A FEW REFLECTIONS ON THE STRIKE, AND ON THE MANNER IN WHICH SIR JOSEPH WARD, BARONET, AND HIS GREW OF POLITICIANS ARE BEHAVING.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1922, 3 December 1913, Page 9

A FEW REFLECTIONS ON THE STRIKE, AND ON THE MANNER IN WHICH SIR JOSEPH WARD, BARONET, AND HIS GREW OF POLITICIANS ARE BEHAVING.

(To the Editor.) Sir,—Whilst your well-conducted paper, bravely upliolding law and order all through tliose limes of anarchy and hurly-burly, is being eagerly scrambled for and devoured by appreciative readers all over the A'orth island,. 1 would like to have a. few words on the situation. 1 am constantly'travelling over the North Island and hearini; all sorts of opinions about tlio strike, the strikers, tlio Hon. Mr. Massoy, and Sir Joseph Ward, and his wild, untutored crew, consequently tlio following ideas aro not only my own, but arc also tho firm convictions of thousands of tlio clean, well-meaning people of the north, and as such I freely hand them on to you for publication:— 1. The strike, as you know, was caused by tho wild, unscrupulous, irresponsible, but too well-paid (out of tho hard earnings of honest workers) screaming leaders of tho revolution telling tlicir too-casily led, but otherwise decent, followers not only to cease work, but to mass up and prevent anyone clso working. They wero to do this legally or illegally, by fair means or by foul, by stealth, under cover of night, or by open brute force. Tho strikers havo done it so far, but where aro they, and whero their leaders?

2. I am a working man myself, and I shrink with horror over tho pictures of what many a workman's home now is, and his children crying morning by morning, perhaps, in vain, for a "Piece, please." And tho mothers, how do they loci? I doubt if any of them have the song of the nightingale that that imported American—Mills—told the wives of strikers they would hear in their hearts. 1 work when I choose, as long as I choose, and where I choose, but 1 never belonged to any union, and never would dream of joining anv union whose irresponsible heads would dictato to mo what I should do or not do. When Sir Julius Voijcl carried his grand scheme of public works in IS7O, and contracts were let to responsible contractors, who, in turn, employed and paid workmen well for their eight hours of honest toil, there were no unions, but there was goodwill between master and man. But those ;:ood old times are gone, never to return, I am afraid. I). Well, if workmen will have unions, let cai'b particular branch o! : work have its union, but for goodness sako do not let one tyrannical monopoly dominate the whole. For how can tho watorsiilcr pretend to tell the qualified engineer what are the best mctjiods for conducting his technical work? Or tho shoemaker instruct the lawyer; or the navvy advise how to build a'ship, a. bridge or railway ? No, no, friends," let the shoemaker stick to his last, tlie watersider to his trolly, the lawyer to his. (|iiili, and the navvy to his familiars, the pick and shovel, and in sucli case once more the world would was well. Cfo hack to honest toil, boys, like we are doing who never owned to any union, and you will find tilings will be better with von.

4. And now I come to the politicians who have boon moving in the matter. Tako, for instance, Mr. Massoy, another workman, who never belonged to any union, ami all thrombi bis hard-working career, as a small farmer, toiliii" daily from daylight to dark, with no thought of strike. I and thousands eoncludo that his humane, praiseworthy efforts to settle the differences belwcon employer and employee, together with his honest, dignified demeanour in the Iloum> of Parliament, towards bis _ untruthful, ruthless opponenls, stamp him as a general of tho first calibre, a Prime Minister of whom tho Dominion has rightly become proud, and I am.rejoiced to note the congratulatory bulletins pouring in on him and his Government from all parts of tho colony. Let, mo add my (piotii to tho number:' Last week a weltkiiown lady, who takes a leading pail amongst ilio political women of the Dominion, speaking of our Premier, s;.id to the whole railway carriage in which I was a pu'::.cuger: "Air. Massac.-veil.

we have always voted against him, but now wc aro lor him in a woman, and we would not now touch Ward nor any of his following." 'Ibis is a fact. Of course, when it's all over, King William scores the right to a eoronel, but, if J know him aright, Dick Soddon-like. he would not accept even a baronetcy. 1 sincerely tru.-.t he and hi:; party will not rest, content until that malignant cancer, the Hod Federation, ia swept from the colony, and also a law made preventing, under severest penalties, the assemblage of persons in public places for seditious and blasphemous talk. 1 would also disfranchise for all time' any person convicted of sedition, _

5. Sir Joseph Ward and his crew—if they have not already forfeited their claims to scats in the House of Parliament, by their untoward obstructive and wild talk, they hau- certainly lost the votes of every right-thinking elector at the next election. Ono would have thought that the ex-Premier, alter having been loaded with favours by our Gracious .Majesties, King:; Edward and George, that he at ieast might have been found burying party interests to give his assistance to his chief (Air. Masscy) all through this terrible.timo of trouble. 1 leave him at that. He will get his reward next year if ho stands for Awarua, a riling I very much doubt, as I am told, on very good authority, too, that his late opponent, Mr. Hamilton, will relegate him to tlio place whence he sprang. As to tho rest of his following, Russell, Isitt, Webb, Payne, Atmore,-Robertson, and the other agitating members of Parliament, well, they are not worthy an ink placo in The Dominion news columns. Get back to work, boys. Get back to work. Don't quarrel any longer with your bread and butter, which is all the sweeter when earned honestly, by oven tho sweat of vour brows. —I am, etc., SYMPATHISER, WITH HONEST TOIL. Main Trunk Line. December I, 1913.