Greymouth Evening Star. SATURDAY, OCTOBER, 28, 1944. AUSTRALIAN MINISTERS.

Greymouth Evening Star, 28 October 1944, Page 4

Greymouth Evening Star. SATURDAY, OCTOBER, 28, 1944. AUSTRALIAN MINISTERS.

cordial welcome, irrespective of Party

polities,, will be accorded to Mr. Forde and Dr. Evatt, on their visit to New Zealand. The fact that two of the “Big Three” in the Federal Cabinet have been chosen as delegates infers that the discussions here are of importance—else the two Ministers need a holiday, following the. harassing lime they have had of late in dealing with the Commonwealth’s internal disputes. Officially, the visit to the Dominion is .one of those series agreed to be desirable between representatives of the two Governments, and none will doubt that war developments, trade, and finance, in themselves, will provide adequate agenda. The last meeting, at Canberra, resulted in the famous pact which was meant to impress the world, but proved something of a flop, especially when U.S.A, sat up and took notice. Perhaps, there will be a. Wellington pact, destined to make history.

The Australian Ministers may have also been commissioned by their chief, Mr. Curtin, to make judicious enquiries as to how it is that the Dominion preserves industrial peace whereas unrest in the Commonwealth is increasing, to the point of “blatant lawlessness” with worse threatened. The visitors may learn how stabilisation and subsidies may be blended and how the increase as well as the soft answer turneth away trade unionists’ wrath. Faced by miners’ hostility, with coal-production losses passing previous records, the Federal Government must be at its wits end to know what ought to be done to placate the miners, even if it is too much to expect them to sit up and beg. Here, Mr. Webb should be able to advise the visitors, by counselling them to take firm measures, saying what they mean and doing it whatever the consequences, and, never on any account to sacrifice principle for expediency. Mr. Webb might suggest that a little opportune hatraising is not amiss, and he could point with pardonable modesty to the fact that his methods have caused the miners in New Zealand to know where they stand, even if Mr. Webb, himself, is not. so sure of his ground.

Seriously, the industrial situation m Australia and particularly in N.S. Wales, is becoming critical. Each trade in turn, at least, has its dispute involving stoppage of work, causing loss to the national war effort and great inconvenience to the general public. These troubles are doing the Labour political ranks much harm, and the longer they continue, the less the chance of the Labour Federal Government being successful at the next election. The recent defeat in the referendum was a warning that should not be ignored by Mr. Curtin and his colleagues. Australia’s internal disputes may be her own affair, but these have bad influences on the neighbouring Dominion. Strikes, like other ills, are contagious, although bitter experience has proved that the wage-earn-ers are the worst sufferers by strikes. To abolish the arbitration system for direct action by employee or employer would be disastrous to Australian progress, especially when post-war problems are such that a satisfactory solution is obtainable only by national unity and co-operation. New Zealand workers would be wise to avoid Australian mistakes, as well as to minimise their own.