Feilding Star. Oroua and Kiwitea Counties Gazette. TUESDAY, JUNE 8, 1920. STRIKE SILLINESS.

Feilding Star, Volume XVI, Issue 4019, 8 June 1920, Page 2

Feilding Star. Oroua and Kiwitea Counties Gazette. TUESDAY, JUNE 8, 1920. STRIKE SILLINESS.

The strike unnecessary in excelsis is surely that declared on by the misleaders of the tramwaymen of Auckland at the opening of the A.R.C. meeting, and declared off again now the races are over. These men are their own employees, in that they are part of the general public which now owns the tramway services, and they placed the general public at the greatest possible inconvenience, yet have not aided by one iota the jockeys, in whose cause they struck. And herein is shown the extreme ridiculousness of this wholly unnecessary strike—that whilst the tramwaymen ceased running the tramcare, yet the jockeys continued to run on the racecourse! Had the jockeys struck, there would have been no races—and therefore no need for the tramway strike. But perhaps the general public would have been exceedingly, angry if the races had been stopped, while it merely shrugged its shoulders, grabbed its j lunch-bag, and hiked off with a little grumble because the cars were not running. The height of foolishness and inconsistency however was reached by this strike: for the three days' race meeting was as successful financially as ever, neither unionist picket nor lack of tramcars kept the sports away from the racecourse—and the jockeys fulfilled all their engagements on the track! What must the wives and families, of the men on strike, already finding it difficult to make both ends meet on full wages, think of the wise little non-striking jockeys and the foolish, stalwart tramwaymen? Undoubtedly, someone blundered in ordering the strike, or else the rank and file of the men are the fools of anybody who likes to lead them as lambs to the slaughter. A strike h.as no hope whatever of success which has not public opinion, behind it. And

hopeless indeed is the strike which has not even the undivided sympathy of tiie workers. A fully attended emergency meeting of the Auckland City Council unanimously decided against the strikers, and deckled to dismiss thorn with a week's formal notice. This verdict means more than appears oi its surface. For three members of th. City Council are leaders of trade unions/and one of thoin, Tom Bloodworth, is Dominion President of the Red Feds. Yet the verdict of the Council to dismiss the recalcitrant tiamwaynion was unanimous. It is reported that all the leaders of sane labour in the Queen City were against the strike, whilst the tub-thumping firebrands were yelling for direct action. And so weak was their case that even one of the misleaders admitted it would have been better had all the jockeys refused to ride at the A.R.C. "meeting. Yet the tramwaymen struck—without principle or interest! Naturally, now the races are over, the men want to return to work again. And the tramcars are to resume running this afternoon. We are not told the terms of settlement—but what is to be the aftermath for the •men who stopped the public services and inconvenienced the whole cityr