The Daily News WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1929. THE ROTHBURY RIOTS.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 December 1929, Page 8

The Daily News WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1929. THE ROTHBURY RIOTS.

The deplorable outbreak of violence on the part of the Rothbury coalminers has furnished another illustration of the thinness of the line between political freedom and unrestrained license. It took centuries of persistent and determined constitutional efforts to obtain the many privileges. which are now enjoyed by the citizens of the British Empire, and especially by the peoples of the Dominions, but there still exists one great principle that cannot be abrogated; i.e., there cannot be two Governments in one country exercising authority simultaneously. No member of the community in Australia or elsewhere can for a moment doubt the wisdom and imperative necessity for good, sound and just government whereby the maintenance of law and order takes precedence over all other considerations. As a means to that end ample provision exists for the settlement of all disputes by legalised machinery designed for the purpose. Law and order must be maintained at all cost- The riotous coalminers at Rothbury must be well aware of these fundamentals, but they have taken the bit between their teeth and resorted to mob law instead of trusting to constitutional means . - for gaining their end. In so doing they have brought themselves into conflict with established authority, and will have to suffer accordingly. That, however, will not restore any life or maiming resulting from the weapons used by the strikers or the police. The riot was deliberately organised and carried out by between five and eight thousand miners who marched on the colliery during the night and made a general move on the mine after dawn. Theii’ temper was soon displayed, when they even resented the well meaning appeal to the leaders by a member of the State Assembly, who urged restraint, but was injured by the mob. Whether this incident served to fan the flame of revolt against restraint need not be considered, but from that time onwards the rioters got out of hand, made serious attacks upon the police who were defending the mine, swarmed over the mine fence and its barbed wire. Stones were showered on the police, followed by revolver shots from both sides;- pickets raided the railway to the mine, and threw boulders under a train with the object of preventing volunteer workers being carried to the mine, cut off telephonic communication and gave Press representatives a hot time, and then they seem to have waited on the Premier with a demand to withdraw the police “to avoid further bloodshed”—a request that meant allowing the rioters to do as they pleased. It would be difficult to envisage a more glaring example of brazen effrontery than this, especially when it is obvious the aim of the rioters was to make short work of the volunteers who were to work the mine on the following day. Why ? The . reason was made quite clear in the statement that an eleventh-hour move was to be made by the Federal Government and the Miners’ Federation to prevent the opening of the mine with free labour; also that if free labour should be employed at reduced pay, action would be taken in the Federal Arbitration Court for a breach of the miners’ award. If .the matter were not so grave, it would certainly be regarded as eminently Gilbertian. The miners, having failed in the use of force and bloodshed to get their own way, will then apply to the court to inflict penalties upon some scapegoat for a breach of an award. In reality the cause of the whole trouble is extremely simple, and could easily have been settled by rational and constitutional means, but labour in Australia regards itself as the “top dog.” There cannot, however, be one law for one section of the community and immunity from law for the remainder. Even assuming that Labour

is top-dog, it must be recognised that when a canine, although he may be in command of the situation, becomes afflicted with rabies it is necessary to muzzle the animal for the protection of the whole community, the safer plan being to adopt preventive rather than curative measures. It is a serious reflection upon the good name and fame of the Dominions that such lawlessness as occurred at Rothbury should go forth to the world as evidence of the trend of Labour’s aims in the southern units of the Empire-