CUTTING ARGUMENTS

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 73, 27 March 1942, Page 4

CUTTING ARGUMENTS

If any argument were needed to support the action of the Government in setting the law in motion against freezing works strikers and to justify the penalties rightly imposed by the Magistrate under the law, that argument is supplied by the Auckland Trades Council in its plea for the release of the imprisoned men. The argument is that these men are "needed in the industry for essential war work" and that it is impossible to obtain full production without their services. This is exactly the plea made in the strongest possible terms by the Prime Minister and the Minister of Labour in endeavouring to persuade the men to continue at work, or to return to it after they had stopped. It is the reason for making the regulations under which the men were, prosecuted. Moreover, the rhore' important the work in which men are engaged at this time the graver becomes their offence in quitting it. The regulations apply to industry in modified form the discipline that is constantly applied to the soldier, and for the same reasons. The soldier who leaves his post or fails in his duty is liable to severe penalties, and if the post is one of great 'responsibility or the time critical the penalty is more severe. No military court, having sentenced a soldier for neglect of duty, would then lift the penalty on the ground that the man was again required at the post. We have had an example of that in the punishment of a soldier-civilian who,, being required for certain military duties, refused, for reasons which seemed sufficient to him, to carry them out. It was not even suggested that he should be released because his imprisonment prevented him from carrying out the military duties.