BIG STRIKE PLAN.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21266, 21 February 1931, Page 23

BIG STRIKE PLAN.

AUSTRALIAN EXTREMISTS. DOOMED TO FAILURE. (From Opr Own Correspondent.) SYDNEY, February 12. The Australian Council of Trades Unions n body to which most or tne trades councils are affiliated, has come into prominence with the latest suggestion for the economic relief of Australia a general strike. It is doomed to failure, although it is bound to receive a big measure of support. Ostensibly a genera strike would be against the wage cut of 10 per cent, recently ordeicd by the Federal Arbitration Court, an institutiom bv the w r ay, which the A.C.J..U. lougnt so hard to retain when it was threatened by the Nationalists a little more than 12 months ago. At that time the A.T.C. was a champion of the court. When the application for a wage reduction was before the court the secretary of the 4 C.T.U (Mr Crofts) was the union s advocate, and it is evident that the gruelling he received at the hands of the fudges made him bitter. He has now oiuod hands with his arch enemy. Mi J Garden, of the Sydney Trades Council, in advocating a general, strike Sinco the court gave its judgment, and refused to alter it, even at the request of the Federal Government, Messrs Crofts and Garden have given much of their time to faulting, judges m general and in demanding a big strike, the biggei the better. They are suggesting that every captialist, or near capitalist, is a scoundrel, and they talk as usual about grinding the worker down. The general strike has often been advocated by Mr Garden it is bis palliative for every ill but it is surprising in the circumstances to find Mr Crofts, who was generally credited with having more sense, in the same camp. Nothing Mr Garden did would surprise anybody. He loves notoriety, and, unfortunately for Australia, ho gets plenty. Most people thought that Mr Crotts was in a different category, but apparently the extremist bug has gripped him, too. It is extremely unfortunate tor both these gentlemen that the Australian Workers’ Union, one of the largest unions in the Commonwealth, has scoffed at the idea of a general strike. It was doubly unfortunate that the A.W.U. should be holding its annual conference when the idea was first put forward, for it meant that there was no delay in reaching a decision The A.W.U. will have nothing to do with the general strike. Iho Miners’ Federation, which is expected to amalgamate with the A.W.U. very soon, lias also decided against a general strike, so what chance has the A.C.I.U. of sucSeveral branches of the Australian Railways Union have shown a loaning in favour of a strike. This has heaiteiied the A.C.T.U. considerably, but at the same time it has been challenged to take a ballot of the railwayman. It is almost certain that the ballot would be against any strike proposal. And so there is still some hope that sanity will prevail, even in Australia.