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Evening Star, Issue 14632, 31 July 1911, Page 4

Wiikn the Federal Prime. Minister was m 1 oudon a month ago .m The Queensland wis waited upon by a Sugcir Strike, representative deputation of investors, brak«iy;, ru:ri'hants_, aid members of Chambers of Cummerie having large interna,-, in Aus-tra',;'i-'-iinii, in fact, whose organisations are' 'responsible for a large «hars> ot the prosperity and good tmisi; that Australia is now euji.viry. "They were received in a hostile, spiiit", and some nharp wrals wove exchanged between Mr Fidier and the deputation, which may have, a detriments', effect upon Isritk-h' investments in Australia. Among these verbal interchanges was the following :-- -

Mr Fisher : It had been said also thai in consequence of hidciitriul ntnkos .in A::,;tia!i:i capital had beui driven away. That was not no. There ntver had been fewer strikes in the country than at present. Mr Williamson said thai there never had bee-n m many .strikes ••:-> at present. Mr Fisher said he t Hough!, ho knew something of Australian affair:-. It was not of course possible for the deputation to question the astertion of the Federal Prime Minister upon such a puicly local subject as strikes. Necessarily his word would have to i e taken by the resident in London. Yet it does not require a pioloniztd or an arduous investigation to show that Mr Fisher's statement wes •.icaieeiy in harmony with the facts. There has been no period in Australian history when stiikes have been so numerous and (more important .■till) so aericus as during the laM 18 month,,;. At the present timo there are strikes .in every State of the Commonwealth, and not a week, we might almcv-t cay a day. pa.o:e? without the table, advising of some fresh decision to ceai.e work. Among the incest serious, potentially at any rate, is that of the Queensland .siigar-ginwen;. This has now been in force for some time, and there ]<-. no certainty of it.-i ea.ly cessation. The men are demanding an eight-hour day and a minimum, wage of 3CV; a week and found, while the Amalgamated \V<.".■kens' Association insist on the granting of these two demands as a condition precedent to any conference between the Workers' l\xeeutiv.a and anv section ot the omplovers. It «ill be retailed that Mr Tudor,' the Minister of Custom.-. \ bated the Queensland caueflflds and held conference with tlie men and the proprietors, in order to bring about a i>ettlenient. 11 in mission was not fui eevrful. and en his return he felt constrained to admit that the outlook was most serious. Niuce then there hivu been att-emptr. to (airy on th.e env-hiog of the rinifs by impelling froe labor, with but partial success. The refiners,- however, were ivtnguine that they could del.at the. ftiikc-rs, and publicly expres-ed themselves

to th:t effect. In answer to this challenge the Workers" Aoociation. on behalf <:i" the strikers, determined if pn-sihle to enlarge, the arer. of contih-t. Thev appealed to the Watered- Worker' lYdn-ation n-.t to handle, non-union sinrar, or, in other

words, it was intended to prove that tborcgh it miir'it be possible to manufacture suyar it would be imprx;sii)!:> to deliver it. At thi.i 6ta.se ~Mv W. .M. Hiuihes, who is not only president oi" the Wntersidc Workers" Federation, but Attornev-I icneral and Acting Prime .Minister of the Commonwealth, came upon t!i •■> scene. His. dual ofhees have placed him in what «>me people regard ers a (juife li'.itenablo position, a fiectinii cf the .public even saying that " no honor.ible or minded man " eoubl for a moment retain the position of Attorney-'Jeueral, who is responsible fo-' the due carrying out of the law. and at the same time hold that of president of a federation which advocates a defiance of the law. That is just what Mr [fashes i.-. Iryinir to do. On July 20. in his presidential capacity. .Mr Hughes announced that A ' of l.'i ■■> council of the waterside workers was held io-day, and .subsequently a conference took place with the executive of the Fe tie rated Seamen's Union in regard to the dispute now ex.-i-liiiK ifi the suirar industry of North Queensland. In view of all the circumstances, it was decided to instruct the branches of the Waterside Workers" Federation to decline to handle nonunion suiter during the currency of this dispute.

ft has !;ei'ii urge] tint fucli advice if. i:i direct eontraven!'on of section 6 of the Commonwealth Conciliation and Arbitration Act. which provides that "no person or organisation shall on account of any industrial dispute do anything in the nature of a lock-oat or strike, or eonlimi'- ;i;iv lock-out. or strike. Penalty, £!.(X'o.'" And the law hemg what it is, it is plausibly •-'..ntrnlf) that the Cmrtmoiiwcfilt ll is humiliated when its highest law oiiircr sets at d 'fiance, by virtue of his otiieir.l position i]t another connection, (lie law that, lie has sworn to maintain. The in-congi-i ms na'ure of Mr Hughes's attitude herornrs even plain t when his defence thereof is e.vamineo --a defence that is Ivii.h dangerous ami subtle. He denies tli.it tiie refusal to handle non-union goods <.;-:U be deemed a strike, arid contends tlia.t Thi; c;u:nct be ie<e:irdod as- a strike, as there is no cessation of work. It is really a notification of the intention of two unions not t•> take after a given date any more of a cn-taln c]-i=s of. cargo. In the Act n strike is define,! as follows:—"A rtr'ke includes the total or partial cessation of work by employees acting in romhimitiuii as a nie-itv- of enforcing compliance with demands made bv then l , or other employees on cin-p'.-eers." I do nol think it cm be ?ai:l for a moment ilo:t this is a .strike, because wp joe not ccasiiii; v.oi-ii wltrdly or in part onlv jriving nnfice of n-i»- intention to decline to handle a particular class of rargo.

It should be obvious, even to }>h- I Inches, that if a worker ha-', an inherent Wgbt to pick and rhon.se what goods h<- will it will not handle that no business in the world could be luiried on. and if this be not a strike in fat'. then it is impossible i-> r-ay what a strike i---. Mr Hughes is too eiev'.T a man not '<> know that his contention will not bear a moment's examination. In fact-, he admit:* it. Asked whether his intimate connection with the Waterside Workers' Federation did not all'cet his position as Attor-ncy-fiensTal. he replied:' No doubt it does. 1 have decided that directly there is anything in the way o? an iniustiial dispute in which the' federation is involved I shall resign my position as president of the organisation. 1 shall not take any part that will involve me in anything which might subsequently be questioned, although I 'cannot sea how this could happen. I mentioned this matter to the organisation's meetings yesterday and to-day. How .Mr Hughes, as the head of tho Federal Law Department, can evade the penalty that attaches to those who "do anything in the iiat.ire of a lock-out or strike or continue any lock-out or strike" wo, as laymen, do not ki.oc*. 'L'hsv,» nice distinctions are beyond us. But the logical inference of >lr Hughes's action appears to be that in appioving (as he decs), in his capacity of president of the Waterside Workers' Association, of a policy that

seeks to carry the strike beyond the limits of the originating Stats he brings his organisation under the operation of the Fo-iei-.il Arbitration Act, t::td rk'w the imposition of the penalties provided therein. Moreover, his action would niafc- 1 kgilimate commerce ;-nd interstate industry less stable, and disrupt the business rolaf'onshijT* of important parts of the Commonwealth.