THE COAL STRIKE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 6, Issue 11, 2 October 1942, Page 4

THE COAL STRIKE

Sir,—So much has been saicl and written against the naughty miners in the recent strike that I. feel that something should be said from their point of view. Far from it that I justify 'their actions in striking, I do not, but were the men all to blame? Being a rebel myself against injustice, I find it easier perhaps to see things from the point of view of other rebels. Why am I a rebel? Because I was. born so and trained so. Fifty years ago I was lined u l j> by my good old Dad before two men who had accused me of a misdemeanour of "which I was innocent. The verdict of the dictator was that [ was guilty and I suffered the penalty of those times when it was believed that if you spare the rod you spoil the child. The pain of this torture was soon gone as there were many of them, but the resentment ol' injustice will be carried by me to my grave.

Readers put yourselves in the place of those miners, 1300 of them. Are they all as evil as they are painted by the Press? Are the employers as guiltless as the metropolitan papers would, like you to believe? Can anyone justify a cowardly Press that states one side of a case and refuses to give a hearing to the accused? A body of men do not face gaol for a joke, nor for higher pay, nor for greater advantages. They have a principle for which they are fighting. I have been told by one who is in contact with the Huntly miners that tli3re was every chance of a settlement in the early days of the strike but for the attack on the miners by the Press. As long as we have a Press that caters for the profits of its revenue producer, we will have a Press that is going to sup-, press anything that is against such profit making. Some day we readers of the Press will do as the miners have done and we will demand "the truth, the Avhole truth, and not hing but -the truth," or get. out. State control is only the natural sequence of the failure of private enterprise to do its job in the interests of all the epople. It was done in the last war by our English Conservative Government. It; is the only remedy in sight at the present time until some brainy leader arises that can suggest something better. Your enigma, Mr Editor, is quite easy of solution. Hon. A. McLagan ceased to represent the miners when he accepted Cabinet rank. He could only speak for Cabinet, whose policy is now "appeasement'" at ' any price. Could it be any different |rom a compromise Administration? flow can a Cabinet Minister if he wishes to, express his 'own views; that are divergent from Cabinet decisions? Your correspondent "Action" has another remedy. Sounds like Hitlerism to me.i Miay I suggest that he volunteers for the job and show the miners now to produce coal. I un-> derstand there is a call for more miners. The housing might not be all that he is used to, but summer is coming, and someone has to make the sacrifice. Yours etc., A REBEL. P.S. No reflection on the Beacon. Mr Editor, although I feel you were also a little harsh in your judgment of the miners before hearing their side. At the same time I appreciate very much j r our freeness in jjublishing letters from rebels which the daily papers would reject as of no interest to the public.