The Dominion. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 16, 1911. THE BRITISH STRIKES.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1207, 16 August 1911, Page 4

The Dominion. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 16, 1911. THE BRITISH STRIKES.

It is many years since England witnessed an industrial upheaval so widespread and so Violent as that which has occupied bo large a portion of our cable news during the past few days. There is no profit just now in speculation upon the merits of the disputes between masters and men—the merits of the case are in any event probably forgotten in the excitement by both sides and by the general public—but the situation is full of food: for thought. So far no actual loss of life has been reported, and no shooting by the police or the military, but the tale of (violent assaults and woundings is a long one, and there' has been a great destruction' of property in Liverpool, London, and. Glasgow. Unless there is an abatement of the spirit of disorder very speedily, serious bloodshed will certainly be recorded, but tlys, fortunately, is a possibility that may still be discounted. The readiness of the strikers to proceed to violence, and the wide range of trades in'which strikes have taken place, is evidence enough of a wide and deep discontent ajnongst the workers. But we must look beyond this for the explanation of the unusual spirit of lawlessness that is being exhibited. As the London Times observed, when commenting on tho serious strike of the Manchester carters at the beginning of last month, "English workmen are accustomed, on the whole, to respect the law, and to seek to enforce their demands in lawful ways," a fact which "has so far generally stripped labour disputes of an element of that bitterness which is to be found wherever sabotage in any form is practised." Although it may safely be said that when the present crisis is past there will be a relapse into a condition,of peaccfulncss that will seem to emphasise the permanency of the fact stated by the London Times, yet no thoughtful person will feel inclined to deny that the present rising is the first working of a new spirit that threatens grave results in the future. It is impossibjc not to" believe that the new spirit is in a measure due to the spirit that has animated the British Government since 1906. Instead of prosecuting its policy fairly and honestly, it very quickly allowed itself to be led by Mr. Lloyd-George into making alliance with the forces of envy and disorder. Mr. Lloyh-George and his fellow demagogues have never lost an opportunity to represent industry as a natural war between labour and capital, property as theft, and society as a huge conspiracy to oppress the working class. He knew perfectly well that his Linichouso speeches would not be diluted by his audiences and by the mass of the workers, that his heady appeals to mob passion would be swallowedÊ and that he was thereby undermining tho safety of society and brewing a poison "that

would produce its noxious fevers in due course. As the tall Hall.Gazette observes, ''from Liraehousc to Lime Street was an easy transition, through several phases of covert encouragement and masterly inactivity in the protection of life and property." The main reference in the concluding words of this passage is to the Ton-y-pandy riots, when no real attempt was made by the.Home Office either; to protect property from pillage and destruction by the rioters or to punish the offenders. We have seen in New Zealand how weakness or partisanship in the authorities encourages the spirit of lawlessness amongst strikers. The champagne riots in France were violent and destructive mainly because experience had • taught the vinedressers that the troops sent to overawe them could be ignored, since the Government would ndt care to expose itself to attack in the Chamber of Deputies. There can be no doubt that the trade unions in England arc relying upon the unwillingness of the Government to act sharply and decisively. The Labour party in the House must not be alienated by the Government, which has already admitted its dependence on organised Labour by its attitude on tho question of trade union funds. And so the rioting goes on merrily. The police arc working with the energy and courage that is expected of them, but the Government docs not carry out the stringent and unyielding policy of repression that is demanded by the public interest when strikes develop into the destruction of property and personal violence. The Government, it is stated, is considering "the whole question of the improvement of tho means available for preventing or shortening industrial warfare." Ordinary measures, it is obvious, will not achieve this end. The best thing tb.3 Government can do is to set itself to discourage appeals to the mob spirit and to take up the doctrine that law and order must be preserved against any interest whatever.