The Inangahua Miners' Union and Mr. Hickey.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 3, Issue 53, 15 March 1912, Page 8

The Inangahua Miners' Union and Mr. Hickey.

SiiyvOn 'behalf of the Inangahua .Miiiii-> I'nion. we wish Xi otleu' a word of explanation regarding our attitude towards agreement iiii'i Mi , - Mickey's (l[)illl(lll thoiCOU.

The iirticlc in your issu<> of .March 1, heeled ".V Censure and a J'eply," opens with a quotation from the ''Lytti'ltiin Times.' , ivml oil the strength of this quotation (ivc assume that no ether source ot information was available), the writer pours fort.li halt' a column uf violent abuse and hysterical denunciation <ni our devoted heads.

.Needless to say, the "Lyttelton Tiir.es' , was wrong, 'it had been misinformed. The resolution passed at our meeting appears in the minute book as follows :—~''TlinL this I'uion strongly disapproves of thr* advice given to workers in connection wit-h industrial agreements by 1 , . H- Hieke^ , in the 'itaorilaiid Wo.rker' of February d."

Now, wo want to ask Air. Rickey if it be his habit to rely on the Press Association for information respecting the movement, and wo wisii io point out that tin's question becomes more pertinent when it is known that the secretary of the S.Z.V.L. and the sub-editor of the paper fulfil their official duties in the same building. Seeing that the Ptesidtnf and th" Organiser of the Federation have both stated from many public platforms that-in the new order of things the Arbitration Court was fast disappearing, that the Federation was taking its place as far as arranging industrial agreements was oonconiwd, and that they have both defied any employer in INo-w Zealand to say that the Federation of Labor has ever Jwcoken any of tho ina.ny agreements tha-t it has entered into, we should Therefore be right in assuming that Messrs. Webb and Semplo would ajjreo with the resolution as put io our meeting, disapproving of P. H. Hickoy'e ailviec." that there is a wide and fuiv diuiiental diff<>ri.'}ie(' Ijctweeji tJio resolution as set clown in our books and as reported in the "Lytfelkm Times," we submit that a few inquiries would '«•.« saved Mr. Hickey a good deal of frothy declamation, and not a few enemies. WV fo-o. that discretion henceforth be regarded as a quality desirable in a sub-editor, and finally that though the liberty of an individual to defend his intolloeinu.l opinions is a high consideration, the welfare of the organisation of which that individual is but a unit is incomparably higher. Tliesc few remarks we. make by way of reprimand to Mr. Rickey lor what we consider his official lapse.

There was a time during the ecclesiastical dominance OJ European thought whoJi any se-rious attack upon the citadel of dogma was met with the cry of '"Heretic," "Infidel"; and these words came in time to possess such a terrible significance that their use was undoubtedly a powerful factor in chocking the erowth and dcvelopmeiit of rationalist ideas. So lively an impression did these terms produce on the papular mind that the mere application of them to an individual regarded as dangerous was sufficient io cover him with such a cloud of suspicion and prejudice as to make it impossible* for him to even obtain an impartial hearing. The term "suspect" carried a similar application during tlie French Revolution.

In the vocabulary of tho modern in— diisti'iul movement thero is a word which is rapidly acquiring an equally sinister siynilicanoe. "Wo refer to tJio K-nii ''scab." and in applying this word to oiir Union or any member of it wo aceuye Mr. Hickcy of availing himself of a weapon condemned by tlio canons of logic, and despised by any qualified controversialist — a weapon which wns partly responsible for t.ho continued survival of dogmatic intoleranco in Kurope, and which was auxiliary to the worst oxfosscs of thr> fiwi7i\cd 'lYvrrorisls- Wo claim that nothing but tlio most convincing evidence- «rukl justify tho use of this word with its damnable, implication to ;tny unit of tlio Federation. And in tho circumstances we think the good ircim<> of this .Union tmd s<"'lf-nv;pect of its moiuhais iu.'.Liiy us in <lv,');:ui(.lin2 Jm un(liialifiod withdrawal.

An Official Rejoinder.

Tlic insufferable dogmatism of this writer is further exemplified in his assertion tli:it because of their diilciTUOJ of opinion with him the members of this (Tiiton 'Vim no longer be regarded by any right-thinking members oi' tl\e woi king-class ns having -even a rudiMH'Jitary knowledge ol what unionism is. ,, W'hui- right has ill , . Jlickey to arrogantly assume the ignoram , . , of those who hiippcn to differ horn him? We venture to assure him that Jiis

"to hell willi agreements" i)i)liey will niwt with nioic •opposition than bupport. hi i';i<-t, ii' the assumption eontaiued in the above quotation be true, Mr. Hiekey may shortly have the pleasure of lindiny himselt' the only real!/ tvell-ini'oriiiod and cultured individual in tlie Fedijalion.

Mr. Hickey's capacity for picturesfjuc lJillin;_fsg:itp is also a noticeable feature of the article under discussion, and would be diverting if from the pen of an ordinary contributor. But we demand to know what right has a member of tho staff u> apply such epithets as "reactionary," ''scab/ ''coward," "craven-hcart'.'cl creatures, who seek shelter behind the heels of the boss" to members ot a union that is one- of the chief units of the I'ederationy-a union that, notwithstanding great difficulties and temptations, lias manifested unswerving loyalty to the Federation since its inception ; a union that ha* been en.jfaged for the past four months in a struyKle with the employers which involves, much sacrifice and Httle liinelijilit. Let us inform Mr. Hiekey that during the last four months we have .seen 400 of our members leave the <listrict rather than submit to eomlitiotie we consider -unfair, that the Kodtvration of Lalxir has been unable to help us, an 4we are. still firm in our resolve to go on helping ourselves, and that though the fight has been keen and might become keener, we still notice a plentiful lack of "eraveoi-hoartul creatures behind the heels of the boss."

"We also assure Mr. Hickey that there is absolutely no need for his broken-voie<d appeal to tlie "Men of Inangahua." Thore is not tbc slightest danger of tliis Union doing any of tlio things that this selfappointcd advisor conjures them to avoid. J3ut one thing we think they will do, and that is maintain and express their definite and absolute difference of opinion with Mr. Hickey in connection with his "to hcU with "agreements" policy.

The hysterical references to "my traitorous carcase" and "my miserable head" add to the interest of the composition as a literary curiosity, but have no fiu-thcr significance; but t.he statement that ''I refuse- to have my actions dictated- by men, etc.," cannot be allowed to pass unnoticed. We would not dream of criticising any action of Mr. Hickey that concerns only Mr. Hickey, even'though this liberty involved the publication in the official organ of the Federation of ideals or sentiments which we regarded with abhorrence. But rightly or wrongly.. Mr. Hickey is regarded as something more than aa individual, and his utterances in th« paper aro quoted and spoken of as having official significance. Mr. Hickey cannot but be aware of this fact, and on the face of it the quotations given above appear to us to be anything but discreet. It would furnish valuable evidence in support of the charge so of tea made that the Fede.ratin.ll of Labor ie merely a group of agitators.

In conclusion, we have no d.esiro to dict-ato to Mr. Hiriccy. \\e Avilliiiigly acrord him unlimited individual freedom. 'But we on our part resent ivtJio i.inwarrantwl vituperation to which wo liav-o hee:i subjected. Wo refuse to %üb.-.cri')e to a doctrine which wci considof strikes at tho very roob of the social fabric : and we object to senilis tho on;a.iu»ation that has cost so much tiifif' and labor to build np )>mstiluted lo Mw nebulous ideals by wlnVh Nγ. ilirkcy appears to be guided.—We are. etc.. G. P.. CItOWI.EV.. rj'osidoit, >f. A. FAGAN, Secretary. i Inaiigahua Miners' I.U.W. j Keofio.'i, March 6, 1912.