DRIFTING TO BOLSHEVISM.

Colonist, Volume LXI, Issue 14958, 4 January 1919, Page 2

DRIFTING TO BOLSHEVISM.

CHAOS IN QUEENSLAND

LESSON FOR NEW ZEALAND

I Ihe chaotic state of affairs in Qucens■land, whero a Labour Government is 1 111 power, and the ominous and all too evident drift in the direction of something even considerably impressed Mr W. J. Poison, who has returned to New Zealand after a visit to Australia. "The first thing that struck me about the Labour conditions in Queensland, and about the Government, Avas tha'tthe ideal seemed.to be the advancement of Labour without the advancement of the country as a whole,'" said Mr Poison, to a Wanga.mri "Chronicle" representative. "Of course, they have a pretty extreme Labour Government in power, which is now seeking to abolish the Upper House and extend the franchise to persons 1§ years^ of age. Already they have their State cattle stations, fetate shops, State hotels, State coal mines.. State sugar mills, and State ore mines, yet, as the result of ray observations, it is disastrous to the State and the people. The latter seem to have lost faith in the State, and Labour, at the instigation of the extreme section, is undoubtedly exploiting the State The result is a fear for the legitimate investment of capital. Freehold land, which is the ultimate desire of every New Zealand farmer, is at a discount in Queensland. No tenure, to judge by the opinions of many pastoraiists with whom I discussed the matteif is so unpopular, because the freehold is at the mercy of the State. Leaseholds, partiicularly those where improvements are ;not absolutely necessary, are eagerly j sought after. The reason is obvious, sand is admitted—farmers can get out jH'hen the State makes it too hot for them. BOLSHEVIK DRIFT. "Labour appears to be led by. the extreme element, and the. more Bolshevik a candidate is, the surer lie can be of a political following," added Mr Poison. "'This is resulting in a growing distrust between employer and employee, and, if it "is not checked will lead to civil war in Queensland. It seems paradoxical that where Labour lias absolute control, unrest should be the greatest, strikes the most prevalent, and a social upheaval so imminent. That trouble is brewing I heard nobody deny, and thus, the paradox resolves itself into no paradox at all, with what one can see and hear on a visit to Queensland. The attempt to extend the franchise to children is an indication or Labour's desire to capture the votes of the unthinking. "Yes," replied'Mr Poison, in answer to a question, "one can give many illustrations of the existent state of affairs. While I was in the Barcoo district, fires were prevalent, and fire-fighters were being paid 5s an hour, in one case, while a homestead was threatened, they struck for 7s 6d an hour. I was told by those interested of the efforts to create trouble in the shearing sheds by utter disregard of awards, and the appointment of Australian Workers' Onion delegates—often an I.W.W. agitator in disguise—to foment trouble, instead of carrying out the policy that the Australian Workers' Union officially subscribes to by tho adherence to the awards of the Court, An official of one of the big meat works devoted to the canning of meat gave another instance. They "had a staff of butchers and boners, sufficient of the latter being employed to keep the butchers going. Presently the boners began to get behind in the work, leading to disorganisation. The manager called them together, and they insisted ithat the only way to catch up with the work was to start at 4 o'clock in the morning. When this system was adopted, the men invariably finished by lunch; that is, they could do in seven hours what they formerly declared they could not do in eight hours. The secret was double time between 4 and 8 .in the morning. They refused to revert to the old system. I-was tolcl by another freezing works official the story of their employees' picnic. When the 'day came, the coopers assembled as usual at the works, declaring they were not butchers, and that they desired to work. They were offered a day's pay in order to preserve peace, but when the pay-day came they wanted double time for the holiday. EMPLOYERS' DIFFICULTIES ''Small strikes are continually ocurring at isolated freezing works," said Air Poison. "Sometimes the employers give way, to avoid trouble, with the result that the precedent is taken advantage of at other works. Thore was an instance of a sugar planter who was paying his cane cutters 25s per day of eight hours. It was'an enormous wage, considering the amount cut. The men asked for further concessions, and in desperation the employer refused. The men then struck. By hook or by crook he managed to got his crop cut, fmt the truckers refused to give him the trucks to bring the crop on the tram lines to the railway. Ho held out until he found that his crop was likely to be destroyed, and himself ruined. Then he caved in. The union held a meeting, fined him £100, and when it was paid into their funds, they lifted the cane. A RETROSPECTIVE AWARD. "I was In the north of Queensland at Hughenden, when serious trouble occured," proceeded Mr Poison. "Here the loyalists drove the I.W.W. leaders out of the town. The cause of the trouble was a retrospective award, a common thing in Queensland,which had i.ieen given in connection 'with the hotels, che object being that the maids should oe paid retrospective holiday tinae. The hotel-kepers were legally advised that -ihe award was bad, and they refused to pay. The hotels were declared ""black," and I.W.W. leaders from all over the country came to HugTienden to spur on che workers to boycott the hotels and ifter they had outraged all decency by disloyal utterances, they were driven ■jut by the loyalists. Immediately Ministers of the Crown, accompanied by posses of police, arrived at Hughenden, and the world witnessed the 'extraordinary spectacle of I.W.W. loaders protect'■'d, shoulder to shoulder, by cordons of police, uttering the most appalling senti.nonts not only about Labour, but also about.Great Britain, the flag, and the fcmpiro at large, v/iiilo loyalists who attempted to intervene were promptly arrested. Carters at Townsville declined bo handle inland-goods for Hughendon, :n order -to help the boycott, and when •he merchants dismissed them/the railjvsyinen declined to handle goods -n-ought to the railway station by tho ■tew carers. Then a deadlock arose. The merchants of Townsvillb stood firm although threatened with legislative a'---ion by a Minister of the Crown sent Jiero. ihey refused to be Intimidated. Nic Crown evidently considered its cn=e was weak, and went no further, the workers eventually gave way and tr-f----iic was resumed.

•savour more of comic opora that a meeting of Labour' unions, with a Minister of the Crown, in the chair, protesting against tho increased price of the workers' 'boor The result was tho State bars reduced the price, and compelled the resb to return to threepence a pint.

A.SANER, VIEW

"The more intelligent Labour men deprecate the trend of affairs," said Mr I'olson, in conclusion. "But there appears to be no middle course. Large land holdings are only capable of being worked by men with large capital, able to stand three or four years', drought. Closer settlement, as we understand it in New Zealand, is almost impracticable without large Government expenditure. The extreme section of Labour Relieve ( that, the State is subservient to the in-1 dividual,' without patriotism or creed except 'As much for myself as I can. 5 The Queensland •Government reflects the opinions of its supporters, which perhaps I can best show by another il- i lustration. There are several State stations. Large numbers of cattle were! sent to the freezing works in the ordin- ] ary way, the stipulation being that the Imperial Government should givo the j recognised price of os 8d per. lb. In* spite of this fact, the Queensland Government, under the Chattels Act, is commandeerng iarge quantities of pas- J toralists' beef at 3d per lb., in order toj supply its own shops. You hear all j sorts of stories of positions found for j Labour supporters, and a case is on re-1 cord of a defeated Labour Parliamentary candidate being appointed an inspector of school lavatories at a salary j of £300 per year. One gathered that j not even the Judicial Bench is free from Government influence, and it is openly admitted that the. Labour agitator can practically say and do as he likes, without fear of aiiy serious penalty. One| Crown Minister, in an anti-conscription speech said 'Britain is a land of cant, humbug and hypocrisy." There is noi patriotism to the State. Another «ign| is the shocking condition of the roads in Queensland, which are merely worn tracks across the country. Between! Ipswich and Brisbane —the two largest; towns —there is a track across flat coun-' try which would be a disgrace to the back blocks of the King Country. In my opinion the greatest impeachment of Labour control, as it exists in Queensland, is the fact that it lives for the hour, not for the future; and in its anxiety to exploit capital it is frightening it out of the country, bankrupting the State- and its future. The wiser heads see this, but are unable to stem the current. They realise that the policy of pin-pricking the employers, making two men do one man's work, reducing individual effort to the minimum, and defying order and authority, while gratifying to the extremists, is neither helping the realisation of Labour's legitimate ideals nor adding to the dignity and enlightenment of Labour's cause."