TRANSPORT WORKERS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 54, 25 August 1911, Page 7

TRANSPORT WORKERS.

| the p6wE}i|'.pHi^ : THE throne. I S An intexesting statement regarding the industrial (Upheaval, i*' England was made in WeUimjtouby;Mi'r.D- McLaren, M.P., organising jsecretary of the New ZepVind r l'4 e Workers' Federation. 'ftr.sa.jdf Tvpjg stupendous nature of this ; co/ifliflt bekwpen,v«apitaland labor, and tlje. j\)i>clv.it-might have gone ' may .))8. moye fully realised if one grasps ''the. there is an organ'isa&pjj.nn^efiiistjMjce,,called the International ..Transport Workers' Federation, a-half mil--lipw. (..Tj,lie.;Bo[\iiic-il-of - !this federation is [lociii;e(i,iii,Jl»in,b).u'g M !andjthe titles of the ■:affiliated..unif)ns are written in so many different languages that it is impossible ■foj;,,ine l( t.p o jjiv ( e; them. to say tlyj,t.iihe practically covers ,tliie ( .,wholfl-|civilis,e(li.>yorld, as it includes unions. iji..England; Scotland, Ireland, Belgium, Holland, Ame'.Ticii,...iS\\|fx\fnj.... JjTrqrwjw , and Denmark. .is.,als.o in constant com,mnnicatio]itnyiithrtke, 'transport workers .ill' ot,]iey r c.oiiptivir'9,. including Australia 'and.-ourselvep here in New Zealand."

; Mr. McLaren-said the Federation comprised railway:,men, transport laborers, tramway .incnj,|dockers, seamen, inland sailors; a,n,d.vaJ;tsmen, carters, engineers, fireman ;snd,,:othe.rs. He received every fortnight,a, typewritten report from the head -office,Kit.Hamburg, a correspondmonth; and a report on the work,,of ,k\\ 'branches and the policy of the.. l?cdewi)tioj},.every month. Mr*. McLaren went on to say that this groat international'organisation had been behind t)iei big (strike in the Old Oonntrv. Its ..policy ;>vani not one of war for the sake -.of/jwarnprlt.jdid not rush into conflict without very serious consideration, because its -leaders felt their tremendous responsibility. The Federation's power had been brought to bear in many lands towards securing through legislative and administrative reforms better conditions fori workers. At the annual.'.Conference, of the Federation the desire for legislative reforms was emphasised, and 'constitutional methods were insisted on. There was nothing anarchistic about it. From communications he had received Mr. Mc La roil had formed the opinion that the workers would gain much from tie present • struggle, and that it was not likely to develop into a general European industrial war. The strikes in England were simultaneous with strikes in Germany, and nil were under the guidance of the same international organisation.