*THE
WORKER*
Brisbane,
March 2, 1895.
The
“Worker” Enlargement.
AN APPEAL
To
unionists and Labour Friends.
The
growing desire, particularly amongst members of the bush unions, in
favour of enlarging the WORKER and thereby extending the sphere of
its undoubted influence, has so often manifested itself that at the
last annual meetings of the A.W.U. (Hughenden, Charleville, and
Longreach) the trustees submitted proposals with a view of meeting
the repeatedly expressed wishes. These proposals were readily
accepted by the branches, and the A.W.U. annual conference authorised
the trustees to appeal to their members for voluntary subscriptions
to give effect thereto. Steps will be taken to acquaint other
districts and branches of the Federation of the nature of these
proposals with a view of eliciting their co-operation.
After
a very careful calculation, the trustees find that to in some way
approach the ideal of a very large section of WORKER co-operators an
additional £1000
at least will be required to pay for increased machinery, paper,
compositions, &c. If everybody who reads and takes an interest in
the paper will give something there will be very little difficulty in
raising this amount, whilst to the Board of Trustees the money so
contributed will be a power for good which it is impossible to
estimate.
In
making this appeal the Trustees may be pardoned for again calling
attention to the steady and continued enlargement of the paper since
its establishment. As you will recollect, the WORKER first made its
appearance in 1890 as a monthly in magazine form. By degrees it was
enlarged and improved. To enable the trustees to carry on the present
improved issue, the subsidy was unhesitatingly increased from 1s. to
3s. per annum. The difficulties attendant upon the production of a
Labour journal more especially were added to by the passage through
Parliament of the new Postal Act, by which the unanticipated
expenditure was was increased £200
per annum. On the top of this difficulty came the unprecedented
depression, which deprived many members of affiliated unions from
carrying out their obligations besides forcing many others to seek
employment outside Queensland. Yet in spite of these apparently
insuperable difficulties, to which many old and new ventures have had
to succumb, the WORKER has lived and grown, and is still supplied to
members post free for something less than 1d. per member per week –
really less than when it was first issued. Even now members of
co-operating unions are receiving better value for their money than
that given in the average penny, threepenny, and even sixpenny
weeklies turned out by private persons or companies, and in the
control of which they have neither my nor interest.
From
the numerous letters and promises of support which continually flow
into the WORKER office urging the enlargement, the trustees have good
reasons for believing that this request to assist in further
improving your own paper will meet with a ready and liberal response.
The members of unions, friends and sympathisers of the Labour
movement generally are therefore approached with every confidence for
voluntary subscriptions, sufficient to enable them to issue a
decent-sized paper in an attractive form which will not only champion
the cause of Labour, but which will provide its readers with every
variety of information which has now to be sought for in the papers
of the enemy.
No
limit is placed on the amount to be given. That is left to the giver.
Let every one give what he honestly can. All subscriptions, whether
they be large or small, will be gratefully received.
Books
of subscription Tickets will be supplied, on application, by the
secretaries of the Charleville, Hughenden and Longreach branches of
the A.W.U. The General Secretary of the A.L.F. Will supply books of
tickets to other districts of the Federation, or to anyone wishing to
assist in the collection of funds. Subscriptions can also be sent to
the under signed by those friends who may be out of reach of union or
other collectors.
For
the Trustees,
ALBERT
HINCHCLIFFE,
General
Secretary A.L.F.
Trades
Hall, Brisbane.
February
26, 1895.
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