The Rangitikei Advocate. TWO EDITIONS DAILY. THURSDAY, OCT. 30, 1919. CLASS VERSUS THE PEOPLE.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XLV, Issue 11931, 30 October 1919, Page 4

The Rangitikei Advocate. TWO EDITIONS DAILY. THURSDAY, OCT. 30, 1919. CLASS VERSUS THE PEOPLE.

THE action of the misleaders of Labour in connection with the coal supply should arouse the public to indignation and effective protest/ The hold-up of shipping to assist the miners in their go-slow policy should prove the; last straw. The officials of the Unions cannot expect the public to believe that the refusal of the waterside workers to respond to the call to work is not a silent and sullen form of the strike. A Labour member in the House has stated that the men on the waterfronts would, in the event of trouble, join with the miners, and it is evident that this has been done. When the miners adopted the goslow policy, and the shortage of coal was so serious that even our railway services had to be curtailed, an effort was made to remedy the evil by obtaining coal from other countries. The next thing we heard was that'tho minero in those countries proposed to cease work if we were supplied, but this threat waa not carried out because it wag discovered that the same end would be attained if the watersiders here refused to unload the cargoes, and that instead of open refusal it could be sufficient simply to remain idle. To all intents and purposes the hold-up and the miners' go-slow policy constitute a conspiracy against the publie weal which threatens to paralyse all industry and practically isolate New Zealand from the trade and commerce of the world. The situation demands prompt action. This silent strike is practically a challenge to the State, and an assertion that a few irresponsible individuals are mightier than the representatives of the people. The welfare of the pepole must be the first consideration, and no Government cab safely suffer such a challenge to be made

with impunity, or fail to use all its powers to preserve law and order and ensure the successful operation of all industries, including that of coal-miningitself. It should not be left to the public to deal with this disturbance, ap they did when the watersiders tried to prevent the producers from exporting. Tho laws that are already on the Statute Book should be enforced without fear or favour, and those who are attacking the public interest should receive adequate punishment. The law just passed dealing with disturbers of lav/ and order should also be promptly enforced. The ringleaders must be taught that the public do not maintain any class so that they may injure its interests. If they will not work under fair conditions they must stand aside and let others do their work. Nor can others b 8 allowed to combine with them to the detriment of the industries of the country. The present position is even more serious than it appears on the surface, especially in view of what is occurring in Australia, where State servants desert their trains in the middle of a journey, and the mob expel the accredited authorities of government, and put themselves under arms. There is a nettle to be grasped, and it requires to be firmly grasped. Much depends on the Government at the present juncture, and it remains to be seen whether it will act with promptitude and firmness, as the British Government did in its recent crisis. If it does so, we believe that our Government will receive equal support from the great third party—tlm people.