REAPING THE STORM.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 136, 15 July 1914, Page 6

REAPING THE STORM.

PLAINT OF FEDERATION OF LABOUR.

WHO SOWED THE WHIRLWIND? From a Special Correspondent. WELLINGTON, July 14. ''Your executive is prepared to take \ipon itself full responsibility for all that it may have done, but would point out that the struggle was precipitated by a section of the workers eager for a fight on the one hand and the combined employing class equally eager and deliberately courting a conflict on the other ; in between were the great mass of our members, the executive included, who were caught in the whirlwind thus sown, and being there reaped the storm.''

It sounds like a funeral dirge, "this message of the Federation of Labour to conference assembled. What the executive has omitted from the story is that when they found themselves in the whirlwind they endeavoured to drag the whole working population into the vortex with them. The whole report is evidence of the fact that they endeavoured to build a beautiful motor car with which to carry the workers into the Ely si an fields. But they forgot to provide the machine with steering "gear and brakes. "About five weeks or thereabouts,'' moans the report, "after the congress rose, a strike took place at Blackball for the abolition of the 'dog watch.' Prior to the strike taking place a wire was dispatched from the head office urging the union to refrain from taking any, such action. This advice was not acted upon. A few days later the Warkwortli Union downed tools. This matter was patched up through the instrumentality of the president. Next the Denuiston miners ceased work. The next step was taken by the Stockton miners, who came out owing to a dispute with regard to travelling time. We would point out that in every instance, with the exception of Denniston, these strikes were flagrantly in opposition to the federation constitution.'' IBRESPONSIBLE OUTBURSTS.

By this time the executive began to realise that the machine was travelling too fast for comfort, and the members endeavoured to stay the pace by poking their walking-c-anes in the wheels. '' Your executive,'' the report assures the conference, "could see that unless something was done to prevent, if possible, these irresponsible outbursts, chaos was inevitable." In the early part of October a circular was forwarded to affiliated unions telling them not to go