CHRISTCHURCH COMMENTS.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 3, Issue 53, 15 March 1912, Page 10

CHRISTCHURCH COMMENTS.

The Holy City is still "just nlivo." 111. Labor circles tho coining eonteroiuv is all the talk. Sonic people hero behove that it is possible that Labor will bocome united at Easter. Even this "Vagabond" has had hopes, but the nearer we get to Easter tho further otf unity seems to sheer. If it v,oi-a possible to have a Labor Congress, barring all professionals and those who had boen on' past conferences. Labor would become! united in Now Zealand, and New Zealand would lead the world to Socialism, j Tjio rank and file are ready for it, jbut the leaders are not. Recently we pave had quite a number of incidents tp prove that certain peopte. are going jto block any unity. Wβ have what is termed a "Labor Column" in one "of the dailies hero. Now tho person who formerly edited that column used to get paid for it. He didn't believe in an independent Labor Party.' And he used to say so in no uncertain language. Now there were men on the Trades Council who did believe in "Independent Labor," so they sent a deputation to tho. Editor to point put that tho column didn't represent. Labor's views on the subject. The Editor offered them a Golumn, thoy took it, and the Editor is now getting that column free of cost. Some of the matter, contained., in that column is good, because it's simply clipped from some Socialist paper or book, but tho original matter consists mostly of criticisms of those unions which have dared to leave the Trados Council or of something the Federation of Labor is doing. Recently we had an article on strikes and. the wickedness of strikes, and in the saruo article the writer advocated the using of tie boycott. "What is the difference-? If on© is morally wrong, the other is equally so. Mickey's article on agreements, was damned by bell, book, and candle. This column was tho first to point out the wickedness of our comrade, and yet men who had signed agreements before Judge Sim had broken those agreements hundreds of times, and this column had never condemned them I I agree with Hickoy. If the employing class tries to tio'up a section of Labor by bribing it with good conditions, so as to use it to exploit other sections, then to hell with agreements I Labor must not bo bribed even by good conditions. Soabbery is scabhory even if tho price of that scabbery is high 1 Our price is tho Revolution; tho' Trades Councils' price is an amendment to the C. and A. Act.

The General Laborers' Fnion of this city hns joined tho Federation of Laltor. This Union is the most up-to-dato union in Canterbury. It runs an economic class, and because its members understand what they want, and therefore cannot be led, it has received a larger share of misrepresentation, in tho column referred to than ajiy other union in this district. It was the Laborers who set up tho Municipal Kepresontation Committee; it was tho Laborers who found most of tho money for this Committee; it was the Laborers' secretary who did most of the hard work of this Committee, simply because the Laborers are a livo body and arc largely employed on tho public works.

Now, there never had been such an interesting election as the last municipal election. A littlo clique, however, captured the Municipal Committee, turned it into a Labor Representation Committee, and confiscated its funds! Well, the Laborers thought if they would do the work aJI would be well. Alas! for human hopes. Along comes the election for tho Drainage Board, another body which employs a considerable number of laborers. Matters were left to the L.R.C., and the election was so dead that only three men and a. dog knew there w;is one on. No one was stirring over,,tho Tramway Board elections. The Laborers decided to get a move on. Suddeaily tho L.R.C. woke up ; and the writer of tho "Labor Column" grabbed his pen to point out tihat tho Socialists had captured the Laborer*)' Union and were using it to kill tho Labor llepresentation Committee —a committee which was already half-dead and really di<Ln't represent anyone! Now, there areonly three or four members of the Socialist Party in the Laborers' Union. There aro dozens of Labor Party men, but the Union knows enough not to be nin'sled by Labor leaders, and it _ is abused for daring to do something whilst no er.o else dares i-o do .anything. The Trade? Coum-il is doing nothing; the Federation of Labor is organising the unorganised. Tho F.L. has improved the conditions of its members more in six months than, tho Trade Councils have m sis years; therefore, tho F.L. is wror.g and-oudit to bo condemned. The Association says the- F.L. must bo crippled before it be<'cmc3 any stronger; the "Labor Column 1, writer snys_ "Hear, hear; pass mc a brick 1" Plight down the lino the unions that have joined the F.L. are tho unions that rue alive. Their members aro the men who are doing thing?. I Ik-Hi.-vo eren Prof. Mills is realising this. They may not ho right, but "they aro VicaiVr being right than the others; their organisation may not he perfect, i.ut it is closer to perfection than ;.ny other. Tho Socialist movement is tlio sanio. We were supposed to bo knocktxl out at tho elections, yet in the Hiily City we have ''<<[<} 42 public n.coiiiipp, at which 42 lectures have boon given, sinco tho general elections; wo have held 14 dances and three picnics since the general elections; we have held 16 bun-

feasts and sold £14 worth of literature since the general elections. Wfeat have the Labor Party done:' Will someone please writo and let mc know? Our hall is crammed Sunday after Sunday. The cry is we want more seats'. We are getting Scott Bennett bade, and we are going to have more hulls. We have the Boy Scouts, Socialist Scouts, forming, and a fine crowd they are. We have our Sunday school meeting; we are forming an orchestra. What are our friends doing?

T'other day we invited our Editor down. He wired he was leaving Saturday evening. March 2. Sunday evening, 8 o'elwk came. .No Editor. Ship delayed, cleaning lwilers, rough weather or something. The hall was full. Wo sang the Red Flag: "With heads uncoverod swear we all to boar it onward till we fall." No Editor! 'Wo had a cornet solo. It was good—but whore was that Editor? A comrade was callod. H© began to explain why "we musn't change our color now" — that the blue and white would spoil the lied banner of liberty. And that Editor came. He spoke. Ho conquered. Do we like him as Editor? Aye, end we like him as a speaker, and we like him as a comrade, and we would like to see him ei'tencr. What did he tell us? Only the same old etory, but it was tlio story told only as our Editor could tell it. To the Socialist growing somewhat weary it was a stimulant. To the ha If-convinced j it was convincing. To tlie seeker after truth it was an eye-opener 1 We want more. Send him again. The Red Flag is nailed to the mast in tins "city. Wo have our faults, our shortcomings, but that flag will not come down. We will hoist it over the Trades Hall yet, and the writer of the "Labor Column" will be as pleased as we shall be. Truth must prevail.— THE VAG.