STRIKERS AND SHRIEKERS!

NZ Truth, Issue 145, 28 March 1908, Page 4

STRIKERS AND SHRIEKERS!

Notwithstanding the imperturbable and unsufferable cheek of a person named Lomas, Chief Inspector of Factories, who last week had the effrontery, and was no doubt prompted by another motive than that of a friendly warning, to write on Departmental foolscap that this paper had better "shut up" on the Blackball or any other strike, pending, or m existence, under all sorts of pains and penalties, "Truth" wishes to have a little to say on the altogether partisan parade of plutocratic yindictiveness on the part of \ Wellington's Corrupt capitalistic daily press. If this person Lomas has not singled out "Truth" alone for his uninvited and unwarranted, not to say officious, advice on the attitude to be adopted when industrial 'discontent is m the air, assuming that the daily press has been also "bull-dosed" in-

to respect for "Law and Order," all that need here be remarked is that the said daily press are pursuing a course contemptuous of the Arbitration Court and singularly disrespectful to the lamentable Lomas. If comments on pending disputes are calculated to prejudicially affect decisions to^. be given, if anything printed or published is liable to obstruct Arbitration Court justice ; liable to be construed into an abetment or fomentation of strike strife and otherwise widen the industrial breach between master and men, then, the advice is given gratuitously, it is to be found m the lea-din^ columns of "The Times" and "The. Dominion," of every issue during the past week. The complications that arose before the Blackball Unionists were fined, ami which have arisen subsequent to the infliction of tirat fine, have, indeed, created a situation which requires to be dealt with carefully and delicately. The position of affairs, the steadfast and frankly firm refusal of the Union to pay that fine ; the continued refusal of t'he miners to turn to unless the demand for a half-hour crib-time is conceded ; the utter contempt of the miners for . threats of imprisonment, and the further infliction of fines., are surely urgent grounds for calm and clear reflection of the present "intolerable position." What, however, do we find ? In a mad, mafficking mariner, the daily press,, particularly the organ of Fat, otherwise "The" -Dominion," warranting the assumption that all editorial control and caution have been rudely cast aside, is nothing short of bellowing for the calling out of the military tp shoot a-nd mow' the miners down like dogs and thus satisfy its appetite for the shedding of the Blackball miners' blood.' * • • « Certainly the poor weak, doddering "Times," that piece of cracked [ and croaking thunder, finds itself an a rail. It really does not know what jto say. Posing eCs a Government origan, it daren't aspire to be a candid friend. It simply echoes the plutocratic cry "gaol them, gaol them !" and Sir Joseph Ward's easily-twist-ed reply, that the Law would be upheld, satisfies the poor weak and morally ' m isguMed ' ' Government organ that the miners wi.U be awed into submission. The. unfortunate part of the qritical position is that each day brings the. General Elections nearer, and we doubt whether Joe Ward wants v to, or would dare, , face the country, having it on his political conscience that he gaoled a number of honest, hard-workdng miners who have become disgusted at the degeneracy of the Arbitration Court, a>nd are, by "passive resistance" to an almost savage visitation by that i Court, only doing what English history teems with. Reform and Justice were never secured by a lamb-like submission to the wretched, cruel, and always bloody subordination of the corrupt and cowardly capitalistic class. However, the Blackball miners are aware of that. Dismissing the altogether mediocre and miserable murmurs of the' maudlin "Times," which can ill afford to ignore the Blackball bother altogether, "Truth" directs the attention of this advice-giving person Lomas to the daily deliriums of the "Dominion." The' Fat Man's organ is barracking; | for Fat. Posing as an advocate of' Law and Order, it is goading the Government into^the fatal mistake of gaoling the. men ' for adhering to a principle that; by every meaning of t^he word Justice, they are privileged to fight for. If the Arbitration Court has failed to solve the Industrial i problem, let the Government appoint j a special tribunal to thoroughly investigate the grievances of the miners. The cry to gaol the men to make them submissive, by converting ttiem into criminals, is but the fore-runner of the bold and bloody cry- to shoot them down like mangy^ mongrel curs. "Truth"/ presumes that if the policy of • gaoling men is to be ckrried out, further, it-gal proceedings will be initiated, and practically the Blackball strike is a matter which is sub judice, therefore, the "Dominion" and the "Timas," m shrieking against the strikers and bellicosely barracking for their blood and assuming the position of Judges, this \ section of the press is abrogating to itself certain functions which belong only to a constituted tribunal, and if this person Lomas is an impartial administrator of his office he will at once institute proceedings the effect of which 'will be to effectually silence the shriekers whose daily deliriums ' constitute an outrageous and unparalleled contempt of Court. Of course, "Truth" rfcself, m thus daring to point . out who the worst offenders are, might also be regarded by Lomas as being disrespectful to the Court. It might be urged that we are "obstructing,", "aiding," and "abetting," that we have committed every crime on the calendar. If so, let Lomas come on ami do his damnedest. At anyrate, this paper is honest enough arid sincere enough to inform the authorities that the Blackball miners will fight to the bitter end. If they are gaoled, so much the worse for the Government and bloated "Lorandrder." It will mean a complete upheaval of industrial society and the Arbitration Court with its fines and awards, breaches of which m miners are magnified to a crime, but which m the employer is a jnere technicality, will be treated with ignominy and contempt, a contempt greater than that shown by the daily papers, the proprietors and managers of which have themselves within the past week or two been fined for evasion of an award. If the present problem at Blackball is to be solved let a special tribunal be appointed and presided ov.er by Sir Robert Stout, then will the New Zealand public be forced to admit the justice of the claims of the Blackball miner. The Arbitration Court seems to have lost caste. So long as the daily press is permitted to deride and disobey the law they pretent (m the capitalist interest) to respect, so long then will the present "intolerable" state of affairs continue to exist. ' ...