BEACTION AND REVOLUTION.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 154, 30 June 1913, Page 9

BEACTION AND REVOLUTION.

XHE PRESENT MENACE I>~ XEW ZEALAND.

bt davtd mclaeen.

Many people ar° of Uie opinion that reaction anl revolutionism are wid* | apart, but. as a matter of fact, the-i , j two phase* of human thought and action arp a- twin brother?. Together the sham Reformers and the im; Kcvolu- J tionists manage to prevent true democratic reforms on straight lines of progress- The men who dream of a irreat cataclysmic change are the best helpers that the Tory party h Their extreme proposils. expressed in violent. or nebulous, language, simply ha- the of loading many to throw in their lo: conservatism who would not otherwise do so. It would pay the MasEey party to subsidi-e the extreme Revolutionaries for the reason that the wildness oi njany of these people i- 01 much value to The Revolutionists are as much opposed to constitutional Labourism to any other policy of constitutional action. They have time for no policy hi;; that of overturning tlie whole of society. At this time, when a rPmodpHinfr of the whole of Labour's attitude towards the Ptate i- under consideration, it is lmperarive that the workers in uniting should be dearly in favour of on? common purpose and method, otherwise the unity that is <-reat«d cannot possibly sfcind. To tak , vp tbe opportunist cry that "It doc- not mattrr w'unt we affirm -o long a? we -iy ii together." is not tic principle that can long sustain a Labour party. ""To put the people oil to the mysterious date ■reiien a sudden miraci<? will change the of the world, or day by day. reform by reform, by a patient and stubborn effort to win t-tr;i by stpp all progress— tho«e ar" th" two meihods which we must choose between." Tlius did a great Frenchman detine the problem, and I tru-t that the July Conference will deride for "the step by step" policy.

THE TROUBLOUS TIME. This little country of New Zealand nas come through serious trials in the past. In tiie old days when the squatter>" power was supreme. I remember wime~sini: the results of that supremacy after it had been in operation for sonicyear-. The wa-gps system if.v abolished for many in the that there was neitb-er work nor warres to be had by thousands of wi!lin:r men. and the boats leaving for Australia were crowded by families leaving the country that w.is cursed hy t.ie incuh.-i- of squatcer domir.ation, rate- of interest, bad tmrie. snd wholesale ncempioyment. The menace of to-day is that New Zealand is once more driftins ba.-k under control ft rhe -ame colonial ari^tiu-racy—the squatter-, hi lid sharks, and linam-ial ring This i- the meaning .if tinland aggregation now takinz r>!ace. the jealousy of til*- Public Tru-t Depanment. the capture or our municipal institutions by the party n^o nt . ,-,■ those in power, the buying up of the Pre-s 0: the country by or.p p....y. tiie infu.-iou of one c:as? brand inf. ail circles so that all ■mil he induced to sxrrar by Mas-eri-m Reaction i= having it- and is hPin- kept at the ".viVket l,r the bad nlav ot rurned anarchists.

THi. PRESENT IXDrSTmL VTr am Men l 0 f aop in ew Zealand today with a tnoi-p serious danger to our eounrry than most people quite realise. or wili fire to admit. Th« present l'rFmlP- -,!v- we have spcurpd a condition .if industrial peacr. What f-ort <,{ ;*>;;, r- j- if; ( a ., w0

e»\ bnnestly that it U peace re*tin;r upon | tun snro foundation of n <re!ien»] ;rr>odwili amon;.t the people and mutual confidence? We -hould know that it is rxther 3 = ;!ll<-n acquiescence than anything- else that is manifested. The country i= .i ser : "~ of armed cirapj. as f.T i- our industrial relations are rnnccmed. and the mo?t .ictivp ,i<ren-,i? bnrh of employer? a-nd wn-knr; are nu-y maintaining ppn-p by ri.-hinc on their preparation* for v.nr. The anti-militarist I federation!-;; nni>" =pp in industrial pp.up a rime of preparation for war. Th«*y believe in intermtion.il pea"c. but wih rejoice in the outbreak of interna] strife. I The Em-plover," Federation is busy crrit-j mc J si! I cbs- conecioiisness al! empioye-s a-.d sharpening it? wonpnn? of wa.Yi3.rr on the Irpi] irinristone of political trickery. The Arbitration Act i = u~c'.'. :i.it to rstablish or «:i----courajre. mneiliatinn. but t.T make and Tinmnke union* n= war ■■=a 11 ir = or rrifk.in a general gam? cf bluff. To such low now beinjr adapted by employers' apents and workeT? also, whilst the Minister of Labour =ay-. "Al! i? peaoe." Throuchout NW Zealanr 1 . rer-ouri-ls the call to arm? on behalf r,f e'a>= interests. If one reids the r"port-= of the Farmers" Union ther =fp tii" JandhoiderP eoneentratinj -heir power? on behalf of their c!n=?. The Fcleration take= up the same tale of ""our elnss abore everything." The trades unionists rejoice in doini battle for their cla.==. The industrial associations and ■'h.Tn'ber? of commerce in memr>er=hip confine tbera = elves to something I'kf -"ri t class line?. To cap all. the Federation ''»' i? propoupdinsr a = a new r?l ,- >iion "the w.ir of the e!a?sP!-"' n*i'i rt to Th" worker= to adopt the fiirh that only by romplet" ela-~ con-.Moi:snpss i-an salvat'on be secure 1. T.ik about the ••when none v.-rri-for .i [arty. i>u: all were for the Stat , .' That He:>l" of eolleetivist' democracy ;.-

•out of datp in Sew »nia-d. Wo have sol into •■:■• frame of mind lately to jrlorv in thp advent of thnt day 'when ai] anfor tltoir ila>.~ and none nrr for th-* S-u.tr." Whore this hallucination ofj syndicalism, that has taken hold of em-j plovers and .\urk*r« alike, will finally ; land oiT miin'rw the some portion of! our people had better fi~'.ire out as quirk-[ I r a≤ they o.m. CLASS-CO'XSCIOUS HATRED. "Thp employing class and the working] hay.' nothkig in cimmon," say the I I.W.W. preamble, and the cynic aids. "save ij'i'-Tam f fiTiiiided upon the insane beiief thai v pun is greater thun thc-| wlioie." The L-ult of syndicalism, with. ite vvijr.-hip of material advantages for: "o;ir •laa-.' , i= n ;rc-at menace that ronfrur.t.- .:-. because it expresses both the r irit ul liu'.'iue reaction and of wild-1 c■■..-! revolution. Tlwrse extremes moiilv meet at tke balioL-box. with a result disa.-.trous to the country. In the course of nry 1 have mcc two sets of fools' who otulu to be prevented from | handling industrial affairs. . There is the set who say -the employers and the; "workers have everything in common, and ought to live together in blif-sful har-; monv." and there i- the EPt ■who declare , that "'the pmployers and the workers' lave nothinc in common, and ought to , exist in a perpetual state of warfare.". Since the arrival of the Mas3ey Govern-: Baeai- the state of armed peace has be-.

come more and more accentnateL The ! battle of Waihi, with its armed revolt and armoured la=w, was not a finish, .bat simply a manifestation of the existing phenomena of class hatred and class warfare which Uγ. MasEey delightfully calls but has 'become more portentous from its "peace." The menace has not passed,, but has become more portent ions from its very reserve. ANOTHER '90 STRIKE LOOKED FOR. From a good many facts that have ciTnf hefore mc it would appear as if both employers an.l workers were 6poilinu* for a tiirh;. The formation of free 1 iiiniir uni'im- by employers, the overbearing iont" "! denying the rights of certain to combine at all. and the all-round attempt* to get, points ot : to Labour, its an incit-ement to trouble (in the other hand, there are I.W.W. men of the Federation of Labour conetantlv saying to their fellows, '"Get the strike habit,' , and asking them to down tools on the most trivial grounds. This all looks like preparing for another big upheaval.

The apitators of the Employers' Federation and those of the Labour Federation are both groups hard a-t work marshalling their respective forces for a coming struggle. Those who are not in the one body of combatants or the other may well ask ""Where does New Zealand come in." Zealand may have to pay a very heavy bill of coets as its part of "the programme. The extremists on both sides are reaching out for another 18.00 strike, only more general and lar-

ger. It is time the people with a due sense of responsibility came together the defencp of our country* against the evils of rop.ciion and revolution thai mutiu#ly lielp each other to onr rollcetive disadvantage as .1 people. All who remember the '{10 strike and the bitter depression thjr followed as the effect thereof, when industries were paralysed. unem;i!o>nii nt created, and trades unions destroyed. should prepare for action airainst tlie present menace. TV present menacp is a real one. and 'is one that cannot !«• abated by mere I application uf tho policeman's baton. which is the usual conservative method. Appeal.- to force, even of law. only incite reprisal- and create greater disorder The Masscr Government may luok npon it as a triumph of law and order to see the federationists driven out of Waihi. but if their docyines went -with them to be more widely disseminated then the Massey method was only a blunder. Only by destroying the illusions upon which the class bias, hatred, and trickery is standing can we properly deal with the great, menace to the peace, stability and pood order of our country which we see now existing. THE STUPID PARTY.

John Stuart Mill once aUlrd thr Conservatives "the stupid party/ and Conservative is just that. When this party has to ileal with a high-spirited, steed that i- troublesome, it knows no other way than to shoot, it. The ilassey party sliows its lineal descent from the old Tory party by it? stupidity in handling industrial matters ot dispute. The only »ay it can see is to lay ont the disputants who won't agree with its diitujn. It cannot -cc why the workers should not be satisfied, and if they are not =0 they will !«■ made satisfied by force. The law is to be used not as a means of conciliation, and bringing parties into agreement, but as a club to Isy them out if they won't accept. At th" present time we want a party in power of broader sympathies to really comprehend the ;iravc danpers of our indnstrial life. We require this party of true democracy and progress before the storm breaks that is now looming over the country. The present grave menace is that our country is riddled with class jealousies and feelings of distrust and hatred. Thoir own rlass is everything in the eves of so many and the State a mere afterthought, and meantime we J have but a purse-proud '"stupid party"' lin power that looks only to the buying up of luad. newspapers, and motor cars; the appointment of fre?h official? and the policeman.- baton to settle all things. Truly, the menace we have to face U a most serious one and requires the co-operation of nil true men and «t men wlio want to sep industrial peace ir.ain'aiDed and sound rational progress elTect-d in X;\v Zealand.