The Wanganui Chronicle. "NULLA DIES SINE LINEA." FRIDAY, AUGUST 11, 1921. GOING TOO FAR.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXVI, Issue 18556, 11 August 1922, Page 2

The Wanganui Chronicle. "NULLA DIES SINE LINEA." FRIDAY, AUGUST 11, 1921. GOING TOO FAR.

| The recent decision of the Labour I Council of New South Wales to en- [ courage resistance to lower pay and a readjustment of hours by the adoption of “go slow’’ methods cannot be defended upon, any ground. It is a challenge to the authority of a Government possessing the confidence of the country, and is there-, fore undemocratic. That such an obviously anti-social method of industrial conflict should be seriously entertained by any organisation of British workmen passes comprehension. That the men who stand between the inhabitants of a great city and the peril of fire should deliberately use it as a bludgeon wherewith to attempt to terrify the community into submission to behests is intolerable. Yet, that, according to yesterday's cable news, is what the tire brigadesmen of Sydney are doing. At a' meeting of their union on Wednesday they discussed the “go slow’’ suggested,, but “deferred any action pending a reply from the Fire Brigades’ Board as to whether it intends to enforce reductions in wages.” This decision was coupled with the “demand” that the Board’s reply shall be handed to them not later than to-day (Friday), the inference being tlrat if the reply is not to their liking the city’s firefighting organisation will be deliberately crippled. When the Trades Hall extremists gave their approval to this iniquitous policy a couple of weeks ago, an attempt was made to justify it on lhe ground that it is a class-conscious reprisal against classconscious tyranny. This far-fetched absurdity has been rightly described by an Australian contemporary as rubbish. And rubbish it most certainly is. Particularly in times like the present wages aud hours are regulated by the facts of the economic situation. They are not arbitrarily fixed by employers in order that they may make profit out of the workers, but in Australia as in this country by properly constituted tribunals which hold the scales of justice evenly between employer and employee. These tribunals, whilst' preserving to the workers a reasonable standard of living, have to pay regard to the economic circumstances affecting industry. If they awarded wages without regard to the capacity of an industry of average 'prosperity to pay them, the country would be marching towards industrial wreckage. And in the case of the fire brigadesmen they have not even the stereotyped bogey of the private employer and his fabulous profits to set up in justification of their outrageous threat. Their employers are the elected representaI lives of the people, and as such they

can have no reason for rpducing wages other than that of impersonal economic necessity. A few days ago it was reported that Sir George Fuller had warned the extremists that the hand of the law might intervene it their dangerous proposals to combat inevitable wage reductions were persisted in. If the firefighters allow themselves to be made partisans in this widespread campaign of dishonesty, the Premier’s warning may have to be translated into drastic defensive action; and the Government may find it necessary to give the plotters behind the campaign a taste of that “direct action” which they themselves profess to admire so immensely.