The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 1903. LABOR DAY.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2322, 15 October 1908, Page 2

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 1903. LABOR DAY.

Our good friends who wore responsible for tho celebration of Labor Day have every reason to bo satisfied With the results of their efforts. The demonstration organised yesterday was hapjiily conceived and just as capably carried out, whilst the procession was of such magnitude and pretensions ns to i have reflected ertj-' ’difi upon .the residents of a much more populous Community. There arcV oiio'or two reflections which inevitably arise from theWery pleasant gathering which -took place in the Domain. Firstly; the aspect of the well-dressed crowd which thronged the sports ground yesterday, one and all bent on holiday-iuaki.ug, with apparently' liev'cF'-iv discordant thought to mar the_jhry’s enjoyment, and .tho sight of hundreds ...of laughing healthy, hright-eved children' romping over tho green sward, or engaging in one or other of tho games arranged for their entertainment, could not. fail to bring a thrill of pride to those who really appreciate -the. benefits enjoyed by the people of New Zealand. At such a time the picture drawn by socialistic advocates of tho working man as a being “toiling in the drums.of capitalistic slavery” and being ground down liko “The” linin' with the hoe —a , brother to the ox” could not appear otherwise than -it-'.ready, is, namely, ludicrous and unfounded. The fact of the matter is the working people of this Dominion carry on their labors under better conditions than those in any -other part of the world, and the fact cannot be too often nor tod strongly emphasised. ‘ AYo do not suggest that those conditions are ideal; far from it, but whilst Labor Unions are very properly legitimately striving to secure a larger share for the worker of the general production, it is well that they should mot in the meantime waste too much time and eloquence in self-commiseration, Another striking feature of yesterday’s demonstration was the. varied nature of tho participants. In seeking to celebrato the achievements ,of labor the local Unions had not by ' any means to rely upon their own personal efforts. Tho townspeople as a whole both recognised and assisted to the success of tho undertaking. A close 'holiday was observed for shops and offices,, employers facilitated the efforts of their employees in making a brave show in the procession ;jr.,.-mi-cipal and couuty institutions took part, with the Mayor of Gisborne leading the way, whilst such diverse elements as the Salvation Army, the No-lieense League, and the Licensed Victuallers’ Association helped t-o make up tho general display. In short, the attitudo of employ era und the public generally was most cordial and sympathetic, and (here was certainly no place yesterday' for tho Labor agitator and demagogue. And there should not be a vacancy at anytime for the class of individual whose sole missipn jn life is to stir up strife and class prejudice where none need exist. In legitimate effort on behalf of labor’s interests tho Unions will always command the - sympathy; of the public, and yesterday’s demonstration will havo served a useful purpose if it illustrates to local 'unionists that success in their aims can bo best achieved —not by boycotts and strikes and inflammatory speeches—but by reasonable consideration for the other interests of the community.