The Dominion THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 1913. RINGS AND COMBINES.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1726, 17 April 1913, Page 4

The Dominion THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 1913. RINGS AND COMBINES.

It is often amusing, and sometimes instructive,. to read the furious outbursts of our Labour-Socialist friends on the subject of rings and combines. We do.not, of course,' refer to any specific charges they may level at any particular ring or combinc, but to their general denunciation of the principle of combination on the part.of manufacturers or traders, or, to put it more widely still, to com- ] binations of employers of all kinds. To apeak of a "ring" or a "combine" in the_ circles_in which these orators move is to touch on a subject which usually demands resort to their heaviest batteries of vituperation and abuse. Strangely enough, it seldom occurs to these Labour-Socialists who so sweepingly condemn "combines"—or,.if it does occur to them, .they arc not honest enough to admit it—that they are simply denouncing their own methods and organisation. A.t the meeting of the Labour candidates for the City Council on Monday evening, for instance, one of the speakers declared that "the people should be very glad that they had Labour men to come forward and fight against combines." The smug fashion in which the Labour-Socialist nowadays appropriates to himself the monopoly of virtue is here excellently illustrated. But that is not our point for the moment. What we desire to emphasise is . the quite illogical attitude in this matter of those people who pose as leaders of Labour, and who refuse to recognise that what is sauce for the goose should also be sauce for the gander. To the Labour-Socialist, then, if wc are to; believe those who speak for him, rings and conibincs are inherently evil things. The remark of the gentleman quoted above in which the opinion is expressed that the public should be glad that they had Labour men to como forward and fight against combines fairly represents the view generally held by organised Labour on this question. Yet, can Labour, at any rate in New Zealand, point to any greater combinc than that which is formed by Labour itself 'I Is there any greater Trust in this country than the Labour Trust? Of course it will be at once said that the organisation of Labour into trade unions and unity leagues and federations is quite legitimate, and not inimical to the public. Furthermore, that the Trusts which the Lab-our-Socialists condemn prey on the people, while the Labour Trust does not. But is this the case 1 There are, no doubt, Trusts which should be suppressed, and the Labour-Social-ists are doing no more than the rest of the public to gain a means of redress against this evil. But there are also combines which by means of their combination are enabled to produce and sell more cheaply to the public than would be possible if those behind them were working individually in the same direction. So also with the Labour combines. Many of theni are quite properly using their combination to redress grievances and secure reasonable improvements in working conditions and pay. But is this always the ease 1 Everyone who reads the public press and knows anything at all of current events is aware that Labour combines have been, and are being, made just as great a source of terror to the public as commcrcial combines arc and have . been. The purpose of the Labour Trust is to exploit the public just as it is the purpose of the commercial Trusts and Combines. Both may lie turned to legitimate and useful purposes, and both may bo put to evil uses. Not so long ago an attempt was made by a section of the Labour Trust to sucui'o a "comer" in llio innans of transport, with a view to.

terrorising the community, and through them lho_ employing interests, into submission to their demands. It was so simple, too. Tlu: members of the Trust employed on steamers, . and as wharf labourers, and carters were togo on strike, and the means of transporting goods of all kinds would at oncc ceasc. Trade would bo demoralised, business be at a standstill, and hardship and loss be spread far and wide. As it happened, the idea was found to be impracticable at the time, or, at any rate, the strike was'not attempted. What is Syndicalism but a Labour Trust movement to tyrannise over the rest of the community, with the inevitable attendant evil of hardship and suffering for hundreds and possibly thousands of innocent women and cMklren, helpless to protect themselves against- its cruel machinations. Look, also, at the cases of victimisation by the diversion of the Labour Trust to improper uses. The ease of the Wailii strike, when the Federation of Labour sought to intimidate a section of working men who refused to acccpt its domination, is an illustration of how mercilessly the Trust will attempt to exercise its power against its own class. And it is not only those directly attacked who suffer—the-c.ost of the waste and idleness . falls indirectly on the whole community. Therefore, the noisy orators who declaim so loudly against rings and combines, and of what Labour is doing for the public by fighting them, might well look nearer home and scrutinise the actions of the Labour Trust as well.