The Dominion. MONDAY, DECEMBER 15, 1913. FOOLISH TO THE LAST.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1932, 15 December 1913, Page 4

The Dominion. MONDAY, DECEMBER 15, 1913. FOOLISH TO THE LAST.

It has now become so evident to everyone that neither the Red Federation nor anyone else has anything to gain by continuing the strike that it is surprising to find even amongst the strike leaders men callous enough to attempt to force their followers to make further useless sacrifices and undergo further needless loss. There is not a single encouraging sign for the strikers to cling to; not a single gleam of_ hope that anything they may do in the way of prolonging the struggle will benefit them in the slightest degree. The old watcrsidcrs for instance ? How have they benefited by refusing to go back to work a fortnight ago I They have lost a fortnight's additional earnings ; they have enabled some hundred or two new men to conic here and take the jobs which they might have had; and many of those men will keep the advantage they have thus gained. And suppose now the old watcrsiders decide to stay out foanother fortnight. How much bettor off will they be then ? They wil* simply have _ lost the chances'n' another fortnight's work, arid made their prospects worse than over. This is plain enough to the dullest person. They are sacrificing themselves and their families for nothing. The seamen are in much the same position, although there are even stronger reasons in their case why they should go back to work as quickly as possible. What possible good can they do by robbing themselves and their families of the wages they need bo badly 1 They have been led into this scrape by a number of stupid people, who cannot get thorn out of it if they wanted to. In fact., the Red Federation does not want, to get them out of it. It has made, use of them under false , pretences.; and will continue to do so to. the' bitter end if the seamen are foolish;, enough to let them do so; ■ . What can the seamen possibly ■ liope, ; tp;"gain from continuing on strike ? ■''-■..■■They now realise that they nrc.only;injur-, ing Ihejnselves by remaining and, what is more, realise that th n y can.expectMiqVhehv from the Red FeitovMtiotV-;in"'■'geltiur out of the troubleMhoy.jhave.'landed in. They have KotitoSdeci(le'.S|fo;S thom?elves, and■■ Uw*'X>iffitvVthey'sg?>' back I" their^shipsJtho/anen'ici^tlieilv

<J hi- i stiii a i 1 li, ijo, " f p"p l^.'It'is ''rcall^;p(itliciic^la^g;f'a'di§Jh« i f;,; tfe Red s ly "dor a t ioivSeb lit nnic?ii| nsu 1 ii to 11 igc liccfo' frst lioVst ri k'o'K i.h d -T. t lieH'Tp ub 1 iie;itcan>'j)aticntjyj ; iitvigufi/aaf^McccpU6n'H!iKv:liiciist]i : i; a l£fl:qrk l f§;%Thcr4fap,i fl^ y 1? : Pa r tjjvjj'u aorc|S>tupidlyy"srecklcss;-#ofsS|ftHo ,pcakei , 'Might ; isf;rjghtp2-Eaici£ohc!*{oolisl> cllow, hat the 'miners-'of Coast rere mighty.'f the ehole Zealand, •'?;■., bey'f>a'*'S'law into themselves: ; v%We' : ;shouid:v;have bought that .such, silly* braggadocio lad neen sufficiently discounted.:;, by •he experiences here and elsewhere ,'ot .he disastrous effects of.mobruleon -hose attempting to : practise" it. ■? It s plainly evident, however,; that b'eu'nd all the violent talk!is a'recogniion that nothing can now. avert the lertainty ■ oK\ defeat.;,';- Running through all the speeches Us; ■ the; adnission of the possibility of failure ;o achieve the purpose, aimed at by ,he Federation, and also it is obvious hat an attempt is being made to lersuade the unfortunate men who lave been made the. victims of the timidity of the leaders who blundered o deeply into.the trouble, that whativer the final outcome'it must be ■egarded as a victory for.the Fcdo.rition. That is to say, the watersides and the seamen, and the l , carters ind all the rest of them, must regard he loss of their wages, and in many :ases the loss of their jobs, as a vicory for the Federation. ■If the Fediration can point to anything else ;hat the strikers have gained by icing forced by their ...leaders to lown tools, " we,should like' to 1 see hem do so. So far as. the general uiblic are concerned, ' it does not natter very much now '..whether the itrike ends to-day, next week, or a 'ortnight hence..-.,, They have grown tccustomed to such inconvenience as nay now exist, and a little more of t will not disturb them very much. Sach extra day, however, means idded loss to the strikers and their families, and if the leaders of the liffci'ent groups .of men have any udgment at all, and any regard for ihe interests of the men, they must ee that there is nothing to gain and nuch to lose by prolonging the struggle, ' and so will now end it. Che leaders'of the Red. Federation dundered at the outset in entering m a fight which they were quite tinitted to carry through; . they have Iragged in .unions which never hould have been called on to sacrifice liemselves, and have missed the oplortunity to ' ■ get out of a osing struggle when they had ivory chance to do so; and low, having muddled ..-the thing all hrough, they apparently arc.dctcrninedto be 'foolish to the last. The inly union which seems independent Dough to refuse to be fooled longer s the Seamen's Union. The exercise if a little common sense on the part if its members would not only save hem from further useless sacrifices, mt would do a very real service to ho : . whole of the unions engaged in lie struggle, for they arc heartily .ick of the strike, and the majority if the men are fully aware that tlioy lave no hope of doing any good by ontinuing idle. There are signs I'hicli point k> a collapse of the tvike within the next day or two.