STRIKERS AND GUNS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1456, 3 June 1912, Page 6

STRIKERS AND GUNS.

_ ;■' "■"'-———o-^-—" :. A MINISTER'S VIEWS. , COMPULSORY SERVICE AND LABOUR ~ ;v;.: UNREST. AMENDMENT OF ARBITRATION ACT. .T' (By Tolceraph.—Press Association.! ;: Auckland, Juno 2. The strike at Waihi received much attention at a dinner held at Manuwera last evening to celebrate tho improvement in tho suburban railway services. The gathering was attended by four Ministers, tho Leader- of tho Opposition, and seven other" members of Parliament. '•Early in tho evening tho subject of inthi'strial unrest was discussed by Mr. Georgo Elliott, president of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Elliott said . that he did not wish to criticise the Conciliation Act harshly, but it could not he:denied that the Act had not done for New Zealand what its promoters claimed it,would do. New Zealand was not the Btrikeless country they had claimed it would become. He could not understand, why one small section of the community, with a dispute in one part ol the country, should bo a casus belli in all parts ot the country. Any grievance) should Lc Tomediable by conciliatory methods. Hieonly possible conclusion was that a paicy which used threats and coercion had no faith in its cause. It was peculiar that kucli a section of tho community; could paral.vse all industry. That condition was possible only while the majority ot he people, the great third party, stood idl> by and permitted such a pnraljMS. Uiortunately such methods would bring in their train rioting wantonness ami jawes'ness, but he believed, that the majority of the people, animated b> the spirit of obedience to law and order which was characteristic of the race, would not submit to tho, domineering, actions. ol a Lall section. That section was led men who/-made an open boast that they cared for neither God nor man, flag noi country;:who'issued orders as if tle> v"re vested with governmental po*e». and who were trying tO . # f ?P$ the secret- ballot, and to lead their followers back to the days of open voting. He could not believe that one-fourth ol the men who followed these leaders| believcd in such principles. (Hear, near.; Act is not tang carried out bv the Government as it ought to be - continued Mr. Elliott. "Surely our legisJ°tors "renot afraid of these street-corner Dervsne«." Somo Hme "V"™, 1 ; went of the Act was proposed that wonld have prevented any official of a-laboir anion from holding his position unless he was /.actually working m t™. l ™ l *; That clause was dropped, and ..the only Teason, so far as «uW .%e. ?* Hint the legislators were afraid of .the howls ot those would-be leaden. Mr Massey: "Not all of them. Mr' Elliott.: "You wero on the other Mt " Continuing, he suggested that Par lament should consider the. wisdom of reintroducing that clause, and of wiping out the blot on-the.-Act-the :r pro.vision that a. union could cancel its registration. (Hear hear.) If the Act was obe carTiedotin its entirety "every, industrial rSon should be forced to register under he Act to abide by its Provisions. (Hear, hear.) "The people whoare bohind every Government,". Mr. BHiott adc id loyal, moderate community who oro influenced by the traditions of the race by-'love.of-their country, and by. «s P ct fortheir flag.: Unless something,, is lone, arid done very quickly, this ma-, for h" will rise" and demand of our legislators laws-to govern properly the abour fnions o he countrv." (Loud applause. Mr G. K Peacock, chairman _ of the •Auckland Railways League, said that all. w uld a ree, with. Mr. i.i<r tho gra'vo mistakes and blunuei* hich liad been made by the leader of ?hTmen on itrikc. . Everyone would ab=o- ] itelv condemn the sentiment* of ho s'riko leaders, who. he believed, had mis-, lei t majority of the men. He suggested that be ore long there must be an mternaitiona conference to devise some means of JTwJ the world-wide industrial unrest. M e Dg Hon. a'W. Russell, Minister for Internal in renl• l h™ nor ro Throw the apple of discord into a harmon ous meeting. It is a m.est.on of taste whether-such a speech, which would ■l" Perfectly appreciated from the chair of .'the■ Chamhto of Commerce on n jine |- tion of such irave importance., should ho made at a gathering of this kind. It ?s idle for anyone to point to the position Sushis country, and endeavour to hold the" Government .or a body of i?R{» lator s iresponsible.or to charge mfcrentially any ihodv of men, whether the Government or Sts followers, with cowardice, because they «lo'not take a certain line. Through the whole world there is a vas^; «""f' which is the result of the cilort of the working classes to obtain a greater share of-the good things of this world than thev had hitherto had. What we must consider is that we are only one little section, one rock before the great tide ot .unrest which is rising, and instead ot Warning vour legislators, and your laws, the wiser course is to sit down quietly «md wait until things settle down for themselves; and. when wo find how these things aro settling, endeavour to adjust our social conditions so that we may bo just to the workers at the same time as .we are just-to ourselves." Mr. Russell deprecated the suggestion* made by Mr. Elliott. "Are wo to thrust these "mrh by the hundred into prison?" ■he asked. "Tho result would be that barricades would be. erected in your sheets; guns.would be "">t-out, and there would- be civil .;war.- 'The men in Eng~ land' who were' opposed ' to compulsory military training knew what they were about. They realised that 'if you.place guns in the hands of uneducated and uncultured men you aro possibly provid-, ir.g them with a weapon which they may <US!> to upset your entire civilisation." Air. "Russell said that the course suggested by Mr. Elliott would make striklnsiSomrthing in the nature of n crime. This was against the principles of lnmianihv for crorv man had a right to c ell his labour nt the price he cho«e. Ho remarked that he had no wish to trench ■Upon party politics. At this remark rh*r<» was loud laughter. The question, added Mr. Eus?ell. was to be settled by an after-dinner Fpecch. It required *tlic attention of the keenest intellects, and Hie fullest measure ©f religions and brotherly love.