and inconvenience to the. members. On the score of expense alone this is a desirable amalgamation and from the point of view of industrial solidarity it must come. The only drawback at the present time is the reactionary officials, who are hanging like leeches to their sectional organisations; The rank and file are with us; almost every driver and seaman will tell you that there are too many unions. He sees the need, but he forgets, that so long as he allows the secretary to keep the union in his, autocratic pocket he and his fellows must suffer. Get in,, drivers and; seamen, and hustle the fossils out. *-. « * Tlie executive of the N.Z. Waterside Federation has issued instructions to all unions in tlie Federation to take a ballot on tlie question of cancelling registration under the Conciliation and Arbitration Act. This is a surprising attitude for the executive to, take up. They cannot have, studied the effect of such a resolution, as immediately a union cancels its registration under the Act it automatically drops out of the Federation. Such is the constitution. The Wellington Union will cancel when ready—the sooner the better—but not before it is in a fit condition to stand and fight. * * * Reports from England state that the recent railway agreements, which have been made, are kept in a general way; yet small incidents occur every day, which, however, are mostly settled again after some short negotiations. The railwaymen are on strike in Ireland. It is. not impossible, unless tbe strike is settled very soon, that same may extend also to Scotland, Wales, and England. The railwaymen are prepared for it, and intend to fight to the utmost for the recognition of their organisation. All the organisations involved in the last struggle have made great progress. The membership of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants (A.S.R.S.), for instance, increased from 75,000 to 120,000, that of the Sailors and Firemen's Union from 10,000 to 40.000, that of the. Carters' Union from 6000 to 22,000, the membership of the Watermen and Lightermen's Union from 3500 to 6000, of the Stevedores' Union in London from 1000 to 7000. of the Dockers' Union (Ben Tillett) from 18,000 to 40,000. The increase in the membership of the Dockers' Union in Liverpool (Sexton), of the Stewards and Cooks in Liverpool, of the Locomotive Engineers and Firemen in Leeds, of the Railway Workers in Manchester, etc., is not known, but the number of new members will surely exceed 30,000, of which figure 20,000 come alone on Sexton's Union. All the Unions are overburdened with work caused by the increase in membership, and some of the Unions are even compelled to look for greater offices. Tlie question is now to introduce such institutions and to adopt such measures that will induce the members to stay with the unions.

The strike of the seamen in Odessa has been kept down by the most brutal measures of the police. The leaders were arrested and are now be sentenced, as the infamous Russian penal code contains a paragraph according to which an arbitrary stoppage, of ■ work is liable to imprisonment from eight to sixteen months, if a general state.of distress is caused thereby. Ana it will not cause the Russian, judges, great difficulties to prove this. It is also said that ships were manned with foreign crews.

A circular notice issued to she staff of the Lancashire. ar.d Yorkshire Railway Company says : " Now that the recent disputes have been settled, t>nework at the stations will, I hope, soon be in a normal condition, and I wisii to take the earliest opportunity ot thanking the men who have so loyally stuck to their work during the whole period of the strike, and to. assure, them, and also those who so readiiy, volunteered their services m any capacity, that the directors and myself highly appreciate the valuable assistance they rendered under most difficult and trying conditions. I have pleasure in informing you that we have decided to grant double pay for the work these men did throughout the strike at their respective stations.' 1 A similar notice has been issued by -the L. and N.W. Railway Company. Blessed are the scabs, for such is their reward 1

The. ballot held by the Waterside Workers! Union, for the positions of as-, sistant and two trustees, resulted as follows: — Assistant secretary: George Bruce, 484- Lewis Glover, 304; informal, 7. Ti:us-|>ees: F. Martin, 309; Harry, Ham. 338;; informal, 89