THE COAL STRIKE

New Zealand Times, Volume XLII, Issue 9630, 10 April 1917, Page 2

THE COAL STRIKE

To the Editor “N.Z. Times.” Sir,—As a member of the Labour party —one who lias sympathised with its ideals and who has tried to do his bit towards realising their fulfilment— I wish to state that I agree in the main with your article on the virtual strike in production by the coal miners. At this time When the free nations of the earth are fighting against despotism and an attempt to stop the advance of democracy, anyone who refuses to do his best for the cause of freedom is a scab. It is no time for individual grievances to be aired. The freedom of the world, and with it more. than anything else, the freedom of the work-, ers is at staki, and any worker who 1 does not do his best for those who are giving their lives for the cause of freedom is a scab and a slacker, and deserves the eleven months’ hard labour he will get. I am not a supporter of any Government—they come and go, outs and ins as in the days of old—but £ am a supporter of freedom as we know it against the German ideal of the subjection of the world. I don’t want to see our children brought up to believe the teaching of Bernhardt and Nietzsche that the Kaiser is the Superman and that the people should worship him. Those coal miners who are going on strike now arc supporting that theory, and if they had their way the German legions would come and cut their throats and make officers’ attendants of their womenfolk. No party ever succeeded that had its country against it, and no body of slaves ever achieved their own freedom. The workers are workers because they have not the ability to be masters, and it is because they are bitter and cannot be broad-minded that they go on strike 'and so assist the enemy when freedom is in danger and is crying to every friend of freedom—every true Socialist —to help to defeat the forces of monopoly and Caesarism. But I know this little trouble will not make any differeuco. It is not a question of mounted

club men this time. It is a question of the contest between true liberty and Prussian domination, and I know that the spirit of New Zealand is with her bovs lighting lor the freedom of the world, and not with the moral cowards who are slacking at the coal mines. Tho latter have only to leave their work and hundreds of true men aro rea4v to go to the mines and work like gal|t‘V slaves for freedom's cause, ims Unfe* in Labour's greatest time. It is the time for the emancipation of the wage slave, and they are such ignorant fools that they don’t know it. When tho forces of freedom have won this war the ideal of Socialism will be very near its fulfilment —nearer than it would have been in five hundred years without the war—yet the fool workers who have learned the principles ox socialism as the parrot learns its sayings, but have never got those principles into their brains, take advantage of the times to strike in order to forward their own little personal interests. Who saved Russia? The workers had nothing to do with the change there no body of slaves ever effected its own freedom. It was the intellectuals who saved Russia, and it will be the roof thinkers who will guide the Allies into right paths after the war, .for fr,e% J lom lias been won. Since Poland feb nd Kosciusko died freedom ‘ stranger in Eastern Eur/ ; I ;, ; pu ; in England lias been kep.. . ,■ e strings; but now if the wore'- r- ■ e i " , pared to enter into their oimo to sei v>, tile State instead of selfishly ."ymg to redress old wrongs and t> ..opposu fi tieoilom’s cause—the on© chance lhc*i. will have to achieve redemption .has .-come. The one and only opportunity m hve hundred Tears to achieve equality o! sacrifice and equality of reward to the deserving is with us now, and if rejected—if every man does not put aside ilia own petty selfish interest for the welfare of the world—the workers will still remain wage slaves till the next chance -comes in about five hundred ■ r< l*therefore appeal to those who have already shown themselves unable to judge between ultimate welfare and ultimate slavery to accept the word of a true friend and fight to the last for world freedom, while organising for world control in Iho future.--I am. etc.. F. WALLACE MACKENZIE. Mangatoro, April. 6th, 1917.