“SUSPENDED.”

Evening Star, Issue 21638, 6 February 1934, Page 8

“SUSPENDED.”

How much wiser are the unemployed than some of their leaders! How much wiser also, in regard to a proportion of the unemployed, are their deeds than their resolutions! The strike which was called for Dunedin, in common with the rest of the dominion, has been locally “suspended.” If that can he suspended which' was never begun, the decision leaves no room for anything but applause. There was no alternative to it in the conditions which showed a national strike to be quite out of the question. First the Southland relief workers, under an organisation which prefers other methods, refused to be misled. Then, on the evo of the intended gesture, those of Wellington voted by a largo majority against foolish action. In the event it would appear that all the Dunedin men who had allocations for that day went to work yesterday, and they followed the same counsels as their follows in other parts of the dominion. The ballot taken at Hastings was rc-

ported to be practically unanimous in favour o f ;i strike, yet SO per emit, of the men arrived at their jobs. The proportion was substantially larger at Palmerston North. Only the West Coast, more inured to strikes on every sort of pretext, on a large scale has remained faithful in this matter to first orders. When local relief workers waited on the mayor yesterday afternoon Mr Cox, quoting sufficient reasons, told them to think no more of a strike, and that was sound counsel. There seems to have been some misunderstanding, also some official blundering, involved in the Gisborne grievance, which ostensibly was the first cause of the trouble. In January, it has been stated, the Unemployment Board offered a certain grade of men in Gisborne the ridiculous sum of 5s for one week—this for married men with no dependants. The explanation given was that owing to an error these men had received excess payment from the fund before Christmas, and that it was being deducted in one week. The board would have done much better if it had spread the deduction over several weeks. The Gisborne men, organised under the National Unemployed ■Workers’ Movement, instead of directly negotiating, immediately adopted strike tactics. Thus a good cause was spoiled by wrong action. The national strike having collapsed, it is to be hoped that the public, as well as relief workers, will forget it. No one really draws the conclusion that more than a very few of the unemployed are content with their lot. There can be no contentment while a relief system is needed, but so long as that is required there will be need for public sympathy with a vast number of deserving folk who are hard pressed, and it would be disastrous if that sympathy should be alienated.