The Dominion. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1916. A FALSE MOVE

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2943, 1 December 1916, Page 6

The Dominion. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1916. A FALSE MOVE

The reported action of the Blackball raiaers of deciding to go on strike until a referendum is on tho question of compulsory military service will be welcome news for Germany. Whatever motive the miners may claim to. have prompted them to take the t course now announced, they cannot possibly justify their action. They bohevo that by striking they can bo cripple trade and industry and paralyse shipping an'd railway transport as to bend the whole country to their will. They are, apparently, at the moment prepared to go the length of throwing thousands of working men out of employment; of bringing hardship and loss into thousands of homes in which the breadwinner is awav at the front fighting for them and their country; and they are prepared to help Germany 'by hindering and hampering the efforts of the Government to enable New Zealu ri° play its parfc in nghting for the liberties of its people. And why ? Because .< tho representatives of the people in Parliament passed a, law in the national interest which' they disagree with. Because they object to compulsory service, which 61 out of 58 of the people's representatives in Parliament considered essential to the fulfilment of the country's obligations in' a life and death struggle, the Blackball miners have adopted a course, and ask others to follow them in it, which will hamper tho efforts of their own country in its'desperate struggle against the most ruthless and tyrannical Power in the world to-day It passes belief that men of •tii! ■ od could acfc in this way if they realised clearly what their action meant. But do they? The men who have fomented this trouble —or most of .them—know well enough, that it will help Germany if it can be prolonged. It is quite possible that some of those outside the ranks of the miners themselves have been bribed by German gold, while others of German origin or sympathies have helped it along for sheer love of Germany and hatred of the British.

• But it must be plain that tho great bulk of the Blackball miners have been led to act as they havenow done because they have failed to appreciate the full consequences ot. their action. To believe otherwise would be to suggest that they deliberately and willingly embarked on a course which, if persisted m, would brand them as traitors to their country. We do not believe that such is the case. Rather do we think that under the insidious influence of mistaken teachings spread amongst them in the name ol liberty they have been filled u'n with false beliefs, and their larger responsibilities a s citizens have become obscured by the narrower interests of a militant, class organisation. What would have been the position to-day if tho labour unionists of Belgium and France nthi 8 11 n, D nofc to mention the S& \ Il6d POW6l ' S ' had « one on strike because conscription was introduced .by the Parliaments of te» CO w tr , 1 ?».- in the national interest? Had this occurred, and had permitted to continue, what hope would the Allies have had of winning this fefribo AW °M dup ° n , themb y Germany? ifcf ltttoly Ti n< ? hope at all - And what would have happened, what will happen now, unless' we do win a decisive victory? Can anyone who has followed the disclosure of Germany's ambitious plans, and n ?. d . o£ * ho ferocity with which she has pursued her ends think for one moment that if we tail in this war wo can escape the deadly peril which lies ahoad of our nation? An undefeated Germany means for the British race ceasevigilance and the colossal burden of preparation for a renewal of the struggle in the years to come. It means even more than that it wo weaken now in the thick ot the struggle. It means that we loso our standing amongst the nations of the world; it means that we invite the aggression of Powers tfhkh in the past have respected the tenacity and endurance quite as much as they have the fighting powers of the British race. We must win this war, and New Zealand is in honour, as well as on the grounds ol self-interest, called on to assist to the utmost of its power. Any action which is likely to interfere with tho dispatch of troops, there-

foro, can only bo regarded in the gravest possible light as a menace .to the welfare of our people, and the evil is intensified whefl it takes the form of industrial strife calculated to dislocate the business and industry of tho whole community, throw hundreds of men and women out of employment at a time when the work of all is most urgently needed, and divert our energies from the struggle with our enemies 'to a struggle amongst o'urselves. No patriotic Britisher can'permit himself to be made a tool of Germany in this way. Tho Miners' Federation, we are glad to note, does not appear to have lent its approval to the action of tho Blackball miners, and it is possible that wiser counsels may prevail and men be persuaded to resume work. They cannot possibly gain the end they aim at by striking, but they can do a great injury to this country and prejudice the Labour movement-for years to come.