TRADES UNIONS AND SOCIALISTS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10128, 26 October 1910, Page 4

TRADES UNIONS AND SOCIALISTS.

The Trades Union of Great Britain are being dominated, to a large extent, by the Socialists of that country, and the position is becoming acute. Mr W. V. Osborne, writing to the London Times on this development in connection with Labour, says:—"The Socialists, having jockeyed themselves into the majority of official positions in the unions, by methods which it is not necessary to ■ go into here, now declare that no trade union member has any legal claim to either continuity of membership or security of benefits. They will therefore be able to deprive their opponents of the benefits of their property as represented by years of contribution ; but although they make no profession of regard for private property, and confiscation is the word they swear by, yet they will not be likely to use this /owcr to any great extent for fear of provoking a revolt; but the knowledge that such power exists will I •>• sufficient to coerce those who might otherwise oppose their policy of using industrial and provident funds for purposes of party politics. Not only is it a serious cpuestion when some two and a half million members have paid into these unions in good faith, believing them to be legal organizations, only to find they have no security for their benefits, but far more so when many millions of pounds' worth of property lay outside the protection of the law, such a position is likely to inspire anything but respect for private property. Hitherto the unsatisfactory position has produced no bad effect, as trade unions were a common brotherhood, existing for a common cause, and party feeling did not enter; but now the Socialist has carried bitter party strife into those bodies the -position has become not only a moral wrong, but a constitutional danger. And yet it is under these conditions that the Socialist Labour Party seek to obtain power from Parliament to enable them to use trade union funds for party politics, whilst expelling their political opponents. Trade unions must be made legal organizations, and thus give to their members the same security for benefits as is at present enjoyed by the friendly societies."