The Dominion.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 133, 28 February 1908, Page 6

The Dominion.

' FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1908. , MORE LABOUR TROUBLE. : ■' » , If any confirmation were needed of the correctness of tlie opinions wliicli we. expressed yesterday concerning tlie demoralising effect upon Labour of the Government's attitude towards the 'Arbitration ■ Act, ; it comes to-day in the news that the miners at Blackball have, gone on strike. When the Denniston miners defied the Court some time ago, and treated its award with ciontempt, not for a day in a' fit of anger, but for days and weeks, the Government established, the principle of Ministerial/abrogation of the Act. On behalf of the Premier and Mr. Millar,', it mighthave been' urged that there was, no , great harm ,'irij giving Labour one chance, on the understanding that fxiture revolts would bo severely dealt with. It was, as one might say, a possible " case for probation." Unhappily, Labour appears to have accepted the action .of the Government as a precedent, and no long time elapsed before a strike, occurred at the PareOra. .freezing works. The speedy ending of this little disturbance wa!s regarded as a matter for general congratulation. , The Government, no doubt the strike as: merely an ebullition of healthy" spirits, took rid, cognizance of the fact that the law had been broken. What can ,be the feelings of the Premier and Mr. Millar at the news of the rising at Blackball ? No man who admires the twin virtues of - magnanimity and paternal indulgence , can avoid sympathising with the Government in the face of Labour's'ingratitude.

Tliere may-—although we cannot , witli. tliose who say ' so—have been . some excuse . for the. temporary suspension of the Act in connection with the Denniston .trouble. There' may also have been some justification for another temporary suspension of the Act when the " pipe" strike occurredat- Pareora, althougli in this case the Minister was, perhaps, unwise, in allowing '.tliat disturbance to pass unnoticed, iuasmuch as his inaction laid itself open to interpretation as an official recognition of' Labour's right to play fast and loose with the Law. The Government has, perhaps, felt its fingers itching to enforce t^'e 1 law, but lias withheld its hand. To the plain man the persistent defiance of the law may appear to be a good reason for protecting the law from contempt by prosecuting the offenders, but statesmanship takes no such crude view as that. What - more it requires we do not exactly -know, but- it certainly takes up the stan'd we have indicated, for no longer ago than on last Tuesday week Mr. Miliar expressed his unshaken confidence in the Arbitration Court, and added- that the Wpst Coast miners support the Act, and have the greatest respect for the Court- ■ While recognising the, delicacy which the Government feels in these matters, and its reluctance to put the law into operation, we would suggest that there must come a point when the erroneous impression created by its policy of laissez-faire must be removed by decisive action. The available particulars from Blackball show that themen have resorted to strike tactics in order to coerce the employers into reinstating discharged employees. The action of the miners is evidence of the general temper of Labour throughout the country—a' temper due, in part at least, to the tenderness and magnanimity of the Government in placing the, interests of the trades unions above the interests of Justice. " Important as may be such an interest as the maintenance unimpaired of' the political alliance between the Government and the trades unions, it cannot be made the prime concern of the Government without injury to what the country, as a whole, may reasonably consider interests of far greater moment. All will regret this new trouble, but there will be still greater reason for regret if the law is allowed to be again flouted with impunity. ,