A HELPINC HAND.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1907, 15 November 1913, Page 8

A HELPINC HAND.

, ._., '. (To tho Editor.) •gj r magnificent donation reported "in your cables to-day, that the ' Sydney Wharf Labourers' Union had donated tho sum of £25-to tho ' Zealand strike fund, must be gratifying news to our striking friends. If the New Zealand "Wfitersido Union alone 'stares the liberal donation amongst-its members, 1 think what 'a crcat help it

will bo to men who have been earning from £2 10s. to £5 per week. It ' works oiit about 3d. per head. Why, if two of tlufm club together, jt will : buy a pint of beer. No occasion to ; starve while other unions at work show 1 such liberality, therefore, stick to your guns, my striking frieuds, lot other ■ men fill your billets. There will be ' another 3d. a head, no doubt, next wonlc : -from the same quarter. Don't work; ■ never mind your wives and children ; starving, or begging from other people. Three cheers for tho "Solidarity cf : Unionism." and tho Federation leaders ; who havo landed you in tho mire. ■ Down with everything. Down with everybody. Burst up all industries, and ' then wo can call this Dominion tho ' "Dovil's Own Country."—l am, etc., '• ONE WHO WORKS. 1 November 14. 1 MR. ISITt'eXPLAINS. i (To tlielfiditor.) Sir,—l. see that in your issue of to-day you aro against your old tactics. Whilo omitting to reporb my brief speech and so allowing your readers to iorm their own opinion, you say in a Bub-leader 1 that I, ill conjunction with others, daily 1 attempt to raise discussions on tho 1 strike situation. This is not.true. I : regard tho strike -as a. huge.' blunder, i and personally, have no desire to discuss 1 it at tho present juueture. My position 1 is this ;—By precedent and the courtesy j of the House, the Prime Minister and ( tho Leaded- of the Opposition are allow- 1 cd day by_ day to comment upon tho ] strike position. There are five Labour j members of the House, and some of ] them havo asked that the House should | accord them opportunity to put Labour's \ side before Parliament and the country, j This is refused, on the ground that their utterances may encourage the strikers , and inflame bad feeling. Driven to f somo expedient to secure a say, the Labour nion aro introducing BillsT-auy- j one introducing a Bill being entitled to ( half an hour's speech. The Government aro meeting this by immediately , moving tho adjournment of the debate, , so preventing any other member speak- , ing on the Bill introduced. This seems , to mo weak, unwise, and unjust. In , the loug run it never pays to take an unfair advantago of an opponent. Apart j altogether from tho Tightness- or l wrongnoss of Labour's action, _ these i five men havo been duly elected in, tho , special interests of Labour, and in my j opinion far more harm will be done by , gagging them than by giving them at all events ono chance of putting their views before the Parliament and tho ' country. It seems to me to be their * right, and tho right of the worker, and I can hut regard *he spirit, that denies that right as timid and small to a. de- \ gree. Nothing that they could say l would do the hurt that this use of tho 1 forms of the House is doing, while the j waste of time involved by these Bills 1 being brought down is deplorable. On these grounds I have made my protest, 1 and not because I wish to raise frequent ' discussions on this disastrous labour 1 struggle - 1 Leonard m. isitt. \ November 14, 1913. < , [Mr. Isitt, like Sir Joseph Wajfl, is ! no doubt full of good intentions. But even a well-moaning person can do a j great deal of mischief. His special > pleading .for the so-called Labour mem- ' bers is, of course, merely his amiable < way of attempting to injure the, Gover- 1 ment by eudeavouring to create tho im- 1 pression that the "Labour members 1 have been harshly dealt with. As a 1 matter of fact he knows quite well that 1 the "Labour' members" were trying to 1 outwit the Prime Minister and take ad- 1 vantage of the forms of the House. Mr. Isitt is tho party politician always oven in a time of industrial crisis like the present his narrow conception of his ' duty-as a. member of Parliament prevonts him sinking his daily ambition, to have a fling at the Government.] .