VII.—IS IT A SCAB UNION?

Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 75, 16 August 1912, Page 5

VII.—IS IT A SCAB UNION?

By their fruits ye shall know then*» Early in the strike the Ohinemuri gine-drivers' Union issued a manifesto and in it said:

"The present position is due entirely to ihe union's attempt to bully and intimidate us. Moreover, we are to a man upholders of the present British constitution of the Empire and its defence, and we can no longer tolerate membership of a union whose officials embrace every opportunity of ineultnig the Empire and its rulers, of ridioiilii|jg our traditional beliefs, of scoffing at religion and of bleating forth atfti-niilh toristn, atheism, and Revolutionary , $&> cialism, in season and out. Common; honor and national instincts, ap*?t from the professional matters he?*ift set forth, would themselves prompt Q| ' to act as we have done in refusing to ? remain members of the union." Does that read like a genuine wd*k« ing-class position, or is it an echo of tfa« time-honored capitalist methods of wa?< ; ' fare? A viewpoint is everything i$ the Class Struggle betwixt exploiter an 4 worker. Thanks to Employers. The following letter appeared i».th« Auckland "Herald " :-~ THE WAIHI STRIKE. Sir,—We desire to express our thattka and appreciation to you for the full and fair reports which have appeared in your paper of our union's attitude in the present crisis. We also desire at the same time to express through the columns of your valuable paper; our very sincere thanks and appreciation of the very acceptable moral and financial support that the Auckland public have accorded us. The attitude thus displayed has had the effect of heartening us in our struggle, as it has convinced •us that we have all generous, rightthinking and law-abiding citizens on ottr side. THE COMMITTEE. For the Ohinemuri Winders. En-gine-drivers and Firemen's Union. Waihi, May 23, 1912. Comment is point out that land raised the and have been paying the secessionists £2 per week, if tlie daily press is to be believed. "Full and fair reports" is indicative of the anti-Labor view of the capitalistic press, but unionists who understand know that it is the view of workers with capital'st minds. Anyhow, what sort of bogus union is it thaP »!»■ lows the employers to feed it? Chambers of Commerce. Finally, in the "N.Z, Times" the following appeared—and if it doesn't reveal to everybody the rottenness of the so-called "uiron" of a few engin'e'drivers at Waihi, and the extraordinary "woTking-class" forces behind it, nothing can: — "The Thames Chamber of Commeret has written to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, stating that ib has been approached by representatives of the Waihi Engine-drivers' Association with reference to the place of that Association in the present Labor crisis in Waihi. It would appear, states the letter, that very little outside assistance has been received by the Asedciation, £2 being the maximum pay- . ment made to members for the six weeks of the strike. Locally, numerous offers of assistance had been received) , but before any action in the mattsr was being taken by the Chamber of Commerce, that body wanted to know of any proper organisation being formed to deal with the relief of the Association in a manner warranted by thq importance of the body. IT WAS NB- ■ CESSARY TO POINT OUT THAT THE DECISION OF THE PRESENTDISPUTE RESTED ON THE ACTION OF THE ENGINE-DRIVERS A3SO-' CIATION. The Association could not v maintain the position it had taken up without financial assistance, and unless help was forthcoming the men would be compelled to seek work in other parts of the Dominion. In. addition to a serious loss of wages, members of the Association personally were having a, very bad time at Waihi, as THE MEN FELT THAT THEY WERE REALLY REAPING THE BURDEN OF tfHE FIGHT ON THE EMPLOYERS' BftHALF. The Auckland Chamber tff Commerce would readily under stall d that, unless outside assistance aud encouragement wire forthcoming, tha men might easily abandon their position in disgust."

The capitals are ours. Perfidy unmask*, ed for all to know.