THE H.B. TRIBUNE. TUESDAY, JULY 13th., 1920. “BAIL UP.”

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume X, Issue 178, 13 July 1920, Page 4

THE H.B. TRIBUNE. TUESDAY, JULY 13th., 1920. “BAIL UP.”

The bailing up of the President of the Racing Conference by the firemen of the s.s. “Mokoia” is, in itself and its immediate consequences, a matter of moment only to the gentleman directly concerned and a relatively few others interested in the conduit of racing affairs. In its widest effect, if persisted in, it may prevent Sir George Clifford from presiding over the lacing clubs’ conference to be held in Wellington this week, and. as Sir George himself lias always discouraged the appointment of a vice-president and there is thus none in existence, there may be no one qualified to take the chair, and so the conference may lapse. That, however, as has been said, will concern racing men only, and. will affect but little the general public, whose interests seem to trouble the Racing Conference to a still less extent. But there is a sinister significance about the incident which should concern the public very profoundly, would the ‘ people at large but arouse themselves to the menace to their freedom ot action that is involved. The quarrel which the seafaring men and the watersiders wish at the moment to pick is with those in control of, or connected with, the horse-racing industry. They wish to force air issue as between two sections engaged in that industry—Tlie jockeys, 'on the one side, and the race-horse owners and raeing-clnb stewards and committees, on the other. Having .espoused the cause of the jockeys in a dispute which is quite capable of adjustment by duly constituted tribunals, these transport workers seek to dictate the manner in which it will be settled, jn order to do this they have declared “black’’ all those connected with racing —other, of course, than the jockeys themselves —and even the unoffending and inoffensive horses. That Sn George Clifford was seeking to reach Wellington' mainly in order to preside over an authoritative meeting proposing to deal with the jockeys’ grievances, in at least a proiessedly sympathetic mood, matters nothing, 'lhe seamen and the watersiders want things carried out iu the manner that will reflect the most glory on their own power. So the firemen of the leriysteamer tell Sir George Clifford that so long as he is on the-boat she will leave her moorings at Lyttelton wharf. And Sir George Clifford, like any otliei sensible man similarly placed, ami with what grace he may, submits rather than that a steamerlul of people — some of them,- at least, doubtless bound on missions of business or domestic concerns ot no little importance and possibly oi grave anxiety to them —should also be held np. That, however, is probably what would hate happened had Sir George Clifford insisted on his undoubted right to travel by the steamer. No more glaring instance could be imagined of the thoroughly despotic manner in which misguided and perverted unionism is prepared to exercise the power which it has gradually gathered, anil which is, in truth, being given play on every possible occasion that offers. What has to be remembered is that, while the embargo to-day is put upon racing men, to-morrow it may be the prohibitionists, or any other association of men and women, who have incurred the displeasure of those who have thus taken virtual command of our public transport service by sea. Is it not about time that the citizens of the Dominion, including—and especially including—the trade-unionists who appreciate the true functions of tradeunionism, should take a hand by forming some sort of effective countervailing combination and organization which, too t could make its weight felt, but in the public interests/ That a relatively small organized minority of the community, without any other authority than the power allowed them to enforce their tyrannical ui’~e, should be permitted to say to any member of it, “Thou shall not go artjout thy lawful business, here or there,” is surely a thing that the whole community should actively and strenuously resent.