TAMING THE EXTREMISTS.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 12 February 1921, Page 3

TAMING THE EXTREMISTS.

Seamen’s Protests.

DON’T LIKE EMPLOYEES’ STRIKE

'Ey Electric Telegraph- Copyright.) iPer Press Association.) (Received This Day, 11.30 a.m.) Sydney, February 12. Mr Walsh, the seamen’s secretary, replied to the secretary of the shipowners stating the seamen protest against the lock-out. They were prepared to resume on- conditions existing prior to the lock-out, or meet the owners in conference

The Public’s Point of View.

The “Bulletin” has arrived at the conclusion that Australia —especially Queensland, New South Wales, and .Western Australia, where the nonBritish clement is strongest, lives now from strike to strike and loan to loan. Our contemporary points out in its customarily incisive fashion that in the days of the early shearing and Broken Hill troubles and of the Victorian railway stoppage of 1903, the strike Was a legitimate protest against, the lack of arbitration laws. Now Australia’possess the most enlightenc ! arbitration laws that a long series of Labour Governments could devise, and in the two most . troubled States Labour Governments exist to improve them whenever necessary. Strikeunder these conditions are sheer brigandage. In the big upheaval with which 1921 opened the strikers w6rc ; as usual, standing out for their “rights,” these being whatever the strikers liked to ask and as much as they could take. The “rights” of thf pirate, burglar and brigand are exactly the same. But the man who refuses arbitration, instead of robbing an individual here and there while leaving the fabric of society standing, revolts against the community, and against the principle of one adult one vote and against the self-governing rights cf the majority, and against civil isa lion. Ho has secured for the time thamazing privilege that he doesn’t pay when he loses. To make him do sc even in the smallest way would b( “victimisation,” which is set up like a cardinal sin like parricide, only t; bo mentioned with shudders. Yet tac burglar, brigand and pirate who dcfim their own “rights” and reach out f> what they want are not spoken of abeing “victimised” because there it something to pay when the grab fails While the bulk of the community, in which, every man and woman is sup posed to be equal, assumes a purely passive attitude towards any small section that chooses to do the hold-up. act, there are throe possibilities (1) The people who defy their own laws, and throw numbers besides themselvescut of work, and blockade State am private enterprise just as a foreign in vader might, and do theii utmost t( force the community by misery anc starvation to buy them off, may get their blackmail in full. Whcreupoi they show no gratitude and give m guarantee that they won't promptly demand more. (2) They may get par' of what they want (there is general!; a compromise), whereupon they male no disguise of the fact th it the peac will be broken at the first opportunity and that they will come back for tin rest. (3) They may fail foi th moment, but as they pay nothing L their breach of faith and of law, th hold-up is always worth trying. T» exact any penalty, no matter how in. reasoning the breach and how enorm ous the loss, would, as already men tioned, be “ victimisation,” wlilcword, by dint of much impressive iteration, has become as blessed a; “Mesopotamia.”

The strikers lose not so very muci even while the fight lasts. Their lano lords lose. Their hard-worked, ill-pah 1 long-hour wives (who have no vote h union matters, for the union leader o the inferior type has a poor opinio■ of the female drudge) arc sure t( suffer. Tradespeople may be vmpah. There is great trouble for a multitude of folk quite outside the orbit of tb original shindy, who are rot allowcc to make use of the buildings, machin cry, etc., which belong to them bccatis people to whom they don’t belong will have it so. But the average, able bodied striker, if he has chosen hi. campaigning season wisely, ca , scramble along without a.w real tin gedy for quite a while■ iu a balin', climate. If he succeeds iu collect™;; his claim then the original offender i the only one in the mix-up who doesn’t 16se. Incidentally there is n.l ways an appeal to the harmless, help less neutral who has no blackmail to collect that he shall, personally 01 through the Treasury, pu> up mom:; for the women and children, and thu: indirectly help to keep tin movement going. Unless he is a do f . or a worm or both ho is supposed to do some Hung of the sort. Unionism in An-, tralia, as the “Bulletin” emphasis..has been made by its now leaders a one-sided game. It has extensive priv ; leges, but it doesn’t profess, even m rare times of peace, to hr.e any particular duties in return. While it lavdown the theory that only unionist-! should bo allowed to work, it doesu' iu the least undertake to supply ■*" adequate number of men to do thi ccessary work. Nor does, it unde lake that those it does supdy shall In capable. The chief qualifications arc that one shall pay duos and leva"even illegal ones; shall obey the striJ? order without question; shall disrr. gard the law when ordered (sheared vho declined to break the 48-houi award were refused renewal of their membership until the courts wore in vokod, and it has been seriously suggested that the names of ail such lawkeepers should he sent through the country so that they may bo perse (uted and victimised to the Unlit, j that he shall be hostile to the defence of Australia; shall hate all employers, trad be a nark generally. Bid it is n I stipulated that he shall be good at b s alleged trade, and while the more I ,’’ y 3 of easing Christian matters only t; himself, the mfirex, professing boilermaker matters to tho industry of tin* country. . . . There begins to be a ganger that industry, except .sum primitive aoit* as can be • one by the

solitary worker who is his own cm ployer, will dodder friendless to the .rave. A possible remedy lour ec ’.mporary thinks), lies in making th • 1 cht two-sided —in the rommuni on strike against illegal shakers. It has !i!' much rig t to forb’d them the use of its post cAmors, railways, tramways, hunks, hospitals, cemeteries ami even its police and lew courts as they have to forbid it the n of its railways. II has as much right to intercept their cou'nbutions and to sequestrate their funds as they have to intercept its mail and sequ..(rale its steamers. And to Mack-list professional strike-raisers bravens who have no interest in industry Hit murder industry for hire -- lo black-list them as voters and opbticians would be far less outrageous than their attempts to black-list nonstrikers. It is a poor, uninspiring battle, in which one side lights ami declares that the oilier is a hound if B bits back.