THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 1911. PREFERENCE TO UNIONISTS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10488, 27 November 1911, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 1911. PREFERENCE TO UNIONISTS.

It is. unfortunate that Mr G. It. Sykes-, one of /the Opposition can lidates- for tihe Masterton seat, -f-hwld persist in expressing himself in favour of preference to unionises. In answer ito a question at Ekotaluuia toe- Friday evening, he is reported to have said: "If two men, one a unionist andVth© other a non-unionist, and botih of eqoial merit, were applicants for a position, the maai> in the union should have (the preference, as Jm: contribuiting to the union entitled him to it." If-this'is Mr Sykes' explanation of Ithe extraordinary attitude he has (taken- up on ttfie question' of preference to unionists, he is going tflie (right way to work to alienate the (sympathy of a number of settlers and other employers in the electorate. Let /us analyse the explanation, as given- at Eketahauno.. If two men are of equal (merit, one a unionist and the other a non-unionist, ihe man in- the unrion should have the preference. How does' 'Mr Sykes (propose to apply the test of merit? Supposing there were a farm labourers' union—and apparently the candidate favours unions in every branch of iministry—and he required a man: to do harvesting work. Two. anero presented themselves-, one a- unionist and the other a nonunionist, liow would it be possible for Mr iSyke-s .to select thei better man of the two without' giving them both a trial? Assuming, however, for the purposes of argument, that he regarded the two as of equal merit, he would be bound Iby his own- contention to give the job to tihe man who was a unionist, "as his contributing to tlife union entitled him to it." it

would not (matter how exacting <;r oppressive had Ibeen itlie demands of the union im regard to jiours of labour, rates of pa(y, or terms of employment, the unionist must have the preference I If iiliis does mot mean coercion, wliat does? If Mr Sykes were to liave lids way, every man woutld be coerced into unionism, or he would not 'have a chance of employment unless he could demonstrate, in some mysterious manner, that ihe W'ais a more competent workman (thau the Unionist. If Mr fcykes favours preference to unionists in any sJiape or form, he favours the (imposition of a restriction upon trade, the creation of combinations of trusts, and tho eldaninaition of freedom of selection as between employer and employed, ■.lit need hardily be said that such a preference is inimical to tlie interests of every '"branch, of industry, and ; s being vigorously /resisted by aQI sections of the community other ' than those wliieh desire to create a coercive combination in labour. How Mr Sykes, pretending as he does a respect for the platform of the Reform Party, can advocate so transparently dangerous a thing as preference to unionists—a it'hing wUiich even the liaite MV .Seddon repudiated—/his best friends «>re utterly at a. loss to know. If Mi- Sykes' strangle ideas were carried to their natuu-a* conclusion, there would be irings and 1 combines in every direction. And farmers would be compelled tto jpuircha.se- tlieir goods (provided they were of equal quality) from ai meimiber of a combination, or union), no matter how oppressive that comibdmationi or ruinion misfiht be. Small a position wouM at once be /intolerable. Whan-,Mr Sykes' first statement, in (regard (to preference to unionists was made, ibis friends hoped that he had been misrepresented in .some way. His silence in the matter, however, after he Iliad (been (appealed to far an explanation, created feedings of appreJienisdon, and now that he Ihais made a declaration in the mattea 1 , the position (becomes more involved. A young politician, in hi« madden effort to enter Parliament, has a right to exipect latitude and forbearance ifirom ibotli friends and opponents. ; but the cannot reasonably | exipect people to surrender the greatest of tlieir political principles from considerations of eiitihier .sympathy or,ifriends3iip. Mr Sykes' political views are, generally speaking, in keeping wiirtih those of ia large section of the eomimunity; and it, is doubly unfortuna'te, therefore, that be should render his position pregnable | on ivlhiat cannot be regarded as other i tQuan a momentous issue.