WEDNESDAY, JUNE 23, 1926 INDUSTRIAL STRIFE

Northland Age, Volume 26, Issue 9, 23 June 1926, Page 4

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 23, 1926 INDUSTRIAL STRIFE

It seems a difficult thing indeed to secure industrial peace. Perhaps it is impossible.wYearsago when conciliation and arbitration laws seemed a mere dream, it 1 was thought their adveut would settle all troubles. Yet such laws have been long ! in existence. Australia leads the world j in that respect. Still they keep their end ! up in the striking line. At present about 1 1000 engine drivers are holding up the i coal industry of Australia. Some 30,000 miners consequently are unemployed, j Caal is a key industry. Cut off the supp- i ly and one industry after another is held up, and men put out of work. The waterfront is affected, and the list of men unemployed will grow daily. The engine drivers are on strike because they will not accept the award of the constitutionally appointed arbitrator. If either side caii flout an award of what value is arbitration? Unionists leaders must tackle this problem. The dream of the nationalisation of coal mines will not be the solution. If the. Government controlled all the mines to-morrow, (here would be nothing »o prevent the thousand engine drivers holding up the industry if they were dissatisfied. If the solution is to give them everything they ask for, the end would be swift and complete. Things would just smash up generally and the last case be worse infinitely than the present.