TOPICS OF THE DAY

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 22, 28 January 1929, Page 8

TOPICS OF THE DAY

Lady Houston's picture of trades unionism as' the "serpent of discontent" is certainly true of some typos of industrial organisation. The classwar leader thrives by stirring up trouble, and lie welcomes discontent and unrest as the best preparation for tlio revolutionary upheaval that he hopes for. But it would bo entirely wrong to put all trades unionism into this category. Lady Houston's statoment discloses the fundamental weakness of generalisation in such questions. Taking an example wherein •tho: men wero certainly misled by a leader whose spiritual homo 'was, Soviet Eussia, tho critic condemns union organisation as a system. Such looso condemnation is dangerous. It encourages tho thoughtless to believe that unionism is at the root of our misfortunes, and that the essential remedy is abandonment of ■ workers' organisations. Such an idea cannot lead to a settlement of our difficulties. It will only stir up furthor trouble. Unionism and collective bargaining cannot be killed, and any attempt to revert to the times when such organisation was forbidden must produce antagonism and strife. The remedy for tho • evils of trades unionism is not to bo found thus, but rather in an intelligent change of viewpoint which will make tho collective system a reliable servant and not the enemy of industry. Where there is bad leadership tho remedy is a keener interest by tho rank and file, so that they will refuse to follow blindly or to be dragooned in the name of union-

In the present theory and practice of trades unionism tho chief weakness is tho discouragement of individual initiative. To.safeguard the interests of the many, rigid restrictions have been applied which are bad for tho individual and bad-for industry. This has resulted' in a process of levelling down. Industry cannot thrive in the face of worM-competition with, such a process in oporation. '.Recognition of this fact has been, we believe, the main idea underlying the Melchett-Turner conference. •It has been perceived, by the organisers of that conference that unionism can be mado a powerful agent fox 1 the advancement of industry—for levelling up instead of levelling down. For ages energy, has been wasted in strife between capital and labour because the great unity of their aims has not been understood. If the unity '5s now fully appreciated the waste of energy in strife can be stopped and attention given wholly to means whereby : the joint interests of capital and labour may bo advanced. It is much more sensible to use the power of trades unionism in this way than to devote more energy to an effort to kill the 1 system. Once the trial of the Melchett-Turner method is properly made we have no doubt that the results will be -convincing to all except the irreconcilables who desire strife and enmity to advance their own aims of revolution.

' Explorations (recorded in Tuesday's "Evening Post") of "ashags' kitchen midden" at a rookery in an upper gorge of tho Selwyn Eiver are suggestive, but are, to some people at any rate, not very convincing. Defenders of tho shag will demand the securing of a substantial sample of the bone-heap at the midden in order that tho question whether trout-bones far exceed eel-bones may be settled by reliable analysis at tho hands of competent authorities, before the bad name of the shag as an enemy of trout is finally accepted and passed dpwn- : to posterity. That the shag does destroy trout to some extent is undoubted, but the suggestion of a complete absence of traces of eel-diet, which has hitherto been, pleaded iii defence of tho condemned bird, seems to

make the case against rather too sweeping. And the further statement that tho shootists of the party killed every adult shag at tho. rookery may also cause some doubt in the minds of thoso who have made similar attacks on rookeries and who know tho resources of shags. On the whole, tho story from the Selwyn cannot be described as being absolutely free of an ex parte touch. If there are any other shag middens about, their examination ought to bo worth while, if conducted in the right way. Tho _ alternative seems to be systematic shooting of shags in order that a complete survey of their diet, as revealed by post-mortem examination at all seasons, may be authoritatively made.

Drinking orange's, instead oi' eating them, has proved a departure of groat importance to citrus-growers in Australia, who have thus found a new and desirable outlet for a perishable fruit which formerly, when confined with its own skin, was liable to become a drug in the market. -And if the orange-crush habit has enlarged as well as altered the demand for oranges, it is a matter for interest to the Island as well as to the Australian grower; and Judge Ayson's mention of experimentation in the preservation of orange juice indicates that the Cook Islands citrus interests have their eyes open. The mortality among Island oranges under the present system of transport and treatment must be vastly greater than among other kinds ,of oranges, henco the salvage factor is relatively very important to growers in the Pacific, and there should, be ,a groat economic improvement if the thing can bo done through the juice. Oranges, over-car-ried and over-kept, go bad quickly, and the retail purchaser is not always suro of what ho is getting. Perhaps it would bo simpler through a tap. But would ho, even then, be suro of what ho is getting?