The Dominion. FRIDAY, JANUARY 31, 1908. EMBARRASSING AFTER-EFFECTS

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 109, 31 January 1908, Page 6

The Dominion. FRIDAY, JANUARY 31, 1908. EMBARRASSING AFTER-EFFECTS

Before filing away for reference the painful history of the Denniston coalmines trouble, ..it may be as well briefly to survey the principles to which the Government and its friends are committed through their clumsy defence of the ignominious treatment to which the Arbitration Act and the Arbitration Court have been subjected. As a further attempt has been made to cover up the chief points at issue, it is necessary to recount the vital facts upon which we found our indictment of the Government. By assisting a private member acting on behalf of certain Unionist wirepullers who desired to obtain by special legislation what the Arbitration Court could not see its way to provide in the award, the Government prepared the way for the critical position that has recently ended, and at the same time dealt a fatal blow at the Arbitration Court's freedom to fix the hours and wages of industry. We may note in passing that no attempt has been made to clear the Government from this charge, nor to reply to the important memorandum which the Court has been compelled to. frame in self-defence, and in defence of the principles of Justice committed to its charge. Following upon the special

legislation referred to, the Dennistoi workers committed a breach of tin Court's award, and continued to do si for weeks. The proper course to adop was to move at once against the offend ing miners, and, if. it were that they really were victims of ignorance, to inflict' nominal fines upon them. Instead, the Government, by its inaction, suspended the operation of the law, anrl permitted the dignity of the Court to be outraged day after day. Were ifc not that the Government, and its journalistic friends, less than a year ago, exulted in the discovery that the Act was able to cope with any situation, the unbiased observer would conclude that the Government, fearing that the law was not so efficient as it was declared to be, was ready to trample on decency and •dignity rather than expose the skeleton in the closet. In defence of the Government many ridiculous things have been saicU,since the astonishing absurdities that we exposed on Wednesday. In one quarter the Premier and one of his allies have been conducting a furious sham fight on the irrelevant issues as to whether there was any " fuss," and whether the Government should have insulted the Court at once or only later on; but public attention will not be distracted by this crude polemical device-. Nor need any serious attention be given to the Premier's parade of virtuous horror at the person, "no friend of his country," who would " suggest the abrogation of the arbitration system and | the substitution of the barbaric method of physical force vcrhus capital," and all the rost of it. Sir Joseph is unrivalled as a professor of the oldfashioned triclc of setting up bogys to knock them down again. Much more : interesting than these devices is [ the theory, advanced against our critij cisins, that "no doubt from the point of view of the vulgar newsmonger a - stern enforcement of the law has much to recommend it." Why the " vulgar newsmonger " alone should profit from the maintenance of Justice is beyond us; what is certain is that nobody will nrofit if our laws are made.

inoperative in ' order that nothing unpleasant, should happen. After the sentiment we have quoted, it is not surprising l to find it suggested that it js rather a triumph than otherwise that, although the men, the company, and the Dominion are satisfied (a complete and categorical mis-statement, by the way) Justice is not satisfied! These short-sighted people may safely he left to the teaching of future events. For they will assuredly learn that Labour, already taught to rely upon Parliament to quash an unfavourable ; award, will have duly noted that Unionists may break the law with impunity, inasmuch .as the Government has shown that they will go to any length rather than enforce the' Arbitration Act against them. The Act, so far 'as large IJnions are concerned, is under such conditions, a dead letter, and Labour knows it.