“BLACK” GOAL.

Hokitika Guardian, 8 October 1917, Page 1

“ BLACK” GOAL.

— A DOCTRINE OF ANARCHY,

"A doctrine of anarchy which reduces the community to a chaos ot warring atoms.” was how Judge Rolin in Sydney recently described Die principle under which unions retimed to handle materials which are declared “ black.” 'i'he do-regist ration of the Gas Employees’ Union was applied for bv the Australian Gas-light Company. Limited, in. the No 2 Industrial Court.

Mr Curtis appeared for the gas company, and Mr M. J. Conn ugtoii for the union, which was summoned to show cause why its registration should not be cancelled. An application for tlie recession ol tlie Gas Makers’ Group No 2 (Metropolitan) award, was also on the list, imt Mr Curtir stated that iL was not intended lo proceed with this at present, and asked that it might stand over generally. Mi: Curtis read an affidavit showing that the gas employees were on ■ sti ike, having refused to handle coal pot bv non-union labour.

Air Connington asked for an adjournment. The union, he said, was to hold a meeting next day to j consider the general situation. The j union as a union, had not dealt with the question yet. 1 His Honour: No doubt members J of the union have brought about a j state ol affairs detrimental to the j community. 'This doctrine ol “ black goods” is a doctrine of alt- • solute anarchy. As Mr Justice Heydou lias pointed out, it is a farcical doctrine, as well as a most mischievous one. ~ The strikers will not handle “ black ” goods, but j they eat “black” food. The whole business of the community is being Carried 011 by volunteer labour, which brings food to the strikers themselves. I

Air Connington : That i.s undeniable.

Mr Curtis strongly opposed an adjournment. Any decision the men might come to at a future meeting would not affect what they had already done. Mr Conniugton’s statement that the union as a union had not considered the matter was in absolute conflict with the statement from the union secretary, which had been published in tlie press.

In granting the adjournment till * Mon (lav, his Honor said there seemed no doubt that the members of the union under the aegis of the .secretary had decided on a most , mischievous course, that ol partially j depriving the city and its inhabit- ; ants, as far as by their conduct they could, of one of the most essential things, the gas supply. They had done this most mischievous thing in pursuance of what praetic- J ally amounted to a scheme of almost • a general strike. They struck not ( because they-had any quarrel with their employers, but because they refused to handle “black” coalcoal provided by men. who'did not belong to the privileged class-known as unionists. This was ail impossible doctrine. The smallest strike could .in that way be made to spread over the whole community. In this particular case the coal miners had j no quarrel whatever oi their own. They had themselves, by means of j Strike, most improperly, some time ago, obtained conditions which j probably they would not re- 1 ceived in the ordinary course. They ; had promised in consideration ol this not to go on-strike, they chose to break the promise, I lien , it was said that tlie whole community must go without coal until the miners’ demand, which was the J demand of another union, and as far as his Honor could see, a most improper demand, had been satisfied.

His Honor added that he would' adjourn the matter to give the union an opportunity of calmly considering their position. At the meeting next day the men might see lit to repent of conduct that was antisocial and contrary to the welfare of the community, and in that case it might be that the discretion oi the Court in exercising the power given, it •in such circumstances would be affected.