THE REVOLUTIONARY CANKER

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1919, 29 November 1913, Page 4

THE REVOLUTIONARY CANKER

One of the most disquieting features ul the .present industrial upheaval is the surprising willingness of a large section of the workers to accept without question tho J most outrageous misstatements - and to applaud the worn-out shibboleths! of the revolutionary agitators as if they were inspired ■ Of course a deliberate policy of distor- j tion must in the long run brine j utter discredit upon those who are j responsible for it; but in the mean-j time a great deal of harm may be done. At the present moment- the Australian Labour Unions arc being misled in the grossest manner as to the origin and development of tho Labour crisis in New Zealand, and their policy is being shaped by'a statement of the position which tho trades unionists of this Dominion know to be quite contrary to the facts. If the Labour Unions of Australia are induced to take part in a sympathetic strike, which will meats much suffering to themselves and great loss to their employers, on the' strength of the misstatements which the representative ol the Federation of Labour has been making in Sydney, it is quite possible that, on some i future occasion the New Zealand workers may. in a similar manner, be uifairly dragged into some strike that may originate in Australia. What is now tailing place in this connection ought therefore to be a lesson to every intelligent New Zealand unionist. It shows the need of a higher sense of honour in these matters, for it is certainly a very mean and contemptible thing to take advantage of the fact that the Australian workers arc not in a. position to judge for themselves, and to endeavour to gain their help and sympathy by a complete misrepresentation of tho position. It is quite untrue, for instance, to state that the present strike is the result of an attempt on the part of the employers to smash unionism. The Federation of Labour lias done much more in the way of union smashing than anyone else; but of course the Australian worker is not told thatside of the question, nor is he informed that the trouble commenced through the deliberate breaking of an agreement "from A to Z" by the old Wellington Waterside Union. A cause that lias to resort to the systematic distortion of facts must lie ill a very had way, and the wonder is that so many unionists are not ashamed to allow this sort of thing to go on any longer. Is it a foil - tiling to the Sydney workers to (el! them that the special constables shot down unionists in the street in an attempt to intimidate the union representatives while, the parties were negotiating I The use of such discreditable weapons can only bring the Labour movement- into disrepute, and this campaign of falsehood should ho definitely repudiated by every responsible unionist in Jfew Zealand. The spreading of the strike will not only injure the Labour Unions of Australia, but the widening of the area of conflict is bound to react on Unionists in this country who have, no sympathy with tho Fed Itlaggers. Every blow aimed at the trade and industry of the Dominion must prejudice the position of tho whole coninnjnity, and especially the wageearners, who will find employment scarccr and the cost- of living increased.

"What's wrong with unionism'" This is a question which is now being asked in many quarters, and it certainly requires an answer. How is it that a noisy handful o{ revolutionary Socialists have he-en able to bring about the present industrial crisis in spite of the fact that the great majority of those wno have become embroiled in it had no desire to take part in the conflict'! That something is wrong with unionism is obvious, Recent events have shown us that there lias been an organised attempt to suppress as far as possible all liberty of thought and independence of judgment among the workers, and any man who dares tc question the dictates of the Labour bosses is subjected to various kinds of intimidation, and becomes a marked man. This new tyrrany has harassed the employers until ths position has become intolerable, and it has spread suspicion and distrust among the workers to an extent which is almost too grievous to be borne. During the general strike in Brisbane the Labour revolutionaries even, dared to challenge the authority of the State itself, and one of tlvir journals declared Ih'it "Labour r-i'st not only be prepared to strike, but to back up the strike by _ armed _ force—go in.for civil war in fact." In the early part of the present crisis wc heard the same sort of talk in New Zealand, but the resolute manner in which the community manifested its determination to maintain the supremacy of the law of life land Ciuisn'.l the extremists to change their tune, and they are now doing their utmost lo keep their revolutionary doctrines in the background. The dispute quickly developed into a trial of strength between Use community and the. lied Federation and the community lias shown that it is determined to put an end to what all Aruralian Labour leader has called "the Syndicalistic religion of strike, strike, strike. 1 ' legitimate Trades Unionism li.is nothing to fear. It will be established on a tinner basis than ever; but before that can be done the tyranny of the Federation must be overthrown. It is humiliating to every intelligent worker, and an outrage on the pub- j lie conscience. In his little book, : entitled "What's Wrong With Unionism?" Mis. <T, T. Packer, himself an ardent unionist, insists that it is the duty of every worker "to openly condemn the doings of unions and union leaders which run contrary to the spirit of brotherhood, justice, and democracy." He also deprecates the spirit of apathy or fear which prevents unionists from taking a decided stand against "the hopeless drift towards materialism that organised unionism iri Australia is now making"; and he says "the call is sharp and urgent to Australian unionism; cut out the Syndicalist nncl revolutionary Socialistic canker that is slowly, yet surely, with deadly results, oatim* its way in a. cause which should stand first among the world's great social movements." This call is just as sharp- and urgent lo the workers of New Zealand.