Organiser's Notes.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 3, Issue 44, 12 January 1912, Page 17

Organiser's Notes.

By EDWARO HARTLEY.

From Waihi to Auckland, when.' tin Sunday evening meetings' in the Opera House arc very line. Scott Bennett's: excellent work has gathered a big audience of fine finality, who come regularly to hear the message ot Socialism. How much of this gathering is due to Bennett's remarkable personality remains to be seen. But their greetings and welcome to a stranger from the Old .Country have boon both warm and welcome. The great differeiice in our style and method-must have been almost startling, yet while the truth of Socialism is ever the same, the personality of our speakers must vary widely.

The debates between Bennett and Mills were remarkable exhibitions of eloquence and skill, such as no other section 'of public men in New Zealand could provide. The bitterest opponent of Soeialisin who heard these would b.> to give up tho idea that So ilism was the dream of fools.

i ish it were possible to introduce at 1.'.-.-t one good song into each meeting. . 1 there is a comrade vvho can sing "The Red Flag" or any other song with a good chorus —the verses as solo, ..uiitjl everybody , knows the words-rvye should soon begin to have a good sing, .which would hold the meetings, and find a vent for enthusiasm and at'the same time' stimulate everybody present. Will' the men and women of tho movement- consider the question?.. A song in which, very few join is often, largely, a fiasco, but a good united sing does' us good all round.

I have letters from numerous places asking for visits, and am trying to arrange routes. On January 11, 12, and 13 I am visiting the Huntly comrades, when, in addition to a meeting at Huntly 4 we are to break up new ground.

I propose to make a mid-week visit to Gisborne- and possibly Tauranga. We arc going to arrange a meeting each week somewhere near to Auckland, in order to gain members and strength.

Early in March we are arranging for Foilding and Palmerston North, and from there go to Wanganui and then to Napier. Comrados near or on the route to any of these places should write at once if they know of anywhere with a chance of starting a branch or of getting any section of workers to join the Federation.

One united federation of the workers to flight the capitalists industrially and tho same workers using their votes to prevent the powers of government being used in the capitalist interest, then the game is ours.

In the meantime we must EDUCATE and ORGANISE. The working classes who aro not class-conscious are not likely to organise a3 a class, and they are nob likely to organise as a class until thoy understand what we mean by surplus value.

It was a working man who asked mc quite recently: "If you abolish the capitalists, who will pay the workers their wages?" Thi9 sounds foolish to a Socialist, but he was very much in earnest with the question. He was greatly surprised when I answered: 'The same peoplo who pay them now."

I believe in giving the soft answer which maketh men think; it being far better for a man or woman to use their brains than to have tilings ready made and explained for them. He did not understand, and repeated his question twice, receiving the same answer eaoh time. Tie then asked: "But who pays them now?"

"Yes," I said, "who does?" I could see he was beginning to think, and told him I once talked with a largo employer who was a rich man. This rich man told mc ho paid 1500 people their wages. I asked him: "How long have you been in business?" "Over 30 years. I shall have employed a thousand people on an average for nearly 30 years," he answered. "What a lot of cloth you must use," I said, for he was a cloth-maker. "Oh," ho said, "I don't use all the cloth they make aE my factory." "Then you are not their employer; you are only their master." "Novor mind that: I pay their wages." "And you have paid a thousand of thorn their wages for 30 years. What

a lot of money you must have had when you began business!" 'What do you mean?" he asked, dubiously. "I mean that to pay 1000 people their . wa«t»s for 30 years, you must have had a big fund in hand when you began. Why, afc a pound a week it would be £50,000 a year and, for 30 years it. would be over a million and ■a half." '•What are you talking about? Why I began with nothing—at least, I'd less than £200 to start with." . . "You began with nothing and paid all these wages, out of nothing, yet after 30 years the people you've been paying have nothing and you have an .immense fortune. Look here, my friend, did yoil pay these people wages or have they paid yours?" I think my questioner began to understand in each case. If I wore a dictator and could pass a law to that effect, I would make it compulsory that at every workshop in tho world there should be a notice : ' Every worker in this placa must earn far mora than ha receives in wages. For every pound they receive in wages, they must do work worth three pounds. I would then make it coir puis?-;/ that every month or so it 'should bo carefully explained to the workers how much they had really matlo and how little they had received. ;, \Vi\ cannot do this yet, and must do the best at pur meetings, e,to.,- and ; every Socialist must do tlie same to his workmates and jiicvighbeurs. Educate ! Educate!! Eduojite (!!

In the meantime any iroaders- into whose hands the balance-sheet of any company reaches will'greatly oblige if they, will forward tjieiu to mc, c/o "Worker" Office. ; :