THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 1890.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 8360, 13 September 1890, Page 4

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 1890.

The burning question of the next few days—or, perhaps, weeks—is likely to be the action of the Railway Commissioners in dismissing certain men in Christchurch for, at a public meeting, urging their fellow-employes to disobey the lawful orders of the Commissioners, orders specially provided for by a rule ot the service subscribed to by the men. The position of the railway servants is somewhat different from the position of persons in private employment, but the issue of the dispute which has arisen will be looked to with great interest generally in the present state of affairs. The railway servants are the most powerful political body in the colony. It is well known that at last election more than one con test depended on the votes of the railway employe's, and that candidates were elected as against others because they declared themselves in favour of raising the wages of certain classes of the men The railway servants are thus certain to have many friends in the House. As for the Commissioners, their position is scarcely to be envied, if, whenever they discharge a man, they are liable to be " hauled over the coals " in Parliament, and abused by men who have a special capacity in that way, and who are protected in what they say in the House by "privilege."

In the House of Commons on July 23 a discussion took place which lias a close and intimate bearing on this subject. A short time ago there was a strike of postmen, which was unsuccessful. Parliament did not interfere in any way at the time. Members of the House of Commons feel restraints which our members do not acknowledge. But when the Post Office votes were before the House a discussion took place on certain rules recently made as to meetings of officers. Mr. Raikes, Postmaster-General, said that formerly a rule existed prohibiting meetings on official questions, except held in the buildings, under the immediate supervision of the authorities ; that had been rescinded, and now the Post Office employe's could meet when they liked and where they liked. But the Post-master-General thought it necessary to lay down three conditions—namely, that the men should give notice of any meeting they proposed to hold, that the discussion at the meeting should be confined to official questions, and should be attended only by those official persons who were directly interested, and that' the department should have a shorthand writer present, so that an authentic report of what took place might be obtained. The Postmaster - General explained that the condition as to a shorthand writer was not for purposes of espionage, but simply that the information obtained should be accurate. Mr. Baikes then proceeds :—

The experience of the last few weeks had shown how wise was the condition laid down that these meetings should he confined to the public servants interested in them. (Hear, hear.) No one could now be more sensible of this than the unfortunate men who, influenced by professional agitators, were unwise enough to go out on strike, and had tints placed themselves in a most painful position. (Cheers.) . . . He said freely and frankly that, while expressing no views as to Trade Unionists and their action with regard to questions arising between employer and employed, it was impossible for any Government to recognise the interference of such bodies between the State and its servants.

These points are very important, and as they have been assorted by the British Government, and have been acquiesced in by Parliament, they have a claim to be followed here. The Post-master-General will not recognise any professional agitator who purports to speak in the name of the post-office servants. This is a point which the men in all Trades Unions should look to. In some recent agitations in New Zealand, certain trades have allowed themselves to be spoken for, and, what is more, acted for, by men not belonging to those trades, and who have no responsibility at all in the momentous questions decided. We venture to say that if the recent strikes had been fully considered by those who were to suffer the consequences of failure, the men never would have come out. And as respe ts Government servants, the English Post-master-General is wise in refusing alto gether to recognise the interference of Trades Unions between the State and its servants. Exactly the same course should be followed in New Zealand. Here we have had a state of things absolutely monstrous and intolerable. .The secretary of the Maritime Council has addressed the Railway Commissioners, pointing out that they should not carry the goods of certain tradesmen. The Railway Commissioners would have been perfectly justified in declining to take notice of such an insolent communication. Then we have railway servants refusing duty, at the bidding of outside parties, not in order to redress any grievance which they

themselves had, but to carry out a boycott which the Maritime Council had decreed against a certain company. And in the House of Representatives wo have champions of all these things. At the conclusion of his speech the Post-master-General recognised the forbearance of members of the Opposition, during the strike among the postmen, in not interfering with the action of the Government. Our Ministers will not be able to thank members for not interfering. Some of our members have fallen so low that they seem actually willing to hand over their own function of fixing the pay of public servants to outside organisations. In the House of Commons, Sir E. Reed, an opponent of the Government, concurs in the view that "it must be very objectionable to the chief of a great department for outsiders to interfere and to be making representations to him about matters concerning the servants under his control," and this point is also discussed by Mr. "Wootton Isaacs, who says : —" What would the directors of a bank say if, on their clerks going out on strike, a paid agitator came forward to represent their case to their employers.?" Even Mr. Labouchere, who is an ultra-Radical, said lie thought that " The Postmaster-General could not be blamed if lie refused to receive as the representative of the men some secretary whom they had appointed, who was not connected with the post

office. . . . He saw in the daily

press that Mahon [the man who was assuming to act as the representative of the post office servants] said he was happy to say that the dock labourers would treat with violence any postman who would not join the strike. lie could not complain if the Post-master-General declined to receive a paid advocate of that kind." Even Mr. Broadhurst confines himself to making an appeal to the Postmaster-General to deal generously with the men who had been dismissed, and who were now petitioning to get reinstated.

The principles laid down in the House of Commons are, we think, quite sound, and should be carefully considered by those members who are inclined to fly at the Railway Commissioners. The public service, in departments like the railway and the post office, ought to be in such a position that it cannot suddenly be brought to a stop by any combination. If the workmen of any particular employer strike that is a matter which mainly affects the parties concerned ; but when the Government carry on such services as the railways and the post office, where no other parties can come in, there ought not to be the possibility of a general strike, injuring irreparably the whole country. Those men who are dissatisfied with the conditions of t -• service must leave it; they must not get up a conspiracy to stop the work, especially the public service must not be at the beck and call of outsiders, who have no responsibility in the measures taken. Recently our railway servants have allowed themselves to be used, not to redress any grievances of their own, but to carry out the behests of a Trades Union who have a quarrel in Australia ! Ministers are entrusted with the transmission of the mails, and they are wanting in their duty if they do not take every means to have them delivered.