THE WRITING ON THE WALL.

NZ Truth, Issue 438, 15 November 1913, Page 4

THE WRITING ON THE WALL.

Doom of the Hassey Ministry.

The industrial upheavel m the Dominion points conclusively to one thing, and that is that the days of Conservative Government m New Zealand are numbered. As a matter of fact, the doom of the Massey mob was pronounced when "Square Deal" tactics were employed at Waihl to settle a strike, the effects or after effects of which are now being felt What other Ministries would have done m theolroumstanees of the Waihl strike "Truth' is not prepared to say, unless it would have bapene<l that there would have been no strike at all. Ha-i there been no strike at Waihl there would not have been the present upheaval. About that point there can be no dispute. Tho tactics employed }»y the Massey Government £o break that strike were the methods expected of a political party, the embodiment of all that stands for "Fat" The occasion of the Waihl strike was used to attempt to smash the Federation of Labor, and as it panned out tho lob was not so easy as it appeared. Tho shedding of blood, the malminj. and the crippling of the .miners, the formation of a "scab" union of Work era had only one effect It made the worker think, it caused him to realise that whether under the Arbitration Act, or otherwise, if he dared to put up a fight for his rights hd was liable, with the present plutbcratio push m power, to be batoned, bludgeoned, and otherwise brutally bashed. The scene has ohanged. Then it was the Waihl miners, today it is the Wellington Waterside Workers who are presenting such a bold front to the armed lattallions of "Specials," and "Scabs.** In this struggle the ordinary policeman is not counted. He, tou, labors under many grievances, and it is because the ordinary' blue-coat, has grievances, and because, it is possible that his grievances will manifest themselves at the critical juncture, that the "Fat M party j In power blip called on the "Cocky" chap to come to the city under tha pretence of maintaining law ftnd order, : but, m reality, to overawe the city worker., whose Quarrel, after all, is not with the farmer, but with the common enemy of all, Plute. The farmer has yet to realise that his interests 4 re identical with those of the worker m the city. The farmer has yet to realise that the Capitalistic shipowners nnd the fat middle-men are the common enemies alike of the clrv and country workers. Wnen such is realised and when next tha worker revolts, it, will then be found thr.t the f&rnier will bo prepared to mttfc-j many sacrifices m order to help the worker m the city. It is remarkable, yy. it is a fact, that while the present political party hut keen In power. N«w ZeaUnd has b«en continually torn by industrial disturbances. It ia pnskiliie, of c-iurso. that had any other political party been m power, that th* of the worker would have culminated m revolt, but we can n at :oncolvo that any political party, other than the present party, would have resorted to the tactics which have been employed to break strikes of ajl kinds. W*» 4n> not know what the Liberal Government would havo done In the circumstances, but we cannot get away from the fact that under a Liberal Government New Zealand was practically froo from serious industrial outbreaks. It was the pot toy of the Liberal Government m the past to be> apparently sympathetic with tho working class, and though it it is true that tho Liberal party did on many occasions prove traitorous to the cause of Labor, and waa roiponsl%\a for the yoke of Wowserlsm, wh»>h tho worker is now slowly but surely throwing off, th« accession to power of Massey and his mob of money-bag r*> pr«sentatives has everywhere b«en the signal for workint; cliuw revolt It Is the battle -cry of the Federation of Labor to "out Maaaey." Massoy knows that politically the federation la out to annihilate htm, ami the consequence Is that Mftsudy being m power, has »loiennincd to u*i Umt power to break the back of the Federation of LaV>r. The Government lm*. therefore, *!«• elded to use force, or to j-i.cour&ice t!*o us of force. It has eucouraired the caihenng m oltles of Kow Zealand of nrmed trained men. It has encouraged the "cocky" to arm himself and his fanu!y« to invado iho olUe« wf New JJealand. and by a show of forco to irritato rtie worker, to Incite him to u*e violence, to resort to riot to give any excuse, or shadow of excuse for the tinned thugs to nhoot th-> workers, and lo sbo*>l cttiwiui wno ihow by their presence ut strike meetings to bo m sympaihy with the workers. These tactics aro the tactics of v. party which f«>pr*senis tlto cia«j that is opposed to the aims and aspirations of tho workew, and U vi hecauso of this that ths wurkcr* or© prewiring to iMJhtlcuilly vlpe out this Kan* of poHtiCiU tlttroble-riggors. • • • . The nuxt oieciSona should toll their own talc. Th<^ fworkvr know* tbo Mas«»<y Govwrnmeni for *vhtii it ik. Th« worker cannot vory woil place implicit irufcl m ibo Llburui pttrty. mt\ Uio mily hope tor iho worker 1* to ti»«j die jire«ont »plendld orgnn»i*.ui<>n »ft romin to i'arlJameni men who navu pr^vod that tht-y pta«*» bofcrft all cl« the lntfrf«i« of lht» working clasuciu The swiHfc \i to be deplored. All tnt 4 n deplore It hut if v i* nccc*«ary that tJi«* \v.tru<T mu*t ►trlk* 1 ! m uM Jn '-'Witi p.tralys« u\tlufttry m order to nutke it plain U»ai Mammon >s not the nuwtr t.t th# tituttiioa »n r.*<sw ?l^r«nd, tlu>n tl.c powtr of ih«t .worker tnu« i«n UU. Wifh a Govornmont In tK»w«r »h(»wifn even « litUo vyuxpaUiy with tho working d&M j