A POLITICAL SCOLDING

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 150, 13 July 1937, Page 4

A POLITICAL SCOLDING

0a aaetaef page bf tMs iSsue wa ireprint some extracts from au article coatributed to tkO Labouf Party's Own press organ by tke Member for Napier and dealing with. last month's strike by Auckland petroUdrivers, They certainly make quite interesting reading in a general Wfty, but for mosi of us their chief interest will lie in the fact that their writef 's concern would seem to be directed entirely towards the possible effect of the men's action upon tke next eleCtion, as to wkick serious misgivings are evidently creeping intO the party ranks. "With a Labour Government in power^" Writes Mr. Bamatd> "tfade union secretaries do not hesitate to declare what their tinions will do. The point is whether they are not assisting to dislddge the tiaboui* Government by hasty words and threatfl of direct action." That is the maih theme that runa through the article. For the hundreds of good citizens who were badly inconvenieneed by the pettol-drivef 's aTbitrary % action and the scores who suffered aetual loss in business there is m? word of sympathy. The only fear— and a very well-grounded one — is that VOtes may be lost to the Labouf Party. Nor do we hear any word eitlier from Mr. Barniard or from auy other quarter as to any movement being made to check the recurrence of similar incidents. Mr. Barnard certainly says that the Government will not be prepared to "cOUhtenance" such action. But this is not the first time that it has very definitely, by its own inaction, countemanced action of the kind, for the position was much the same With regard to the freeSing-works employees' strike a few months back. In neitiaer case has any movement been made to vindicate the laws, evei) those of the LabOUr Pafty's own making. The very natural conclusion is being formed that, for all Mr. Barnard 's bfave words at the conclusion of his article, the Government is in truth very much afraid of trade unionists as a body^ otherwise we should have something more ddne in the way of disCiplining them than a mere mild rebuke or even ft scoldingj from a member fearful only as to how far votes may possibly bo alienated frdin his party.