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LABOR IN NEW ZEALAND
PROGRESS OF TH E MOVEMENT.
MR. T. A. EAGLE INTERVIEWED.
A
well Known
New
Zealand Laborite,
Mr. T. A. Eagle, a son
of
the late Mr. William Eagle, one of
the oldest residents of the Huon,
accompanied by his wife, is at present
spending a holiday
with his sister,
Mrs. T. E. Bays, of Battery
Point.
This is Mr. Eagle's first visit to Tasmania
since
he
left
here 30
years
ago
owing
to
a
trade
depression,
to
go
to
New
Zealand,
which at that time was experiencing
a period of prosperity
under
the Ballance
administration.
Mr/
Eagle took
dairy farming in
the j
l'ahintua
district of the Wellington 1
province, but a few years later he
was burnt out by a disastrous Imsr.
fire and was compelled to follow hU
trade as carpenter in the city
of
Wellington,
where «ie
resided
ever since.
Sir., Eagle's association with Labor
begau at a very early ago. Thirty-five
years ago he helpect to form the first
Socialist party in Melbourne and in
Tasmania, and he was associated
with the Labor movement before he
left for New Zealand. In Wellington
he helped to form the Social .Democratic
Party, and is now* one of its
oldest, if not its oldest, member. Th»
Social Democratic Party has done
great' work for the 3»ew Zealand La
bor movement, especially in the dirsc
tron of supplying intelligent working
class propaganda. At the Jast municipal
elections 111 Wellington Mr.
Eagle stood for the Hospital and
Charitable Aid Board, and aWinngh
defeated, he polled over 5000 votes.
Speaking to a "World" reporter of
the movement in New Zealand, Mr.
Eagle said he felt opttmlstic regarding
the future. Though tire number of
Labor men returned to Parliament
was not large they (rere.all the so-,
dalled "extremists."' men who had !
suffered for their Labor views during !
the war. The small parliamentary representation,
however, was no criterion
of the strength of the movement.
A comparison of figures of the
3914 and tile 1919 Elections was in- j
fceresting, as showing the great strides
Labor had made in thai period. In
the 1914 elections only - 50,000 votes
were cast for LaT>or, but in 101ft "
128.400 votes Svere polled, an increase
of 76,400, or 150 per cent, ft should i
be remembered also mat these votes I
were east for men of ewierae Sooiaiis- ;
tic views, and whose names liad been '
"traduced by. the whole of the capitalist 1
press of the Dominion. On the oilier j
hand tlie Nationalists (Reform and ,
Liberal) polled 323,200 votes ut ^tbc
1919 general elections, a decrease
100,000 votes on the 1914 figures.
An alliance of Labor, Mr. Kaglo
said, liad recently been formed in
New Zealand. T.t wpk made tin of 1'ie
railwaymeiiR. shearers', miners', water,
siders', tramwaymen's, seamen's and
carters and. drivers* organisations,
and liad a membership of from 25.000
to SOJJOO workers. An advisoi-y bbard
had.%een appointed, on which the
unions in the alliance were represented
according ' $0 their numerical
strength. The object of the allinnce
was to take joint action for the purpose
of settling industrial dic-ui??. It
was really a council of action, and
although at present a pi? rely fiefen
• sive organisation, it might yet fonv
the nucleus of a ono big union. The
miners and watersiders were. of
coijrse. the most militant Infl'eB in
•the .alliance, but if w*<= n li.»:ililiv
sign to see snob unions the nilivaymen's-
identifving them : »!ves with
such fightin:r liodieB.
Mr. and Mrs Eagle wtH remain for
another week or ten dfl vs fn Hnbart.
and will then ret-irn to Now
Zealand.
$