THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS MONDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1913. THE FALL OF SYNDICALISM.

New Zealand Herald, Volume L, Issue 15489, 22 December 1913, Page 6

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS MONDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1913. THE FALL OF SYNDICALISM.

The defeat of syndicalism in New Zealand is complete. Tho Federation of Labour has been compelled to "declare the strike off" all along the waterside by the irresistible fact that every syndicalist waterside union has been effectively displaced and that the auti-syndicalist leaders of the Seamen's Union have regained control of their organisation and brought all its branches under the Arbitration Act. The Australian unions which entered so lightly into the fray and spoke so easily of " wiping New Zealand off the map" evidently realised that New Zcalanders are not to be terrorised and that their intervention simply meant a conflict wherein they could only meet disaster; they promptly took advantage of the seamen's agreement to recede from their untenable position. The mines still remain idle, but coal is coming to New Zoaland from a dozen countries, and the spontaneous organising of indignant citizens which reopened the ports can obviously reopen the mines if the need arises. For all practical purposes, therefore, the Federation of Labour had ceased to exist as a factor in the transport service of the Dominion when it abandoned on Saturday last its monstrous attempt to force this progressive Dominion back to the position of the unprogressive countries where syndicalism had its

origin and where industrial anarchy is a popular doctrine. The only effect of its decision is that the misguided workers who were deluded and terrorised by scheming agitators into participating in a deliberate attack upon the industrial life of the community will now be " permitted" to look for other employment.

Whatever may be thought of 'the I.W.W. groups which by their machinations secured and exerted such a malignant influence over colonial • unions as to involve thousands of industrious men in a retrograde and reactionary movement, there can be nothing but sympathy with the great mass of defeated strikers. Serious as have been the losses inflicted upon the community at large by this absolutely unjustifiable strike, losses which aggregate many hundreds of thousands of pounds throughout the Dominion, it will be generally recognised that none have suffered more seriously than the strikers. That they did not expect to suffer, that they acted either without thought or under the carefully fostered delusion that a few hours or a few days would see the triumph of the Federation, only makes their position harder. There is not a New Zealander among them who can honestly and sincerely justify the strike when he considers how it was brought about, and that the sole aim and purpose of its promoters and originators was to restore barbaric and violent methods in those industrial relations which the community is earnestly endeavouring to regulate by equitable and orderly means. Thus there is in this crushing and complete. defeat of syndicalism no consoling conviction that a stand was made for himian rights and human progress, although a desperate effort was made in Auckland to persuade men that they were striking to save gome Huntly miners from being "victimised." Not a.defeated union can point to intelligent discussion upon the original strike question; not a defeated unionist can say that at least he had a fair voice in the matter and cast his ballot either for or against the strike according to his convictions ; of all those seriously involved 'only the seamen can feel that they had officials who realised the issue and generally did their utmost to save them from being dragged into the wrecking vortex of syndicalism. As a matter of fact the Federation of Labour does not work by democratic methods, but by craftily eliminating democratic methods and transforming unions into mobs and union officials into demagogues. Syndicalism is impossible among self-respecting and self-governing unions, and we have had in New Zealand an object-lesson of the whole process that should never need to be repeated. Least'of all, should there be any hard feeling against the individual strikers who followed false leaders and have paid the penalty. It may bo some littlo time before the suppressed energy of industrialism recovers sufficiently to reabsorb all who have lost employment, but we do not hesitate to say that it is the civic duty of all employers—as it should be their pleasure at this Christmas seasonto do everything in their power to find work for all who want to work. With the Federation of Labour there should be no terms, for it is unfit to exist in this progressive community, but for all its victims there should bo sympathy and a helping hand.

No comment upon the defeat of syndicalism can be fairly concluded without reference to Mr. Massey's " Strike Act," a piece of statesmanship of which any statesman might be proud. It was opposed on Parliamentary division only by the little group of syndicalist members, and can be denounced only by those

I.W.W. agitators whose aim is to embroil society by inciting a general stoppage of work whenever men can be inoculated with the strike-fever. This waterside strike was engineered by unscrupulous agitators, who used simple-minded workers as their tools and . fairly frightened the great majority of those who ceased work by threatening and abusing them. Incidentally we may point out that the Federation "declared the strike off" in as remarkable a manner as it plunged into the battle, a promiscuous meeting at Wellington deciding in some peculiar fashion the policy which should apply to every port in the Dominion. Mr. Massey's Act affirms and protects the democratic character of legal unionism as well as asserting and insisting upon the right and duty of conferring before striking. It definitely outlaws the Mafia tactics which have been introduced into New Zealand by aliens and foreigners— own countries arc as unprogressive industrially as arc their methods— which arc solely responsible for the waterside strike that ends in utter defeat. Does anybody imagine for a moment that New Zealand workers, now they have to decide by secret ballot, will repeat the late strike to enable syndicalist agitators at Wellington to stop work on the wharves when and how and as they please, regardless of agreement ?