CHANGE OF FRONT.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1917, 27 November 1913, Page 6

CHANGE OF FRONT.

It is worth noting that the militancy of the Federation, of Labour officials is languishing in those places where the strike has teen longest in operation, and is correspondingly active in centres where efforts are being made to embroil fresh bodies of workers. In Wellington and Auckland, whore the attempts at. a, general strike have so utterly failed, the strike bosses are growing much milder in their declarations of what they arc capable of doing. The facts will not square with the threats and prophecies with which they opened the campaign, and they have been compelled to modify their oratorical outbursts iii order to avoid becoming too openly ridiculous in the eyes of those they have led, into trouble. It is a little curious to note also the intense anxiety that is being shown by some of the Labour-Socialist members in Parliament to get the Government to step in and end the trouble. Mr. P. C. Webb is nn oxpresident of the Federation of Labour, and in company with his Labour-Socialist friends has been declaiming against the Government for weeks past for bringing in. a Bill to provide means for the peaceable settlement of industrial disputes in a sane and reasonable way. The member for Grey and his friends attacked that measure mid the Government that introduced it in the bitterest possible terms, because of its interference with the revolutionary methods of the lted Federation. Now that those revolutionary methods have been tried and have failed, Mi:. Wkiui changes front and begs the Government to interfere, to end the struggle in which the Hed Federation is faced with the disasterUs leaders have brought upon it. Where is (lie consistency of these bold advocates of revolution' Their followers must be dull indeed if I hey cannot see what helpless blunderers are (hese frothy wonl-spiiiiK-i's in whom they have placed I heir (rust.