STRIKE MADNESS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1906, 14 November 1913, Page 9

STRIKE MADNESS.

EXPOSURE OF TRADE UNION FOLLY. HOW THE WORKWOMAN IS MISLED. "Who is the biggest fool on earth?" asks Sir Guilford ;uolesworth, in an interesting little pamphlet published at one penny by the St. Btepjien'S Press, Westminster—the main poini-s of which are peculiarly apropos in ;Vew Zealand at the present time. The answer is "The British working man." And in a breezy, ■uncoilvolitional style, tho author makes a series of points which -go far to justify his contention, feir Uuilford is, of course, referring to tho working man's general and trade union politics. Tlio author,, comments tho "Standard's" reviewer, has no bigoted objection to trade unions. If they confined tlicmsclvqs to ifjioir legitimate,

functions, on the contrary, he would consider them a positive blessing. But unfortunately, tho working man has I allowed: tho control of theso organisations to pass into the- hands of thevery worst of his class. The Socialist agitators who are now omnipotent aro; perfectly callous to tho sufferings they inflict on tho worker's and tho poor, and care only for their own selfish interests. Co-partnership. As a specimen or traao union folly. Sir Guilford calls attention to tho strike at tho youth Metropolitan Gas Works. It was caused by tlio adoption of a scheme- of co-partnership, giving tho workman a share in tho promts of the company. This tho Strike Cortunitieo of tho lias Workers' 'Union denounced as "a seeuditive though most plausiblebi;ibe, «\aiculatod to weaken the influence of tho tmion," and though they admitted that tho company's otter would be beneficial to workmen, they ordered a strike. The strike failed in its object; tho scheme was adopted, arid has been an entire success. During twenty years employees have received benefits, and out of six' thousand workpeople more than four thousand hold shares in the company to the value of more than £300,000, Eleven gas companies awl many other industrial concerns have

followed this example of co-partnership, against, the inception which a strike was ordered by the self-interested trade union leaders. Here, -surely, is olio justification for the author's imcoipplime.ntary description of tho British working man. Strikes 'arc gone-rally urged by tlio younger members of tho unions, who suffer comparatively little, while tho brunt of the distress falls on tho wives and children of tho married men. Author as a Striker. "It has been my lot," writes Sir Guilford, "to pass tiirough a very important strife; that of tho Amalgamated Engineers' Union, At that time I was working as an apprentice engine-fitter in Fairbairu's works at Manchester; and during tho few weeks that elapsed between tho notice of the strike and its outbreak I had every opportunity of discussing tho question with the men. It was most 'unpopular •with them. On all sides I heard:

•Why can't they let tts alone? Wo aro dcing very well as wo are; wo don't want to go on strike.' "Tlio demands of tho union were for Uu> abolition of overtime and piecework —for the reduction of apprentices to bo employed on tho works, and other changes tending to limit iho output of labour. Overtime—being well paid for —half as much again as ordinary time — was very popular With the men, and it was a great- boon to those With largo families. As for' piece-work, ,it was that whirfi enabled a good -workman to rise to tho position of a master. Pothouse Agitators. "I asked a very intelligent Workman, with whom I was then .mated: 'Why don't you, and won like youj. get on the council of the union, and iiittuouco them,for bettor? You seo what roiscluef thoy are doing.' Ho answered: 'What can wo do? > When we have done our day's work we like to go home to oar wives and families. We don't want to go blethering about the pothouses, and it's just those pothouse chaps that have tho gift of tho gab who have tho say at tho union.' "Thin I always found to be true ; those men who prated imost loudly about the rights and wrongs of the British workman were, tho idle, dissolute, worthless fellows, by no means representative of tl.w true British workman. Tlio com* mauds of the union, however, wero allpowerful. Disobedience to them entailed expulsion, loss of subscriptions uiui honetit-s, and, what was hardest <<•■ ill, social ostracism and denunciation as 'blacklegs' by their mates. So tho strike went on, entailing .fearful misery upon the wives and families of the- men, ruin to employers and employed, and ti'iriblo loss of trade, until the funds uf the union were exhausted, when the strike collapsed—and well it was that it did; otherwise tho trade must have been mined. As it was, the stfiko enabled tho foreigner to. gain a good grip on it, and he has maintained it to this day."

Speaking of tho injury to tho workers : done by strikes, the author recalls a striko at Silvcrtown in 18S9, which collapsed after twelve weeks. Four hundred and fifty men and women lost their work permanently, .Vet tho result—a defeat—was airily acclaimed by the Striko Committee as "really a victory." "Henroost" Robberies. A portion of the pamphlet is devoted : to the folly of tho working man hi sup- : porting tho "henroost" robberies of tho Chancellor of the Exchequer and'"Progressive" follies in municipal affairs. "About half a century ago Herbert Spencer sounded a warning uoto to tho working classes in this respect. He pointed'out that the enormous and everincreasing rates and taxes, falling as they do chiefly on the employers of labour, must necessarily be met from the industries of those employers, and eventually by the labouring classes, either in decreased wages or unemployment. • Since that time rates and taxes Isevo increased by leaps and bounds. Imperial taxation lias nearly doubled, and local taxation more than doubled; and this fully accounts for the existing unemployment, distress, and poverty." Here is an example of "progressive" policy in Milwaukee, which was captured by the Socialists in 1!)10, and suffcierl the following results of twelve months' maladministration:— "The cost of tho city administration in wages and salaries alone has been. enormously increased. The lowest waqss paid are Bs. a day; and, for the current yoar, it is expected that tho rates will rise quite 50 per cent. In every branch of tho business side of tho administration there is muddle and less. Incompetent Socialist enthusiasts have •been placed in responsible positions, for which thoy arc entirely unfitted. A teacher in a trade school earning £300 a year was appointed Commissioner of Public Works at a salary of £1000 a year, The Socialist town clerk is a retired minister, and spends most of his time delivering Socialist lectures; and it is alleged" that he was in his oilieo only forty days during tho first nine months of his appointment. Tho City Health Commissioner is not a recognised member of the medical profession at all. According to tho Milwaukee doctors, ho does not oven know how to writo out « prescription. Of eoiirso, ho is a good Socialist." Tho pamphlet, which contains a great deal of solid information, as well as forcible- argument aiid picturesque illustration, is well worthy tho thoughtful consideration of working men who have not entirely succumbed to Syndicalist ideas.