JUDGE'S STRONG WORDS

Southland Times, Issue 17348, 20 May 1913, Page 5

JUDGE'S STRONG WORDS

RAILWAY STRIKERS KINKD. ‘■FRIGHT. NOT FIDELITY.” ADVICE TO LABOUR LEADERS. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.—Copyright). SYDNEY. May 19. Received May 19, 9.15 p.in. At the Industrial Court fifty more men concerned in the recent railway strike at Darling Harbour were fined £lO and £ls Is costs each, leviable on their wages. Judge Heyden read them a severe lesson, and declared that the defence was a series of transparent and dishonest sophistries. Like spoilt children, all they could see was that they were not getting their own way in everything, and they looked upon the community as a thing to be kicked and outraged at their will, and to he further despoiled and insulted at the earliest opportunity. It was an evil sign of the times that tills attitude should appear not merely towards private employers, hut towards the State. They had returned at the crack of the whip, in the fear of losing their positions. Fright, not. fidelity, brought them back. Deferring to preference to Unionists, the Judge said: " Let the Labour leaders beware lest they set the country thinking that preference should rather be to those who set loyalty to the State above the dictation of any private body. No punishment the Court could inflict is comparable witli that which the community. in its good nature and patience, abstained from inflicting.”