ESTABLISHED 1866. The Marlborough Express PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 1917. END OF THE COAL STRIKE.

Marlborough Express, Volume LI, Issue 97, 26 April 1917, Page 4

ESTABLISHED 1866. The Marlborough Express PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 1917. END OF THE COAL STRIKE.

4 widespread frave of satisfaction and relief must have passed over the Dominion when the good news of the J coal miners' strike being ended was made public. The strike had occasioned much puolic anxiety, plus not a little very justifiable indignation tliat such a wanton disturbance of industrial peace should have been brought about at a time like the present, when the hearty co-oporation of all classes • m maintaining the higliest possible productive efficiency is so absolutely necessary if New Zealand is- to continue io take its fair share of the war lesponsibilities, of the Empire. It would have been a national calamity-'of the gravest kihdhad the strike continued ft>r a»y lengthy period and the shipping -aft 4 pther industries of the country W&&& deprived of an adequate supply tof coal. As it is, much serious ti«c'onyenience has been caused through the necessity for making special arrangements with which to meet the threatened shortage. , Tho strike was from the first a ■ senseless and a wicked proceeding—so insane a proceeding, indeed, that it is difficult to conceive of presumably wne men determining upon such a step being taken at all. Such grievance as the miners may have Had against their employers in the alleged fact that the latter had refused the workers a conference could not fairly be considered as justification v for a course •of action which, if persisted in, would have prevented the regular Je&patch. of the Reinforcements and seriously impeded the sailinr, of vessels carrying food supplies to Great, Britain. As a matter of fact, this grievance was, when tho strike broke out, never mentioned. The minors struck, so the country was informed by their leaders, as a/protest against the compulsory clauses of the Military Service Act. The men demanded that the Act be immediately repealed, unmindful of, or deliberately ignoring, the fact that no Government has the power tio repeal legislation which stands on the Statute Book. Later on, the absurdity of . the original demand being apparently recognised T)y the strikers, they called upon the Government to call Parliament together immediately. As a matter of fact, there is not the slightest chance of Parliament, even when it does meet, repealing, or in any way altering the compulsory clauses of the Military Service Act; but the men persisted in an attitude which was, to ■all intents and purposes, an attempt to be a law■•■unto themselves, and to set the oi;dihary rules of the country at defiance. , . [

As to the inner and exact causes of this anarchical attitude, they cannot at- present very easily be defined, but it is quite clear from the. positively astounding evidence which has Nboeu c;ivcn this week in the Auckland courts that influences of a most noxious character have been brought to bear upon the miners for some months past, and that the wild theories and wilder and more dangerous methods of the I.W.W. may probably be much more generally in,, foj cc in this country than ; most people had imagined. As our readers are aware : the Government wisely adopted a moderate and unprovocative policy. in ■ dealing with the affair. The Acting-Prime Minister (Sir James Allen)-ttnd the Hon. Air MacDpnald, Minister, for Mines, proceeded to the West Coast, and had several personal and private meetings with the malcontents. Exactly what took place at these meetings has not yet been made public, but the country learnt with satisfaction that Sir James Allen had strongly impressed upon the men the grave consequences of stopping the coal supplies of the transports and. food ships, and had made a well-reasoned appeal to their sense" of patriotism and loyalty. For a time the situation looked very ugly, reports coming to hand of the workers at various mines being steadfastly opposed to abating tiieir demand that the conscription law should be repealed or suspended. Sir James Allen, however, appears to have maintained a cheerful confidence that the' affair would come to a satisfactory, conclusion, and this hope has been fully justified. Unions which at first "turned down" with scorn the proposition to resume work have rescinded their resolutions' to continue the strike, and' a mutually honorable and satisfactory agreement has been arrived,at.

1 Work has been lesumed, the nownotorious "go slow" policy is to be abandoned in favor of a return to ordinary conditions of production, the Government adheres firmly to its decision not to allow any tampering 'with or suspension of, the^' Military Service Act, and for the time being at least there is to <be no more factious or seditious opposition to the law> of :he land. The Government will endeavor to. -arrange, for a conference between the coal-mine owners

( and the men on the question of an t I increase od: wages, but on neither the matter «f conscription nor of the i punishment of those convicted of } breaking the law has there been any j backing down on the part of the authorities. This is as it should: be,.. for any such weakness by the Government could only .have had the result of encouragjng'the Labor extremists, aot only in i&e coal-mining industry, but in all other trades, in the belief that they could make the State agree to any terms they might choose to dictate. Better luive vhad a prolonged strike, with .all the'inconvenience and loss that this must -inevitably have brought in its train, than any cowardly capitulatioii on the part of the Government- ■'■■ to* men who have behaved with such crass folly and with such scant regard for patriotism and loyalty; '■ In this connection we. think that, had Sir. .James Allen and Mr MacDbrialdlciiow'h what evidence was to be: adduced at the trial of certain Mine Union leaders this week, they would-never lia've/agreed not to press , for"' penalties against men charged with ■'■■ fomenting the "go slow" policy. However, the strike is over, .atid we are sure our readers will, agree wiih;us that the ActingPrime Minister and his colleague are entitled to the warmest congratulations of the country oh the success of - their efforts. . . / -