AUSTRALIAN OPINION ON THE STRIKE.

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14830, 22 November 1913, Page 10

AUSTRALIAN OPINION ON THE STRIKE.

Wβ have never felt very sure that Xevr Zealand, as a "political laboratory," has occupied quite so touch of the attention of the outside world as some people have supposed. There is no doubt, however, that our country is very prominently in the world's eye just now. Some time must elapse before the mails bring us the comments of the Old World on the present industrial conflict, but in the meantime wo have abundant evidence as to the opinion of tho Australian public. Our neighbours across the Tasman Sea are naturally able to see how unjustifiable is the attempt of the Federation of Labour to "garrotte a free community," as one paper puts it, and it is pleasant to nnd that in condemning the strike, the great organs of public opinion aro warmly eulogising the Government's, manful championship of the rights of the community. The Sydney "I>aily Telegraph," for example, dealing with the developments in the North, said last week: —

Upon ihe speedy vindication of law and order the Dominion Government is to be congratulated. And tho same may be said for the determined public opinion by which it was supported in the discharge of its duties as keeper of the peace. With a different kind of Administration, it is impossible to say what excesses might not have been committed by infatuated men under the strange delusion thai outrages committed in connexion with a strike are justified.

Our contemporary proceeds to compare th'e action, of the Massey Govern-

nienfc with the attitude of the Fisher Government during the Brisbane strike. Mr Fisher, it may be remembered, not only expressed his satisfaction with the unlawful conduct of t£o Brisbane strikers, but even subscribed to the strike fund. Moreover, when the State Government made a constitutional request for the necessary lawful force to prevent and repress crime, Mr Fisher flatly refused it, and after the strike was over rewarded the strikers and their friends with the promise of preference over others in connexion with employment in the Federal service. Fortunately the people of Brisbane took charge of their affairs themselves, and thus prevented the anarchy and bloodshed that would have been certain had the Fisher Government had the duty of keeping the peace. Tho "Telegraph" thus thinks that New Zealand should be thankful that it has got a Government Tfhich knows its duty and does it.

Suppose (it says) the Prime Minister of the Dominion, instead of impartially upholding tho law, had deliberately tied its haDds, as Mr Fisher had done, and then given the law-breakers not only his blessing, but a donation of money to assist their enterprise? It would mean the abrogation of law, and the obliteration of liberty, while a self-constituted autocracy took violent possession of the country. That is, if tho people could have tolerated such a thing. But the supposition is impossible.

It is not surprising that in Australia the attitude of the Opposition, and especially of the Leader of the Opposition, is contrasted very unfavourably with the honesty and courage of the Government. The "Telegraph" says that Sir Joseph Ward made his "naive "suggestion" for a settlement, "appar- " ently with a view to representing the "Opposition as being on both sides as " far as possible. Seeing," it shrewdly adds, "that a recognised "Bed Fed.' " leader Lad the party's support in "■winning a by-election, that attitude "is not surprising." Wiat does surprise the Sydney journal, as it surprised most people here, -was that an experienced politician like Sir Joseph. Ward should think that legislation could settle the strike. Wo have ourselves dealt fully enough with this point, but the "Telegraph's" article, which wo reprint in another column, is well worth perusal. Sir J. G. Ward's scheme had for its objective a decision by some tribunal which should be "final "and binding." Our contemporary says, "On whom, in the name of com"mon sense?" And in those eight words it destroys the whole ploa for emergency legislation. The country must see the thing through. "It is "scarcely in human nature," as the "Telegraph , ' points out, "that tho pub- " lie will surrender to tho strikers to "save them from the consequences of " their own deliberate persistence in " self-disastei"—tho less so because to do "so would be to place the country at " the mercy of any band of men who " chose to take to tho industrial war"path at any time."

A correspondent signing himself "One of tho Public," whoso letter appears on another page to-day, puts some questions which he thinks tho public would bo glad to see answered. The public is by no means so puzzled as our correspondent appears to think, but * his questions are very pertinent indeed. He desires to know "why employers are so insistent upon jtho strikers resuming work only under the Act." The employers are not insisting upon a resumption of work by the strikers. They are only insisting that those who are willing to work shall register under the Act. And they "take up this stand because they wish to have agreements that are

likely to bo kept, and that are properly enforceable. The Federation insists on its liberty to break agreements at its pleasure. Our correspondent's second question goes to the root of the ation. He wishes to know why the strikers object to the Arbitration Act, and, in particular, what clauses they consider so objectionable. It is a question which the strikers cannot or will not answer. But they object to the Act because it contains the principle that contracts should be honestly kept.

If it were not that the public interest is suffering seriously from the determination of the Opposition to copy tho obstructive methods of the strikers, Mr 'Massey could feel not altogether displeased at the stonewall which is still proceeding in the House. For as the obstruction proceeds, tho fact stands out ever more clearly tEat there is no principle for which tho obstructionists can even pretend they are fighting. The second ballot must go. Tho public is agreed upon that. Mr Massey has stated that Parliament can attend next eess>on to the provision of •whatever substitute for the simple majority system may be decided upon. What, then, are the Opposition fighting for? They are fighting for the retention of the worst conceivable system of election. Even in normal circumstances tho public would be antagonised by euch a senseless and indefensible attempt at Parliamentary anarchy, for whqt the Opposition are affirming is that an irreconcilably bitter minority in the House can prevent the people's Parliament from giving effect to the people's will. But tlje time selected for tho stonewall aggravates the offence immeasurably, and tho Opposition will, in due course, regret their action.

A delightful story of Domos and culture comes from New YorK. The Tammany candidate for Mayor at the recent elections wound up a speech with the words, "We shall meet again at Philippi!" This was a sad puzzle to the army of Tammany. Ihey knew of no ward or precinct in New York called Philippi, and an appeal to city directories threw no light on the mystery. Mr F. R. Benson, the well-known Shakespearean actor, must have enjoyed the story, for about the same time he decided to cut New York out of bis American itinerary, on the ground that its public was not sufficiently cultured. The story reminds one of the young man in one of Barries early plays who, on being told he was suffering from "Cherchez la femme," tried in vain to find the complaint in a medical dictionary.

The cable messages about a possible disaster to the Stefansson Arctic expedition are not clear. From what the leader stated before he loft for the North there does not seem to be ground for grave apprehension. His plans were to reach Herschel Island in his vessel, the Karluk, a whaler of 247 tons, and then detach eight men with stores and scientific equipment, who would sail eastward in an auxiliary vessel to Victoria Island, where certain scientific investigations would be undertaken. The Karluk would then stand due north, going on until it was stopped by ice or the great land mass, the discovery of which is the main object of the expedition. When the ship was stopped, Mr Stefansson was to push further north, with dog teams. If the ship was frozen in but not crushed, it would move with the floe; if it was crushed, the party would take to tho ice and make for the nearest land. Mr Stefansson left Victoria, 8.C., on June 18th, and expected to be away four years, so it seems rather premature to talk of tho expedition being lost. He seems, however, to bo taking some rislc in the matter of supplies. He is depending to a large extent on the animal life of the Arctic, but a& he is going into unknown parts he may find himself out in his calculations. Mr Stefansson stands high in tho estimation of Arctic experts, and is the kind of man who would find a way out of a difficulty if it could bo found. It has been said of the expedition that it has set out to write "what will probably be the last great chapter of geographical discovery in the history of the world," and news of it wHI be awaited eagerly by people interested in Arctic exploration.

The public will turn with a feeling of relief from human machines that refuse to go back to work to the Sydney automatic machine which has been tho subject of interesting legal proceedings. Machines vending cigarettes are in operation on Sundays as well as week days on the ferry-boats, ai.d a learned judge has upheld tho d»vision of a magistrate that for this kind of sale there cannot be a conviction under the Sunday-trading law. It is a fine point of law. The actual sale ,'s found to be against the law, but since there is no human labour involved in handing out the cigarettes, there is no a.ctual breach of the statute. It would bo interesting to know how far this ruling could be stretched. In the meantime one may tako satisfaction at tho existence of something that cannot be called out on strike.

A telegram from Wellington which we print to-day shows how small is the claim of the Federation to epeak in the name of "tho workers" or even in tho name of "organised Labour." It is in its corporation as unrepresentative of tho workers as in its policy and methods it is unrepresentative of the honesty and decency of tho avorago wage-earner. Of 346 unions in New Zealand, 322 are registered under the Arbitration Act. Of the 71,000 odd unionists, over 00,000 are members of Arbitration Unions. The Federation Tepresents only about one-sixth of the organised workers, who number less than one-fourth of those who earn their livings. It is this small minority which claims to speak in the name of Labour. Those fow "Liberal" journals who speak of the Federation as the champion of Labour know these facts, but they have hoped that their public does not know them. One of these newspapers says that a defeat for tho Federation will bo a "complete humiliation" for "tho workers," thereby implying . the serious untruth that tho workers, organised and unorganised, stand for crime, cowardice, and bad faith, the only things over which a victory will bo secured by the defeat of the Red Feds.