AUSTRALIA’S GREAT STRIKE.

Evening Star, Issue 18851, 28 January 1925, Page 6

AUSTRALIA’S GREAT STRIKE.

Judging by the messages in this issue from Melbourne and Sydney, industrial peace may succeed the destructive campaign which has been hampering the economic and social life of the Commonwealth for many weeks. Once more the efforts of the extreme section of the Labor Party to dominate the situation, and to set up “job control,” appear to have failed. When will it be realised that the strike, as an industrial weapon, is useless? In the present case it has been employed, and though ostensibly it was directed against the shipping companies, it meant war on the community, to whom the financial loss is incalculable. Declared at a moment when it would causa the greatest disorganisation, the strike was carried on with a callous disregard of the public convenience. There was no great grievance that called for the course that was followed. Tito members of the maritime unions have good pay and reasonable conditions, and any matters that, in the. opinion of the men, required readjusting could easily have been rectified by the Arbitration Court, the proper tribunal to deal with such questions. Instead direct action was instituted, the idea being to paralyse the seaborne trade of the Commonwealth. The season in Australia has teen a particularly favorable one, and, owing to the interference with the customary shipping facilities, enormous quantities of wheat and wool and other produce have been prevented from finding their way to market. This involves great loss not only to the producers, but to thousands of workers as well. In addition, the strike was intensified when the. tourist season was at its height, with disastrous results to great numbers of people.

The actual trouble began at tho end of October by the announcement of the watersidors that they would work no overtime, but coincidently with this there was trouble on some of the steamers. In the middle of November the movements were co-ordinated by the decision of the sea transport group to support the walersiders, and sinco then the unions have been working together. After the Melbourne conference it looked as if the foundations of pence had been laid, but the irreconcilable elements continued their activities, and the position became worse, for some of the New Zealand steamers were affected. It will not do to build too much on the suggestion that the struggle is over. There is evidence that the feeling is very bitter, and that the extremist leaders will not accept defeat until their position is hopeless. Tn Sydney particularly it appears that the position on the waterfront is not suggestive of a peace atmosphere, but the attitude of tho seamen in Sydney and Melbourne does suggest that the Labor front is broken.

What is chiefly to be regretted in this great struggle is tho defiance of and contempt for the law which have been exhibited. Direct action has been resorted to and the courts specially created for the settlement of disputes flouted by the unions. Mr Bruce emphasised this point yesterday, when be pointed out that it was easy to make tho employer observe certain conditions, but it was impossible to make tho employees work under those conditions, a position which is obviously unfair. Ho added that such a stale of things must inevitably lead to the abandonment of the principle of arbitration unless a remedy can be found. Compulsory arbitration has many advantages, and it has conferred immense benefit on the workers. On the other hand, direct action means loss, destruction, mid the intensification of class feeling without any appreciable gains. The remedy might be found by the workers of moderate views—and they form the great majority—resisting the doctrines of the anarchistic section of the Labor Party, and faithfully observing in letter and in spirit tho principles of the Arbitration law.