CAUGHT RED-HANDED

NZ Truth, Issue 931, 29 September 1923, Page 4

CAUGHT RED-HANDED

AND TALKS OF RED HERRINGS. The increasing revolt of the coal miners against the Arbitration Court was heralded at a conference of representatives of Miners' Unions held recently m Wellington, at which antiarbitration talk took place. The conference resolved, by an overwhelming majority, "that the ■executive forward instructions to the unions on the question of cancelling registration under the Industrial, Conciliation, and Arbitration Act." ' This utterance suffers from the obliquity of expression that characterises all Extreme Labor utterances, but it Is fair to assume that the resolution means breaking away from the Arbitration Court and Act. :: :: i: That deduction is the more warranted because the Sooiallst weekly reports that the conference also resolved that Miners' Unions cease work on the day on which any union is summoned to the Court for breach of award. : : : : : : Moreover, In reply to a question, Mr. J. Roberts is reported to have said that the Alliance of Labor m policy and action opposes the Arbitration Court. So there is ample evidence at this conterence — apart from evidence elsewhere — of preparations for a new attack upon the Court. :: :: :: What happened was that the Miners' Federation and the Alliance of Labor, yielding to pressure from the militant section of the miners, took this way of giving countenance to the new militant offensive. On the battle-field it-self— the West Coast— offensive measures developed rapidly, and so openly that a ballot of miners was taken on the Issue of strike or "go-slow," the third course (of carrying on as at present) not finding &. place on the voting paper. It is not certain whether this move hud the direct authorisation of either the Miners' Federation Executive or the Alliance of Labor. Perhaps both the central executives preferred not to be openly connected with a ballot paper that stands on about the same piano of dishonesty as the New South Wales Labor Party's ballot-boxos with sliding panels. But whether the central executives of tho Miners' Federation and of the Alliance of Labor were behind this fraudulent ballot paper or not, they share the moral opprobrium of it Just as much (m fact, more) by their silent acceptance of such a thimble-tigging trlok. :: :: :: And the same remark applies to H. E. Holland, Peter Frasor, and all tho other Laborltea who adcrn thu au-called party of political sincerity! A West Coast miner desirous of carrying on undar the award had the alternative of nof voting at all, or ot voting for "go-slow" an being a lesser evil than a strike. No wonder, then, that tho ballot carried "go-slow." : : • : ' ' Yet, m the face of this fact, there are Laborltea of note who even to-day are affectfns to deny that "go-slow" exists on the West Coast. Anothor tribute to the party of intellectual honesty nnd no-humbug! : : a * » When tho Red Army led a feeble left ("go-Blow") as part of the increased offensive against the Arbitration Court, the coal employers replied with a vigorous right ("the hack"). Militancy suffered badly m tho exchange.

Militancy persisted, and the owners, not satisfied to pick men off m groups, took* the bull by the horns and closed the mines. Morally and practically, "go-slow" invited that course. s : : : : : Their bluff being called, some of the miners are making a half-hearted attempt to prove a legal lock-out. H. E. Holland is talking m that strain, but is proving nothing. He and some of his constituents are also talking about a. conspiracy of coal owners to. close the mines and, cause a coal famine, but again without an atom of proof. The available evidence is that the coal owners lose m every way by the big coal imports now being contracted for over long periods — simply because New Zealand miners are tricked into quarrelling with their bread and butter. Looking at the situation apart from Quibbles and hair-splitting, it is simply a. case of the biter being bit, and therefore abusing the other side. :: :: :: The miners have been led into the position of trying to break away from the Arbitration Court; arid of using the "go-slow" as their most likely weapon. Holland cannot champion them with any degree of honesty unless he expressly approves anti-araitra-tlonism, and "go-slow" as a means of breaking up the existing system. Does Holland, and does the Labor Party which he leads, stand for "goBlow" and for breaking away irom the Arbitration Court? The choice to-day In New Zealand is between arbitration and anarchy. On which side does political 'Labor stand? It Is for Holland to say, or else stand convicted as an evaslonist of calibre equal to Massey's. :: :: : : To try to draw red herrings about alleged coal-famine conspiracies and Illegal lock-outs (unsupported by evidence) is worse than childish. Even if there is to be a general election next year, Holland stands to lose Dlb many votes by facing both ways on the arbitration issue and on constitutionalism generally, as he would lose it he got down definitely on one side of the fence or on the other. If Holland really stands fur the Arbitration Court, oven if he merely stands for honestly observing an award that prohibits go-Blow, ho should tell the miners what ho thinks of them. Instead of that, ho panders to the so-called proletariat with a servility never excelled by any lip-server of the plutocracy. : : : : '•'• Nearly all labor troubles m tho Now Zenland mining industry originate m a, flagrant broach of contract by the miners, followod by an Impudent attempt to prove that black is white. There sis a strong public opinion ready to support tho union that really has a cause. That public opinion gets little chanco to mould itself because militant unionism Is continually crying -wolf," and because "constitutional labor" is oontlnually trampling on princlplo In order to keep step with tho militant pro. cession. Meanwhile the miners who havo spoiled their own chance of working nro asking other unions to work for them, nnd Now Zealand la piling up anew its adverse trade-balances with Australia by Importing huge coal order;* m replacement of it« own available supplies.