SYNDICALISM AND THE STRIKE.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1912, 21 November 1913, Page 9

SYNDICALISM AND THE STRIKE.

MENACE TO A FREE PEOPLE. PLAIN TALK FROM THE PULPIT, Sonic phases of the present strike were-trM-ie)mwt)y dealt with by the Rev. . W. S. Ballings in tiro course of « recent sermon at the t'oiisoriiiy .Baptist ■ Church, Auckland. Alter describing the ■ Syndicalist movement (relief ally, ilr. ■ Rollings proceeded as follows ;— Nnw, alter this dcseriptioli of Syndicalism, you will not be surprised tolien'r that the. nvcii at t'ho Storm centre <*f the present turmoil are avowed Syndicalists. They have been .liourishiiig for months * past, tr> use George Sorel's word's, "in i the masses a disposition to stritov" And they arc t'ho responsible creates of the industrial upheaval. The .man-a-geirieht: of t'ho Huntley ininoS and the the tfyioil [ Shipping Company may have Supplied j thorn with weapons in tire forni of g'ricv- . ances. But they have manipulated and . used these weapons along the lines-, and . for the purposes of their own rsvoltt- ( tionary propaganda. r Lot hie tell you what I know, not from ; newspaper reports or statements of r employers, but from careful inquiry made- ' of the men involved in t'ho struggle. . Tho waterside workers belong to t'ho | Federation of Labour. Tko agreement of the waterside Workers with the tfii.iu- ' ping companies Would expire hi Jaiiii-ai-y nest. Souie months :iko tho till i'ty ConferoiiCe, representing nil the force's of labour in the Dominion, was hold at Before this took place, .and at tiro instigation of t'ho Federation of Labour officials, A hallot of the waterside workors was taken as to whether they would strike whc.il the sigree'iiieut expired nest January.; Ihey really along the lines of their revolutionary doctrines proposed a strike, and this without, as far as can bo icaiiicd, in any way approaching tin.' Shipping coiupafta ics to hud. out if they AVould give, any 1 hotter terms in a new agreement. When \) the ballot Was completed, the boxcSwofO ' not ope-'ued, and ttic results declared at : Auckland; The boxes Wcfo taken to • ! Wellington, ai'id the men'' iu Aucklandwere kept in the dark as td tile result c of their voting. It now transpires, that ! a majority of the Auckland , wijiter'side ' workers expressed-; their satisfaction " with present conditions by vofciHgiigiiinst " the strike!. But it is significant that r a majority of the Wellington waterside's was bvorwheliiiingiy in favour of., a 5 strike * Jtark the sequel! Trouble Ul'Ose. at I Huntley umoiifi tk>. miners, Tdie shi-'p-II Wrights ■at Wellington 'became aggrieved ' becauso the Union Shipping Company withdrew from a pr:h liege of t'lMity i' years' stawiijifr In the Wellitiftton "waterside .workers the disposition to strike has been strongly * in wished. lii the spirit of dnn't-ea-rc- ? tiM'-aiiybndy industrial recisls!Sß!iess tlie moii held their stop-work meeting, anil through the violation of thoir' 'iigrcd- " lueh-t precipitated tl.it; present colossal r strife! 'J A Desperate Move-. , Then, the oilieia'is made a dosjinrate i move, and played i'av a big stake', 'Iwj I Auckland waterside workers had voted i ii few months ago against a, .proposal a to strike. And there, is i» reason to 1 suppose that had thisy been cousn.tted' i> bv ballot the isiaiority Would have - favoured a strike at the present. miu> - toe. But the plain fact is that they - were not consulted. Without so much l a*, "bv your leave" a liiali'd.atc /cam? , from the'executive-dr tiiq federation of Labour at Wellington that 1,500 rnen ' in Auckland wee to cease Wfl.i'kl Ami, armed with this mandate, 4H officialtvt the union went round to the.nieii Workin'" the cargo and saidi "YoU mtist stop, work!" i'ins is despotic dictatorship with a veiiji'caiKci And ■.what fitness, " moral, social, "or political, have these '. gentlemen shown themselves possessed ;, of that they should Venture to jiss.ume \ and assert'such dictatorial aUthonty t To have it in their Jotter to coiitro} tho ' aotioits of vast bodies of inert, io as to '. dislocate i' nation's industries, to.diyido seciot'v into opposite cainps, and. to precip'itato conditions • verging on ciyil W have Buch pOWOr, 1 SSy.j a, little .group of hicn would heed to possess the wisdom and sagacity of ;a pqlpinqijj the breadih of view aiid statosinanship ■ of a Washington, find the .in'ornl "prillciplb arid passion of an Apostle I .aulj I daro tb aliirlii that such a'ctlOn..is':a , .menace to the social libcrtfes..and':.saiie- : titles' .qf a and faodoin-loviiig people'; and "tiia-t when working men calmly review tin's trttonvp't 'at dicta..-. " torial' aiid despotic tyrauiVy thoy_ will 1 repudiate it-.as iwuttifltt' to tlie rights j aiid responsibilities of their selr-respock 1 ing manhood. •. ' . Professor ■ Mills j according, to his ; words, spoken eighteen months iigoj. 1 Piloted in Saturday's papers, described. ' these dictators aa iucn '"'Who _ have ' txalted a passion iur dcsWiietion into a '' superstitio'is convietioij Hint the best 1 tilings in human life Mil bi?'built Uli th© worst passions of the human heart' " 'Such action is repudiated by repiitablo 1 Socialists and Lnhoiir .leaders, ns .along ' the lines of sOpial iinitrcliy and lio.litieal ' insanity. It.represents neitlHvr-.good ' sense nor good doni.aci.'p.c,y. ■Ahd..it is.ii violatioli Of afl the Unities *im..th« 1 ■ sanctities of our tomnion Christiauity'l i . . The Tree Judged by Its Fruits. Judge the'tree by its frute,- niid you ; will not think my language too.strong. ■• Look at the 'distress Wllich has boon ■caused to the multitude of people who do not deserve to suite! I fnivc hcawl ' both the sympathetic strike aiid the geiiprai shiko denounced by Labour leaders in Anstrtife as weapons ot, social brutality. Tbc ftrgt to. sulfur are the families of the strikers themselves. Aiid the next to.•■■ieel.it: are multitude of deserving .mid torfj wago-earne'rs and small trudcsnie.il. The directors of tlio coinpaiiies poiicCnieil will not suffer tiro I'e'ast inconvoniou'.ee. Jjiit tlie losses iniltotod oil inany of the poor will wean an increased daily hwd.en for months to come. If a ni»n has a quarrel with his employer, that is ne reason why ho sl'iouid ■ punish. li.is wife and children, and then exfeiid the ■operations of his wcapoii of castigii'tiori: ■ to the homes and families of nil lm. relatives aiid friends! Thiytis what tlio sympatheiio and general strike iijnouuts.. to. They al'o bludgeons which iuilrct ii ftiuiiiiuui of fnjui'i: "pon the ciipitalT Ist, but recoil with desperate injur-V upon tiie workers themselves. .. But nioro deadly is the social infury Whieii sitclt a revolt inflicts upon society. The nation politically represents a complete domoeraey. Every vote has eirunl value. And it does not require, nwcli reftectrOil to. See that if in such .a community cdhstitutioimlly created iiistitutions aiid laws, 1 enacted at the request of the people, and for their benefit, are thrust aside,' by ally set of ■officers »£ body of men, we arc in the degreo of Silcii lawlessness in peril.of anarcliy. The jiHwers that be fire ordained, ■of God, Our lnws may be c.apalilo of provenicnt aiid anieiidiiieut. And tlicro is a conslitutioirol uietliO'd by wMcli tlie ■majofity may effort such changes as are. deemed desirable without resort to vio<- ■ fence. Is TliafS Not a way out? T have spoken out of « heavy heart my clear convictions regarding the. situation. Hut he-fore olosuig 1 want- to. make elrair that I bear in my heart, deep reverence for the toiling kiiidred: of the Son of 'Mary i and a liiii'lgQ' &e? : sire for tlieir soctiil eniimeipatiai.i aiid spirituftl redemption. In Victoria 1" have stood with my back to the wall, against the whole force of public opin- . foil, with a body of oppressed aiid iiiispuided workei-s. Anil iny wife holds I'tfb-: tcrs <jf thanks whji'li 1 received from,! ■ many bodies of Working me-ii. I stili believe tjnit Christianity is tho religion of the third reverence

not for tlio privileged nor tho wellplaeed .ii.i.iddl6.,classes, but pi:e-e.mii.ioiit-ly for tlio toiling .masses of men. li;ow Christ loved tlieiul And how great are tlie services tiie,y hnvjv rendered, to lnankindl They biiild the cottages p.f th.o ]p'Qor aiid the .paiiiees of the ris'li.. They' construct our Wiitways and roads, which are. tii'fe■'■h'iglfjtayE, of a nation's comrherce, T.h6y biiild and man the ships in, ivhicli wo sui.l the seas, They Win for, us tlio. 'harvest ■o.'f , .the field, the:sca, and: the,inihe. I'e'Sj. - , and Oli .many a field of bloody .■strife,. ■■ . geuettttions of workers have laid ■dowii ''■'■" ; thoir lives as part payment rif tlie liber- ; \ ties We now possess I We. sboutd liotd . the people in hoiiour. And, I titink, especially the .men wjlo tan tlieir days . into nights., working in the iniiiesj that ' >. our iiidustrios iiiiiy be kept aii.d s our homes made filiecr.V and bright: and . ino'n t'l'ja.t k.iioch ahoiit the World in ; ships, ishoiild li'ave tlio best rewards .and l / Cniiiiorts that .justice and kiiidiiCfSß ; ean. I give. And. with deep earnestness I s; si)e<ik as a frieiid of the workers When b I say that iaw'iessnes.s in : a '.free c.o.uni try will never serve tlieir cau.sk 'flia.t • 1 agr'eoriie'nts entered into. in good f.aitll - should' i be litnio.vrra'bly .kept.'. ''"Huhl csty," said John this ap--1 plies to niaster aii'd man., to comnsiiiies - aid indiviiiuafs alike—'"Honesty is. "iiot S disturbing 'force,.which, de.raiiges. tlio- ■ J orbits of ;eC!Miouiyi hut a consistent Jaii'dA: I conuruiiidi'iig force, by obetl.ipnco to wjiicli ' by no other obedience—those o'r- • bits will continue clear of chaos." ' ilod.ies off wdriters 's'lipukt? : .fUr'tlieVj in [ , t.hoiV organisetl capacity., ciiiig to and I'ianoui' the old .democratic ideals and ' metlrofl's. They wilt yet Ic.a.rji. thij.t .ji'k " tie wisdoiij, but great folly -nifty re's.nit '. fcom ■pliicing t'lieiiisel.v.«a:uhreserved..ly in \ th.c 'hands -of a set Of .oiTice'i'Si :.or a J "Strike Committee.?'. A secret-.ballot, '.Sis a necessary preliminary,-to, Striking, " t-a-kt'ii under co-nditioiis iii. .which...every , iiimi's vote would : e'spre.ss. his i'eai convie.tioij, 'apart fv-onitlie iiiilu'e.iice of tlie ■ mob orator, aiid the platform desperado, ' would; rediiee eoiisidembly the-ri.ui.n'.ber of strikes, and promote the cause of in- _ dnstrial ppaec. r : "r- : . .;