KNIGHTS OF LABOR.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3566, 21 July 1890, Page 2

KNIGHTS OF LABOR.

A publio meeting was held in tlio ' Temperance Hall on Saturday everiiug last for the purpose of forming an ' assembly of tho Knights of Labor. Although the woatber was very urn favorable, about forty persons put in an appearance. Owing to tho train from Wellington having been delayed the organising ofllcer, Mr Jfaokay, ,did not. arrive till 8.45, and the meeting, therefore, did not commence till very late. After several unsuccessful efforts : had been made to seouro a chairman, Mr fl. Marsh consented to preside, and m a few, .words introduced- Mr - Mackay, from .whom, lie said, they;:' might expect to hear further" uetails of the objects of. tlie organisation.

Mi' Macltay, who was received with applause, apologised for not having arnvefl at an earlier hour. -As the hour was late he would not say much, but would read the declaration of . principles, (Tlio declaration was hero road.) Ho then proceeded to give the history of the movement rora its origin, and stated that it ' had now been established in all the countries on the Continent, England, Ireland and Scotland. Iu Glasgow, some little time since, they woro enrolling members at the rate of T 1000 per month. The glass trads 111 Belgium, tlie greatest industry of the country, was controlled by the Knights, and he was pleased to say that 111 Australia and- New Zealand they had now opened. In this colony assemblies had been formed iu Auckland, Wellington, and Palmerston, anu they hoped soon to have assemblies in every town of the laud. ' The order of which he had the honor to bo a member united all unions, and embraced all seolions of the working olass. When the order was first started 111 America its members were scorned and looked down upon, but he was glad to say such was not now the case; The' Order was now permitted to approach the Senate on labor questions ana mediate between _ man and master, increasing in the confidence of employers as well as of employees. When the Western railroad strike was at its height, the President of tho United States sent for the Master of Workmen of the Order and requested him to use his influence in getting the men to resume work. The men wore, as a result, induced to go 1 to work, but not before great conoos» sions were mado. Strikes, however, wore greatly against their principles. What they wanted was the appointment by the State of Boards of 1 Arbitration, He might say, how- : ever, that the members of the Order • were not children, they had money 1 at their command, and would use it where considered necessary in sup--1 porting those on strike. Tho organ* . isation was not a local one, but _ embraced trades unions throughout ■ the world, Tlioy wero a universal brotherhood, and by this mewis had ' already been enabled to keep ten , | thousand men out on strike for sis ' months at a stretch. One of tho 1 features of the order was its advocat- ' ing a system of co-operation. They 1 also had in vogue a profit and sharo j systom,; by which masters, if they had a successful year, offered tlioir men 2J per cent of their' profits. They had been endeavouring to ' introduce co-operation into Australia, ' and their Bro Light had met with b considerable success in this direction. • He. would not enter into the pros. 1 and cons of the society, as doubtless 1 tlioy were all aware they wore ! secret. Success had followed tho | organisation wherever it had boon ■ established, and he had no doubt it • would follow it hero. Their great [ aim was to bind together the working ' classes, and lie thought tho glorious ' state of things advocated in Bellamy's ' " Looking Backward - ' was being 1 approached through their efforts. He J would liko to. go back to Wollingtou 1 with good news from Masterton, a 1 town in which he had spent a good 1 mauy months of his life. He was an enthusiast in tho Order, and he loved it because it was noble. - The i ordor, he maintained, was one of 1 education, and .immediately, a man entered their doors the work of education began. .Ha then referred to a great millionaire philanthropist, 1 whoso good deeds were lauded through tho press, whose money was distri--1 buted in acts of charity, but who had in his employ men who were in a sad state ot oppression, They had to fight capital desperately. Ho looked forward, however, to the time when capital and labour would go hand in 1 handand all differences would bo sunk. In conclusion he statod that he would 1 answer auy questions which might > be put to him,

Mr, D'Aroy would like to draw the attention of those present to a few facta. Since the proposal had been made to introduce au assomby of tho Knights of Labour in Masterton a decided opposition to such a courso had boen made by a certain local paper, which had departed a long way from the truth, Thoy had been described as Nihilists, and men who, at the beok and call of their leader, would even go as far as murder. He contended that no man need be led, and pointed out that the preamble stated that 110 man was compelled to vote' against the dictates of liis conscience. Another thing thoy had been taunted with was that they wore formed to raise the standard wage on all the stations round about. Be that as it may, by the influence of the order tliey would gain a fair knowledge of what a fair wage should be. Composed as they were of all olasses, thoy would (not like, the farriers had done, go to .extremes. It had been said they were organised to promote strikes, but the 'declaration proved that they were to endeavour to preyent-strikes, No better example of this could be found than the difficulty with the Tramway Company, and the Kauri Timber Company in Aucldaud, each of whioh had been amicably settled by the mediation of the Knights of Labour. He therefore characterised tbisimputation asuttely false, The examplos he had given he considered were a complete refutation of the charges made by the local paper. Mr Maokaj said that any man who linked this Order witli Nihilism was a " thorough aiid infamous liar." The man who - eatf - they . caw ki

• P r ° mo '° strikes,—well, bo would not use strong language, irat to WW far from the truth. Thoordor UttU m many ensos iutorvoned ■ ootween masters and employees. . When tlio masters woro too pig- ■ •. lieaded to submit to the demands of %. 'to men they wero compelled to 'Strike. Ho admitted that thoyhad ueeu engaged iu somoof tho biggest strikes of tho world, but these strikes could not bo avoided, and tliej had invariably eomo out best. Ho had 110 idea .that a newspaper in a town liko this would opposo tho move- ' went, Hn would say for their information that one of the Icadiii" liowspnpors in tho colony, the Lyltdlon Thus, bad supported them and urged that in a hnndred years time thoy would rulo tho world, _ Mr Marsh asked if anyone who joined the Society and afterwards did not fall in wit|7lh principles wore k, permitted to leitve. » Mr Mackay replied that they certainly were,' but as honorable men they would not bo expected to publish the secrets abroad. Mr Robins; May I ask what are the annual fees ? Mr Mackay replied thaUs tfas the fee for membership, and 3d per head • had to go to tho Grand Lodgo in Amorica, Wlion tho Order Was cnou s' l ' n New Zealand, H llowevor, they would endeavour to form a New Zealand Assembly, which would do away with the 3d remittance. Mr Robins asked if there were any other benefits to bo claimed from tho i Order, such as a sick fund or a fund to assist those on strike. _Mr Mackay said there wero no direct bonehts. Thoy had an insurance fund and also an alms-ownor who assisted thoso in distress. A member of the Knights .of Labour J was never allowed to go wrong. Mr D'Arcy considered tho move, ft ment would resemble the Masons in ' their secrecy anil benefits. I Mr Mackay pointed out that the Knights of Labour had trado " assemblies wheroany particular trade could form a Union of its own. Twenty members of tho Union ( could form a trade assembly. At this stago tho Chairman called on thoso who intended becoming 1 members to have their names 1 onrolled, and tho first meeting of the secret society then proceeded.