Shearers and "The Maoriland Worker"

Maoriland Worker, Volume 3, Issue 90, 6 December 1912, Page 8

Shearers and "The Maoriland Worker"

Statement by Mr. Laracy CLEARENC UP MISUNDERSTANDINGS. We have been asked to puDlisn the following secretarial letter: — As there seems to be some misunderstanding regarding our connection with the Federation of Labor, in justice to both organisations we wish to place the following facts before our members: It will be remembered that we decided to establish a Labor paper in this Dominion, realising that the only hope of drawing the Labor forces together was by owning and controlling some such means of communication between the various sections. The Maortland Worker was successfully launched and promised to fulfil all requirements. In the meantime, the Federation of Labor had also decided to venture into the newspaper business. The Shearers' Association, knowing full well that there was no hope of two Labor papers being able to hold their own at the present juncture, decided to negotiate with the Federation with, a view of having a united paper. It was then discovered that there were all sorts of difficulties in the way of carrying this idea out, both legal and otherwise, so at a conference held in Christchurch between representatives of the shearers and the Federation, the following resolution was carried: — "That this conference agrees to do all in its power to induce the Shearers' Association to join the N«w Zealand Federation of Labor by means of a ballot, provided the New Zealand Federation of Labor will support The Maortland Worker for such time, say till the end of February, 1911, as is considered necessary to ensure the members of the Shearers' Association having a knowledge of the constitution of the New Zealand Federation of Labor, and the taking of a ballot of the members of the Shearers' Association; and that in the meantime the delegates here assembled undertake to do all in their power to bring about the amalgamation, and The Maort'land Worker is pledged to support- and advocate the constitution of the New Zealand Federation of Labor and the amalgamation aforesaid." Ballot papers were issued containing ; the above resolution and also the follow- ' ing question: — Are you in favor of joining the New Zealand Federation of Labor? Put a cross in square opposite the line you wish to vote for — YES. ! NO.

I The ballot was returned on January 31, 1911, and resulted in 1248 voting in J favor of joining the Federation and 242 ; voting against it. i We then joined the Federation, and IThe MAOPjr-AND Worker became the ' property of the whole or the organisation. It will be remembered that the Shearers' Association had just finished a long and costly rase before the Arbitrai tion Court and also that the ballot to increase the price of the annual ticket I had been turned down; therefore, it

will be clearly understood why we had nd funds to pass over to the Federation with the goodwill of The Worker. If we had been able to raise £2000, then the management of the paper would have remained in the hands of an equal number from each organisation, forming a Board of Control. Having no funds at our command, we were forced to unreservedly put the whole of the responsibility into the hands of the Federation of Labor.

This resulted in the appointment of a new staff on the paper and in our only having a voice in the management according to our numerical strength and the amount of capitation fees paid to the Federation. The miners, by levies, have put considerable money into the venture, and many hundreds of them to-day are paying three half-pence for their copy, to keep the paper going.

If each and every shearer would only stand by The Worker as loyally as do the miners then there would be no reason why we should not only own a weekly, but also a daily paper.

It may be that some object to some of the matter appearing in The Worker. Some will say too much Socialism ; some too much or too little religion; forgetting all the time that they support a daily paper owned by our enemies in which appears very much more that we object to, and yet we continue that support. The Worker can be made just what the workers want a paper to be—not by fault-find-ing, but by getting right in and taking an interest in the concern and by assisting the management with advice and help.

M. LARACY. Sec. N.Z. Shearers' Association