Payne, M.P. on the Strike.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 3, Issue 82, 4 October 1912, Page 8

Payne, M.P. on the Strike.

Congratulates Unionists of Waihi.

Compares Sts-ike with Political Action and Discloses

Federation's Voting Strength.

Tie Socrciary. 'Minoivs' I'niyn, Waili'. L'tUi ii; , - i'ij ii. Oi till iv-i> illt! COllftratulate you nil on tho splrndid and mauly and wolU'oikluv , ; cl li;j;lit yon ro jjuti'iny up in the c;mso ot industml libortv. AVluu, a lesson to tae worko 3 of tho whole of Australasia, not only yourselves, but those unions who are supporting you, arc puttir » before tht» U'ii'-Ic! in of this part oi the wonJ! CAPiTA!.ISTIC CLASS SURPRISEO. 'Hio er^itaiistii , tinss of this Doin-n----inu lie.er for ■-. moment inv\;j:itied tlia+ Di-ro IV 1 :: suiliciont solidarity th,'. \v,.ri:er,3 fn.- £-14,000 r £i 0.,000 xo he. ku').. .rib( J (or l/u nunooso of eondactii!;j- a strike. They .' 'iggcd the de-hi<-'oi\ Oiat you would have to cave : n loiif bcfoio tliis. Le'. fiern Img their iieluiioi'-i and let tho whole o , ' tlio <'f this Dominiou rejlise, and i";'liso in all its full signifieaTico, what the snrcesahil carrying on of a fij. at. llfce this inecHs to tin* cause of Labor ; :: thi3 country. Au.'.l I wonder how louj; it will le hnh;te flu-. ot the of tin's country re-.tlm what organisation in the induiir!:<l fit Id means, when the wiuite oi tiiv Wi>rlcei ■-, ny tne Do v >iiiiion aie or-i:ani.-r.d iir.iMbtrially / I .hope, ike i\we ii not fur distant when by virrue of or-^anii-?d indii.itry we stand tlie world si 3 •>. model ct wlrit a coiiutry (an bijC''>rne by the l-oyul cohesion of iti.'•■•.er mill's for wovkeis uuit-i' good. VViiat a yiorioiH place this eoiutrv i.an bt-toTtie lor her \vorker= when her work«.rs utilise their weight of numbers to inn t l country ia the interests <->■ the (\orl:or-\ ALARMED. To jc\ie«- the present position with to the strike. I may say that if U perfectly clear that the n.ino-ownei'f? have beeonie alnnned at the quiet, peaceful demeanor of you miners. They did not reclise tliat you would bo backed i\y> by eveiy ri;iht-thinki;v«» worker in the community in your defence of your rixht to preserve your industrial organisation from the machinations of the niine-own-?r class. And they have now engineered n plan whereby they think that they will discredit you in the eyes of those who are supporting you and helping you to win in your battle ayainsl determined opposition to your industrial organisation. They have made a paltry show of introducing.!; free labor. They bare stacked the place with police, thinking your distaste for those who call theiuthat you would be foolish, enough to assault these fre* s laborers, and so bring yourselves into discredit with those who are in sympathy with you and who art? supporting you. FREE LABOR. But you are not j;oiug to fall into Ihe t'au. You have peaeetullv •-.hewn \\;Lit <li*t:iiie for those who call them Sclvv'-i "five laborers." and haV' , to some ..'vtc-iit plated yoiirselwu unwittingly within the pale of an evc-r-feiastic law, a law wbioh is clastic when it suits the capitaiisiie class., but which proves woefully inela.-tie wiien it pertains to t!k j worker clavj.

Your course ol action is now very ekar. You can -.till beat tuts muehhiatiwii.-: of th- vai'iuui-tie ciaj-j by calmly

If that be []\c pi*f.—and it is the ase— tho swikt , L o*o <v■■;,,• vvoajxm .it hand to enforce, living v jvking conditions, to protect the industrial conditions by which the solo ;■vailablo weapon, the strike, and tho . ight to strike, can be maintained. FEDERATION'S VOTING STRENGTH. Sown wovV-o *. 1 know, arc again:: tho strike. So are you. So tire wo all. Wo look forwanl to the time- when we shall have the jnwer to govern for all, in justice to .iH. Lot mo point out this too, thai- notwithstanding anyliing the Uui o-\ Labor Fnrty peolo may say to the contrary, that party will never siccoiinlish anything without the voting strej.ri.']; of the Federation cf Labor v.nits. On a moderate estimate, : n rela +; ves -nd friends of the Federation of Labor movement the Lotal voting strength i>3 ii:.t short of (.10,000. Does :iot every Tint id Labor Party man, every unionist o.' every kind, realise and ■mow tiiat we si , nil require every sir.._:;le worker vote, in this country to get the necessary work, r majority in Parliament in ordt.:- to convert that Parliament into a people's Parliament* —a Parliaxne?it run by t)w people for the people v Of Cv,-jrse.. be knowi this. Workers all. k* n t> take the opportunity of irap.i'ssii;; upon you the fact that it' will need absolute umnimity in. worker ranks 1-j. <"• liable* u« to foim a worker national admiiiistrative body out of our Parliamentary svsteni.

Workers! One has only to glance at the Inst election returns to show how the country votes, with the iniquitous country quota cf 29 per tout, added, must preponderate over the workers' votes unless every r-iiigle voter is unanimous in his to make Parliament a nati'mal administrative assembly. "Willi ->ub the Federation of Labor vote, nL the organisation of ths United Labor or that of any other unionist body will count for naught. Let 'in all aSwit and realise that the United Labor Party is doing good work in connection with organising on the irsdiictrial field by bringing union units inti line in cohesion. Lot mc ask all worker?, here tmd now, to realise that absolute cohesion of worker units is absolutely necessary for success in our fig!it for better and more civilised conditions of labor for those who bear the heat and burden of the day. THE WAY TO WIN. Workers! The way to succeed, is to be loyal in the battle. One battle won means the saving of many fights. The. capitalistic class will oease to fight just as aoon as they realise that the injury to one worker is injury to all workers. The real general strike which will strike terror into the capitalist breast is the strike of all Torker- agaiust capitalistic oppression by localising the real strike and by subscribing monetary assistance for tiom actually conducting the strike battle.

Workers! Uct into line and pay in your mite to < < j )p the Waihi miners in their fight for '1 c general worker cause of this Domir :<i i. Quit you like men and refuse to take up the tools of your fellow-workers thrown down to protest against tttpftalistic machination. Be unanimous in your determination to combat capitalistic scheming, and the fight U. yours. To-day the Wnihi miners are fighting for the c<iu.v<> of Industrial Unionism in .this country. To-dny the miners of Waihi are fighting the future cause for YOU. To the Wai hi miners I beg to convoy my greetings., my congratulations on the splendid fight you are putting up, and my sincere wisii that your fellowworkers of the Dominion will be at one with you in their determination to beat the capitalistic class in their attempt to undermine your Industrial Unionism. —Yours faithfully,

u.norii'v'; the "tru. laborers." , The peot.ili'- who are ■•>.< l-jyally supporting you i.aii help V:jK Lo dt:eat fh-i niin- 1 -o\vner;; fi> eah'il\ i'linc in-.', tiu-m thar" 1 hey aic

determined n> ;.;:o oti supporting you. just as kiiis. , ; l'.s ycAi reumin out oi ! cmployrneiit. Suppc.-.'e tiny to j?et even three or four hundred "'free Li bo i , * iV —wiiu.ii i:. us many as thvy are likely to irei. at the wry outside—

what will i.iv four hundred mean in a place like Wuiliir , Why, iv means that this small body of men will only be seiaiching the surface of the requirements of the. mine-owners in Waihi. Wait and waixh. Your opportunity will came. Presently tin? mine-owners will, get liicd of paying the extra, bonus <ii 2s. jx'f day. As time goes on you can meet these men and paint out to them that Kiev will never consent to work uuder ill..- conditions which the mine-owners will lay upon liiein once solidarity is broken down. When the mine-owners start out to put the screw on the "free laborers." as they certainly will put the jcrow on at the first opportunity, those ''free laborers" will see the necessity of industrial organisation. What will the '"free laborers" have to train by staying "free: , " "Will they realise that they could and would be doing a, lot better by working in with you ds really free union men r . Certainly they will realise that fact, and they will be glad of your strength of numbers to get decent working conditions for them. CO CALMLY ON. Your strong tactical point now is to ■■simply go cal;nly on. A general strike is not necessary, it would be a mistake at this juncture. Your quiet arid determined attitude is winning many friends u> you. Your quiet and determined attitude- is winning your fight all along the line. Calm, dogged determination is the winning card to play, and I realise that it is the card you are going to play. What a glorious victory for the cause of Lulfur it will be for you ta go vn —gradually withdrawing from Waihi and getting work elsewhere. A7id to go un gradually withdrawing from Waihi until you leave her high and dry and derelict —tabooed throughout Australasia by every union miner. No union miner worthy the name will ever work in the Waihi mines again until the object for which yon struck is gained. And :r the )iiiiif-o\v))t'!-s continue to holdout in the hope that they will tire you—all yon have to Jo i* to lei the gradual prore'-) of withdrawal go on until you have M't thuse mine-owners with their ungottev, !. v o!:l, with their machines rusting, with .hem losing their interest on their capital sunk in the mines day after day : left Wa.ai a le.ssoi.' to the capitalistic cUs j . fer all time on the sol idam.y of worker units in a just cause. PARLIAfrfENT V. STRIKE. As k is my intention to forward a copy of this letter to all those unions who are supporting you. and to all those workers wbo hare allied v/ith the Labor T^-i--.... .■.'■},,.. wi v -- c:gp::i:cd I'ibz:, I. take the opportunity tc point out that there is no hopf ■. ; ' political a'.*ion accoapliibitig anri'hitig at all until such time a? all workers are in line in or- : ganijijig en ihe industrial field. ■ Not until c-.1l workers are m line in i or.o-.anioi.nrf oj' the industrial field will 1 the v:orktrs of this Dominion be nble i.j lip.ye v- maiority control of Parliament. Xot until i'he workers Imve n majority : coi-.i:rol "f Pa'-liiiiroiit will the workers ci ih.-< counu-v b-. , able to make lnws fothe v.ui'..■'.!-■■. Until that happy time i cl.llg ■ v. Ijiii workers arc in os.e common \ r.iii oi ind"it'-ia! unionism, nothing can be gained :.v political action.

JOHN PAYNE