“Good Old Tiger!”

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 489, 19 October 1928, Page 9

“Good Old Tiger!”

SEAMEN CHEER WILSON Leader’s Fighting Speech (United P.A.—By Telegraph — Copyright) (Australian and N.Z. Press Association J (United Service) Received 11 a.m. LONDON, Thursday. GOOD OLD TIGER" was the delegates’ greeting to Mr. Havelock Wilson, on his taking the chair at the annual meeting of the National Union of Seamen.

In his presidential address, Mr. Wilson said the union in the past year had been threatened with all kinds of pains and penalties. Nevertheless, it was still much alive, and had committed no crime, but had pursued an Intelligent, common-sense policy. They had discovered from experience that politics was a dirty game. They had quitted a year ago, this resulting in the union’s income being increased by £I,OOO weekly. The decision had not been detrimental to the union. What right had they, when either by persuasion or force they induced a man to join a trade union, to dictate to hyn what should be the colour of his politics? PLOTS AND SCHEMES There had been plots and schemes to disrupt the Seamen’s Union. Referring to its expulsion from the Trades Union Congress, Mr. Wilson said the instigators were Communists, and a Minority Movement man saying he could not get justice from the Seamen’s Union was a liar. There was no tyranny in the uniorv He declared that no Inquiry had been held by the Trades Union Congress into the circumstances of disaffiliation of the Seamen’s Union. The Trades nion Congress had said: “We are going to clean up the Labour movement," but It had made a bigger

mess than ever. It had elected Communists right and left to fill high positions. It was the Seamen’s Union which should have been credited with purging the Labour movement of blacklegs and scallywags. “WE ARE NOT AFRAID’’ “We are not afraid of the Communists or anyone else,” he said. "Now comes the mighty Napoleon, Ernest Bevin, who says he is going to put the seamen right, get rid of all corruption, and wipe out this union in a few weeks. The shipowners once had the same idea, but after spending thousands they concluded that it was waste and extravagance to fight us, and that common sense and goodwill on both sides was the best policy. “There has never been more unity and determination among the seamen than now. If we are forced to fight, let us give them all they want.” Numerous resolutions on the agenda view with alarm Mr. Wilson’s proposed retirement from the presidency. Many delegates expressed the opinion that such a course would be suicidal at this juncture. It was essential that he should remain on the bridge, and preserve a continuity of policy, and direct operations. Mr. Wilson said he would seriously consider their desire that he should remain in office. A resolution was carried unanimously declining to accept his resignation.