BRITISH LABOURITES

Greymouth Evening Star, 1 November 1920, Page 8

BRITISH LABOURITES

~ ~—tfpm . . ARE THEY SAFE GUIDES? (Contributed by the N.Z. Welfare • . . League.) Readers will have observed that the New Zealand Labour Party, and a number of the Unions throughout the Dominion, have been endorsing the action of the special Congress of Labour in England which lias established a Council of Action with intention to force the hands of the Government by means of general withdrawals of labour from important industries. Putting aside for the time being tire very grave fact that this act is a denial of the authority of representative government and a direct incitement to revolution, we ask the workers of the Dominion to consider the question of whepther these British labourites show any sound or steady judgment in their recent decisions. When one reads of ftren like Mr. J. H. Thomas and Mr. Clynes being associated with a movement of this nature it is hard to understand whether the British Labour Leaders have any settled ideas of principle or simply shape their course by the passion of the hour. What is the meaning of it? These men have repeatedly denounced direct action and now they are out for it wholesale. Here is the utterance of Mr. J. H. Thomas, M.P., at the Trade Union Congress held prior to the special Congress at which the Council of* direct action was decided upon. THE SANE ROAD. “Political action has not failed ; it has never been fully tried. Labour has not returned to Parliament the number of members its voting strength warranted. Trade Unionists have not in the past used their political power as intelligently as they might. What right, then, have we to call on men and women to force the Government by act-

ion which would not fail to inflict on the nation an industrial evil which would involve bloodshed while not necessarily obtaining what we want, and while a less costly remedy is within our reach ? The great rank and file are expecting, and are, indeed, entitled to a lead. They must be shown

that the on esane road is to use intelligently the power afforded by the constitution, the most democratic in the world, and which could gain for them all that they desire. On tne other hand, there is no man or woman with a feeling of responsibility that would deny that to give effect to a general strike would lead to serious consequences such as none can tell, and which would shake the country to its foundations, and this at a time when the country has just emerged from a war that has left behind troubles and difficulties the like of which had neverbeen known before. Therefore, proud of our past labours, conscious of our

duties and responsibilities, let us t?ecide that we should persuade our people to follow the one sure s and solid road to freedom ; the wav of education of the mind, of faith in our cause, that seeks not to rule the few at the expense of the many, but to provide the free and full life of all.” THEORY AND COMMON SENSE. The average colonial workman can see at a glance the absurdity of any man., opposing direct action at an important meeting and a few months later falling in with the plan to establish a Council of Action for direct action purposes. We have realised for sometime that the reason why many labourites at Home make these bad breaks, is that

they a-re largely the slaves of theory and probably the most self-opinionated men upon the earth. Men who have never been out of Great Britain know all about every country in the world and have quite decided how they ought to be governed. The Colonial, who has generally moved about a bit, is not so sure. The English labourite has often swallowefd Marx in chunks. He lias his theory of the international brotherhood and is prepared to denounce every Statesman, Government, Parliament and Country that does not tall in with it. The colonial labourite, being nearer to the East with its teeming millions and even familiar witn the Asatic as a competitor, is less disposed

to spill over on the sentiment of theory of universal brotherhood. Shortly put, the colonial worker is more for detailed facts and the English labourite more for theory and sentiment. The conceit of the Englishman was made manifest in the course taken by tne British Labourites who first of all decided to set up a 'Council of Action which would, without considering the Home Parliament, or the Colonial Parliaments or people, settle the whole

policy of British Imperial foreign olia;rs, and then condescended to inform T in rinlmiipß of what tIICV

Labour in the Uolomes ox wnat uiejr bad done. Of'course they, are the Empire, we are just offshoots, or dependents. No, this is not a safe guide for the New Zealand workers. There is too much conceit ; too much cocksureness and too little practical common sense displayed for the workers of this Dominion to fall into line on behalf of the wild cat schemes of English Labour extremists.