Topics of the Day.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLV, Issue 17, 26 October 1910, Page 45

Topics of the Day.

By

Our London Correspondent.

WORKING MEN IN REVOLT.

LONDON, September 9. THE spirit of unrest is abroad in the industrial world in this country. Thirty thousand men have been thrown out of Ijvork by the lock-out ordered by the Shipbuilding Employers’ Federation, and %f this state of affairs lasts much longer Other trades will be depressed or brought io a standstill. This lock-out has been forced on the employers by the continual recurrence of sectional strikes and other deliberate breaches of agreements entered into by the employers and the trades Union leaders. The tendency on the part of workmen 3.0 rebel against their own leaders is undoubtedly growing. As in the ease of the boilermakers now locked out by exaspegsd employers, the unrest among the ers is showing itself in constant seclal strikes. Last year there was an lemic of these strikes in Durham and Northumberland, and the scandal grew

*o great that the executive committee pf the Durham Miners’ Association isfued just such a circular of warning to ts members as did the Boilermakers’ Society in June. In Northumberland, Mr Thos. Burt, M.P., issued a similar Circular, stating that the action of the Strikers was “utterly indefensible,” and showed on the part of the strikers not rly a deplorable want of discipline, but certain disloyalty to the principle of Combination and a lamentable indifferfnce to the interests and well-being of heir fellow-members. This year began with the great strikes in connection with the Mines (Eight Hours) Act. In many cases, both in Northumberland and Durham, some of She pits were kept idle after the men’s leaders had concluded a working agreement with the mine-owners. The miners defied their own associations. In Durham the Murton, (Shotton and Horden pilners held out for months. Their lodges received no official help from the bounty organisation, the strike being Unauthorised, and there was appalling misery and starvation in the pit villages (throughout a large area. One incident pf the strike was the rioting at Horden, Where the men raided the manager’s Jiouse, and burned down the £lO,OOO club-house, built for them by the colliery Owners. In the eastern part of Durham t'ounty alone there have been nearly 20 Sectional strikes since the beginning of ’ebruary. Most of these lasted a day pr two, some of them a week or more. Time was when employers were the enemies of the trades unions, but now Sey desire nothing better than to see e authority of/.lie union leaders strong-

thened and upheld. Whatever may be their -dislike of trades unionism, it is as nothing to the menace of a succession of lawless strikes on the part of workmen who defy their own leaders and repudiate agreements effected by the latter. The boilermakers, who are responsible for the present lock-out in the shipbuilding industry, have ever been “the bad boys” of -the trade union family. Time and again their Indiscipline has provoked strikes on all sorts of frivolous grounds, and at the present time they are only acting up to their reputation. But the spirit of unrest is spreading into other unions as well. The fact that the existence of the Labour party in Parliament Is threatened by the Osborne judgment may have something to do with it, and the feeling that the employers have had the best of the conciliation agreements effected in various industries is probably a factor. It is very improbable that Socialist influence has anything to do with it, for these sectional strikes and “mutinies” against the trades union executives are sheer anarchy, and were common

enough among the boilermakers and the coal “putters” long before Socialism became a force in polities. Whatever the cause, the outlook in the industrial world is distinctly threatening.

“I SPY.”

A good story usually has a sequel. Some days ago our newspapers tried to rouse us from our customary holiday season lethargy -by tales of the capture of two Englishmen who had been discovered snap-shotting in certain strictly preserved domains at Borkum, in Germany, where forts and such things are the only “game.” The days passed on, but England was quite unmoved by the capture and detention of these “spies," of whom nobody seems to know anything beyond the fact that their names are Brandon and French, and that they refuse to give any account of themselves. They are now awaiting their trial for espionage, and may be rewarded with something with boiling oil in it, or worse. But whatever utterings their possible fate may have produced in official circles, the people of this country are not taking the Borkum affair in the least seriously. -Neither has the sequel roused the nation to any appreciable extent. On Monday there was arrested at Portsmouth a young German. Lieutenant Helm, of the 21st Nassau Pioneer Battalion of the German Navy, who now lies in Winchester Gaol on the fearful charges of having: “On September 5, 11510, unlawfully, for the purpose of wrongfully obtaining information, did, when outside a certain

fortress, belonging to His Majesty the King, te wit, Fort Widley, attempt to take without authority, given by, ami on behalf of His Majesty, a plan of the said fortress, contrary to the Statute 52 and 54 Vic., cap. 52, section 1,” and of “unlawfully, for the purpose of wrongfully obtaining information, did, when outside a Certain fortress, belonging to His Majesty the King, to wit, Farlington Fort, Purbrook, take, without authority, given by_ or on behalf of His Majesty, a certain sketch of the said redoubt, contrary to the said statute.” There are certain circumstances in connection with the arrest of this German “spy,” which are highly suggestive. In the first place, the fortifications which he was at such pains to sketeh are today as obsolete as “Brown Bess,” and ■have for years figured on picture postcards and in local guide books; in the second, the “spy” seems to have done his sketching in broad daylight, and without any attempt at concealment, and -thirdly, the Lieutenant actually told a young English lady that he was about to visit England, and soon after his arrival, actually showed her plans he had prepared and sketches he had made. All this is so very foreign to what one would expect from a serious German spy, that it is very hard to take the capture seriously, though we are assured by the Press that the Government takes

"a serious view of the occurrence.” Perhaps there is more in the affair than meets the eye. The German Government have now on their hands two Englishmen, arrested for espionage, and don’t quite know what to do with them. There has been so much outcry in the German Press over the incident that the Government dare not release them as an act of grace, and allow the affair to tie quietly dropped. 8o why not have an “exchange” of spy prisoners. What could be more easily arranged than for a German officer to fall into the hands of the English authorities with this object in view? The circumstances at Portsmouth certainly give colour to this theory, but as to its correctness we must, to use a now well-worn phrase, “wait and see.”

AIRMAN'S RECORD FAIL

After flying to a record height on Saturday, M. Morane had a record fall. He dropped from a -height of a mile and a half in forty seconds, and his escape from death was miraculous. It was one of the most thrilling experiences that has yet befallen any airman. M. Morane, who is one of the most skilful aviators in the world, rose from the aerodrome at Deauville, in France, to beat the world’s height record, and circled -higher and higher until he vanished altogether. When he reappeared, after an anxious interval of waiting on the part of those below, it was seen that his aeroplane was rushing earthwards with tremendous velocity and at nn apparently dangerous angle. Twice during the down-

ward drop it recovered, and the •pce’aiors saw that the pilot was trying to diminish the speed. Me alighted half a mile from the aerodrome, end was found sitting in his machine, pale and dazed, but quite unhurt. Presently he was able to describe the sensations of his memorable aseent. He had soared aloft, higher and higher, until his barograph registered 8518 feet. As his motor was becoming weaker and weaker he thoug'. . it was high time to start down, so he shut off the engine and began to drop. It was a big plunge, and after oming down about IGOO feet Morane felt dizzy. A sickening feeling tame over him, and he felt a buzzing in his ears. He thought he was about to swoon and he set the motor going again. After resting a little he shut off once more. All seemed to be well, except that be was coming down very fast. He made the contact again, and then, to his horror, the motor completely missed. There were a few spurts, and that was all. The propeller stopped suddenly at a height of about 4500 feet. “The aeroplane,” said M. Morane, “began to sway like a ship in a heavy sea. The downward motion was so bad that I was flung from side to side and had the greatest difficulty in keeping my seat. All the time I was dashing towards the earth at lightning speed “Finally, after about a minute —which seemed an hour to me —I was able to descend in sweeping circles. The aeroplane became steadier and obeyed the helm, and finally I landed safely in a field. I hope that I shall never again have such an experience.” When M. Morane was received by thu enthusiastic crowd at the aerodrome be was still clutching the barograph, which showed the maximum height attained, and which he proudly delivered to th< aviation committee.