The Dominion. MONDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1913. AN ALLY OF THE RED FEDERATION.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1920, 1 December 1913, Page 6

The Dominion. MONDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1913. AN ALLY OF THE RED FEDERATION.

.One of the most demoralising influences affecting tho strikers has been tho splendid spirit shown, by the men from the country districts and from the City in facing the difficulties and hardships met with in overcoming the paralysis of trade and business which the Federation of Labour sought to inflict upon the country. The men who volunteered as special constables, both mounted and foot, have frequently been pub lo great inconvcnicncc and discomfort in attending to their duties, but they have made their sacrifices with a cnccrful good nature and a ouict determination to "sec the thing through" that is not only deserving of admiration, but has had a marked moral cffcct on the strikers. The Bed Federation is_ constantly making noisy declarations of solidarity and wild assertions respecting the determination of the strikers to fight on to the bitter end, bufc this class of oratory does not deceive many people and certainly is much less impressive than the calm and resolute front presented by the men who are upholding tho law and freeing the blockade of the country's business. The Arbitration Unionists have shown tho same fine spirit and have gone steadily and uncomplainingly about their work. In some cases, especially where men have volunteered for work in the stokehold, they have had to put up with conditions, partly due to the exceptional state of things, and partly to their inexperience, of this class of work, which might reas- < onably have set them complaining. But almost without exception they have risen splendidly to the occasion, and carried their task through with a spirit that docs credit to their manhood as well as to their high sense of the obligations of citizenship. Naturally tlw Strike Bosses have been alarmed at Hie cheerful and resolute front presented by those -who arc resisting their tyranny. They know of secessions from their own ranks and of a general weakening of their own organisa-

tion owing to a growing lack of confidence in the outcome of the strike, Jind ':u they are seeking moans to heiutcii up their following. The public; are aware of the gross deception practised—the misleading statements circulated by the Strike Bosses to delude the vank and file, the gross distortions of fact concerning the progress of work at (lie waterfront, and so on. Now they are starting out >yl a new direction.' Fearing the cftiV't of the unity and cheerful conii'Jenct! of (he new Arbitration Unionists the strike leaders are seeking to create, the impression that the Arbitrationists aiici special constables are disgusted with Use conditions ujuicr which they carry out their duties and that dissension is vij-o amongst them as (lie ivsult of _ the treatment- they a-t'e receiving. They hope in this way to sow dissension amongst the Arbitrationists and at the same time encourage the strikers to hold out and prolong tho struggle. And the Jew Zealand Times has made itself their ally in this mischievous campaign of misrepresentation—mischievous because it can do no good to anyone and can only serve to prolong a wasteful struggle which is injuring all classes of the community. Tho Times throughout the industrial crisis has backed and filled— professing at one moment a desire to end the struggle while at the same time encouraging the strikers to hold out by making malicious and meanspirited attacks on those in authority for their actions and attitude in coiincction with the struggle. Now it is going out of its .way to create the impression that great; discontent exists amongst the Arbitrationists. It first published a statement t6 the effect that the men were dissatisfied at being charged the small sum for meals. This was flatly and emphatically contradicted by the secretary of the union. The Times then laid itself out in an endeavour to do further mischief and to pander still further to the Strike Bosses. Under the staring black headings, "Disgusted,'' "Going Homo To-Day," "Country Men iWill Stay Here No Longer," it published on Saturday last an alleged interview with a- man who is stated to have given his name as "Peter Baslocii." This man was described as an Arbitration Unionist, who had cotne from the Carterton district and joined the new Wharf Labourers' Union. He is alleged to have declared himself to bo disgusted with the treatment he had received and to have added that he was going back home. The facts are that there is no man of the name stated by 'the Times on the books of the Arbitration Union, and none of those responsible for bringing the special constables and Arbitration workers from the AVairarnpa district know anything of any such person. So much for this particular story published' by the journal re-' ferred to. In the same issue, ns a part of t.hb same article, under the heading "Back to Make Hay," the. Time* states that its representative had ascertained that "many of the Arbitration Unionists will bo returning to the country now as haymaking commenccs on December I." Hay-making, of course, does not commence on any particular day, ! and it is quite obvious' that _ the whole purpose of Hie article is to create the false impression that the Arbitration Union is breaking to pieces. The amount of harm the publication of such wilful and. deliberate distortions of the < actual position is likely to do is impossible to estimate. They will be greedily seized'on by the strike leaders and quoted by them as an evidence that the Arbitration Union is collapsing. The Times is of course publishing these grossly misleading accounts of the state of things at the waterfront to win the approval and support of the Federation of Labour and those associated with it in the present struggle. It has ho concern for the injury it may do the community bv circulating these distortions of fact designed- to encourage the strikers to continue in their endeavour to ruin the trade and business of the country. Even if it wove true that out of 1500 men there were half a dozen or a score of grumblers, would that warrant sensational headlines and wild assertions designed to create a false and misleading impression regarding the progress of work at the waterfront? It is difficult to conceive anything more grossly improper than, for a _ rcsponsble newspaper to so forget its obligations to the public at a time like the present, as to falsely misrepresent the position with a view to encouraging the strikers to prolong a hope- j less struggle.