Organised Trade Unions
p. 75 · Read in the full issue
For Tahiti
Papeete, May 30.
ONE of the last places on earth to adopt the principle of Organised Labour, Tahiti is. now r , proceeding in this undertaking with thoroughness and despatch.
Each profession (machinists, steno graphers, school teachers, and so forth) has organised as a separate “syndicate.”
The stevedores, however, are marshalled under two rival leaders.
This has given rise to the occasional manifestation of “jurisdictional” disputes The Movement is still too much in the early stage for any authoritative report to be written regarding its procedure and objectives.
There were no May Day parades by the new Labour Unions at Papette, nor do we believe there ever will be.
Our Tahitians have too accurate a sens? of the fitness of things.
To be sure, they like military pomp, and quite likely they would enjoy an Ancient Order of Hibernians’ parade, or the tinsel splendour of a Mystic Shrine Imperial Potentate’s Processional. But the spectacle of a mob of civilians bear ing bed-sheet banners scrawled. “Down with So-and-So” is about as inspiring as viewing a muddy stream carrying on its current a succession of dead cats and old newspapers.
Our Tahitians would have none of that.
One can merely record the fact that the Movement is taking root in the Colony. I am informed that—at the time of this writing—twenty-six (26) “Syndicates” .have been registered.
Mr. J. Gaffney, who is remembered in Apia as the builder of the fine, local busi ness premises and copra shed of Burns’
Philp SS Co., recently arrived in Ania 10 take charge of the new building pro jects of the rival firm of Morris Hed strom Ltd. A new MH store will be constructed cn the Main Beach Road op posite the Customs House, and is not ex pected to be completed for eighteen months.