AN UNWARRANTED STRIKE.

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14659, 7 May 1913, Page 8

AN UNWARRANTED STRIKE.

Tho slaughtermen who have gone on strike at Sniithfield cannot hopo to do any good for themselves or for tho cause of Labour. If the strike continues, we may expect to hear that it is the duty of all tho workers to make common causo in the defence of a threatened "Labour" principle. We trust that in such a case it may occur to somebody to introduco the innovation' of explaining what principle is involved aad how

it is touched by tho refusal of the company to dismiss a man for an offence , which, if ho committed it. is a subject for investigation in a Police Court. Ono cannot believe that tho real cause of tho strike is the refusal of the strikers to work with a man whom they allege to be '-dangerous." To begin with, thero is no evidence that this man replied to the insults of the two other slaughtermen by drawing anything more dangerous than a pipe; nor have those two"men token any steps to justify their charge. In any event the company could not bo expected to dismiss the man. If, as they aver, the butchers havo struck solely on tho ground alleged, they aro foolish aud unreasonable; but it is much moro likely that tho trouble is an after-effect of the strike in the summer. Their non-success on that occasion does not appear to havo taught the slaughtermen that they cannot with any profit to themselves attempt to "hold up" tho important industry in which they aro engaged. There, is not much likelihood, apparently, that this unwarranted strike will spread widely or havo any serious results. Tho Federation of Labour has an emissary at the scene of tho trouble, and no doubt if the conditions appear i favourable for it, tho Federation will seek to widen the area of disturbance But if tho disturbers of .industrial peace I havo not learned much from tho events j of tbo past year or two, tho public has learned a great deal. Any serious attempt to prevent tho loading of meat at tho southern port will naturally bo met by the provision of free labour. The Federation's supporters do not by any means control tho business of loading and unloading of steamers. Tho action of tho watersido workers in refusing to load -the Zealandic need not prevent that vessel from getting away with her cargo of meat. It will only servo to harden up public opinion against those workers who are ready to inflict inconvenience and loss on tho public on tho most trifling excuse.