TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 26, 31 January 1912, Page 6

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

"Tho wharf .labourers deserted th© I ships as they stood, ' Coercion and a number aro i for Reason. held up, partially loaded and unloaded," runs one^ paragraph of to-day'e ca.ble messages about tho Brisbane- tramway strike. The. original* dispute was between the Tramway Company and the Tramway Union about a matter which, superficially, may seem trivial to people at this distance from tho scene. The company refused permission to its employees to wear tho "union badge" while on duty, and for this a city's .trade and industry/ comfort and convenience, are to bo thoroughly disturbed by a general strike. This is tho doctrine of the "Industrial Workers of the World," the rule of "one strike, all strike." This is a manifestation of the "solidarity of labour" which is th© ideal of the "Revolutionary Socialist" New Zealand Federation of Labour. The plan is to punish the general public in the effort to compel any particular section of employers to yield to the demands of any particular sectie-n of employees. "Not toy us to muko reply, not for us to reason why," is tho attitude of tho ''sympathetic" strikers. Their determination is to use force, even if it ultimately reacts against themselves, to induce employers to surrender to any union. Vague reports of eimi- ' lar co-operation have been circuited in ! Wellington during tho past day or two in connection with the tramway trouble. Such a substitution of coercion for reason marks a reversion to that time onco described an "the bad old daye." If this is "democratic progress," then one has to note a new meaning for that much-abused, much misused word, "democratic." Such a policy smacks ' rather of anarchy than democracy. Ther© are sound and solid men in the Labour Parties of Australia and New ' Zealand, but the Bane seem now to have their voices smothered by th© roars of the reckless, _ the thoughtless. ' Knowledge is swept aside by 'ignorance, and if the ignorant achieve a domination the ignorant will eventually suffer mor© \ than the wise. -Coincidentally with the attempt to sefc up a Labour tyranny in Brisbane, come reports of extraordin- i ary resolutions from the Labour Conference at Sydney. Not content with requesting that Parliament, with "all the coercive power at its command, should order a six-hour day and a minimum wag© of 10s a day for unskilled workers, the conference has resolved that the Government of the day should fix the price of the necessaries of life. The Government rigidly order a price for either labour or goods, but the Government cannot artificially adjust v the all-round purchasing power of money. In short, "the cost of living" problem cannot be solved outright by the legislative pen. Any hopes on that subject are falsely based on ignofanc* of the relations between money and the goods or services for which money figures as a counter. Willy-nilly the Hon. J. A. Millar is being , exported to Australia, - Political and ordered 'to earn Guessing anything up to £2000 Competitions, a year. The Mataura Ensign has been informed that Mr. Millar is determined to give private business in the Commonwealth th© benefit of his ability and experience. This is practically a reiteration of the rumour denied recently in the Dunedin Star, which has been hoping to see Mr. Millar having an innings as Premier. W© do not know whether Mr. Millar wishes to settle in Australia or not, and we have- no desire whatever to speculate on th© possibility or probability. Political 'prophecy is about the riskiest industry on which any journal can embark during the preeent unrestful condition of New Zealand. The Dunedin Star has boldly ventured to predict that Sir Joseph Ward will resign on 14th February (the day before the meeting of Parliament). The Mataura. Ensign has received similar information, but the editor has treated it cautiously. "So many rumours are afoot," comments the Ensign, "that it is hard to place trust in any, but we have the word of our informant that an arrangement as stated has been come to by the party. Whether they ultimately change then* j plans is another matter." Exactly. Those "plans " have been given in many shapes and sizes since 14th December. It is possible that Sir Joseph Ward had it in mind two days ago to resign, and is in a different mood to-day. We do not know how many times his mind has been made up, and re-made, during the past few weeks, and we do not care to, make a hazard at tho makings and re-makinge of tho next fortnight. These latest, rumours are merely the old rumours, with the difference, that tho Dunedin Star does not appear to have much qualified its prophecy. Weeks ago members of the Liberal Party and the Liboral Press gave an opinion that the Government's best strategic mo;yo would be by resignation before the meeting of Parliament. During, all this forecasting of the political weather, a belief is gaining ground that, whatever the Government chooses to do or not do, Mr. Massoy will somehow be able to keep his party in power for a term longer 'than an ordinary full session.