THE “LITTLE DIGGER’S.”

Hokitika Guardian, 6 March 1920, Page 4

THE “LITTLE DIGGER’S.”

PLAIN TALK ON THE FOLLY OF “DIRECT ACTION.” AN IMPRESSIVE LESSON. At Melbourne on February sth, Mr Hughes received a deputation from the local branch of the Watersiders’ Federation, who asked the Federal Government to grant assistance to alleviate the distress existing at present among members of the union and their wives and children owing to the marine strike. Speakers pointed out that the present dispute, following upon others in the last two years, which had meant long periods of unemployment, had reduced hundreds of men almost to starvation. The men were now taking their household belongings to the pawnbrokers, and the conditions in their, homes were in every way deplorable.

The Prime Minister said he could not help thinking that no more complete and crushing condemnation of the policy of “direct action” had ever fallen from the lips of any men than had fallen from the lips of the deputation. Here they had a statement by one of the most militant unions in Australia —as he knew to his cost—of two and a half years’ experience of direct action. Ever since 1917 they had been in a state of unemployment, varied by brief periods of employment. He supposed he did not exaggerate when he said that out of the two years and four months that had elapsed since the railway strike many of the wharf laborers could not have had more than four or five months of employment. A Voice: That is true. The Prime Minister: The wharf laborers lived from hand to mouth. Looking back these two and a-half years, he asked them, as a friend, had they learnt nothing at all. They now asked him to help them, and he was very willing to do it. He wished that by waving his hand he could put the engineers on the. ships. He had just seen the manager of the Commonwealth Line, who had told him that seven or eight of the ships were laid up. This was a State enterprise. Whatever profits were made lightened taxation and helped them all. It was not a capitalistic venture. Yet eight ships were lying idle. As each ship came in it paid the penalty of employing Australians by being laid up, while British ships owned by their great competitor the British combine were allowed to sail the seas at will. That was the way their fellow-citizens treated their own vessels at a time when it might be imagined that all would be eager to encourage prosperity and to provide employment. The wharf laborers were the victims of this dispute, and had begun to realise —probably they had long realised—that this direct action was a two-edged sword. They could not use this weapon against their fellow-citizens without feeling the effects themselves. He had done all he could to make the engineers realise their responsibilities, to the Commonwealth as its citizens. They had great power. He was told in a section of the Press that he should settle this strike; but no one told him how to do it. They would do well if they coidd man two ships in the whole of Australia. Some people seemed to think lie could order out a platoon of soldiers. Thank God, those days .were over. But it only remained to him to appeal to the men’s sense of what was right and to point out to them the injury they were doing to their fellowcitizens. Supposing that he manned two or three ships with non-union engineers. In all probability the firemen, cooks, and stewards would walk out. Assuming, however, that they got a non-union crew, and the boat lay alongside one of the wharves at which wharf laborers worked. Would they work it? N Mr Bates: If you were still in the union, would you advise us to do so? The Prime Minister said he wanted to show them how difficult the situation was and what a vicious circle this was. Everyone of them condemned it, and not one of them could end it. The engineers, by of their skill and position, were absolutely able to hold the Commonwealth up. That was nothing more or less than industrial bushranging. He wanted the wharf laborers to bring their influence to bear to bring their fellow workmen to a sense of their responsibilities. He could not make the engineers go to work. But if they thought that by waiting any longer, and by holding the Commonwealth up, they would make him give way they made a mistake Ho would not. He said this do-.. liberately. The engineers had not only defied the law, but had treated with contempt every effort that had been made to induce them to return to work. They had been offered reasonable concessions and a tribunal to settle their dispute. They would not even accept that. They were going on in the belief that by turning the screw tighter they could make the community pay. Ho noticed that Mr Theodore, in Queensland, had protested that the Shipping Controller wo not allow the steamer Musgrave to

run. Mr Theodore himself would not allow it, because it was proposed to pay the men what they wanted. If the rulers of the people did that sort of thing, what was the good of law? If that were done, law did not exist and government became a farce. There must be a government by the majority according to the settled constitutional methods. They would npver do anything much to obtain industrial order until the unions were able to say that nobody should go on strike with- ' out the consent of all. the unions. Why ; should the engineers throw the wharf laborers out without their having a , word to say in the matter? If they went back to-morrow it might be the seamen, stewards, cooks, or masters

next. The outlook was black, and was not relieved by any glimmer of promise. . . . Apparently the engineers thought that they would force the Government to surrender by remaining out. He regarded that as an ultimatum, and they might take it

tom him that if they remained out

for six months they would be no better off than they wero to-day. He knew of no way in which he could help tho deputation; the Government could not deal with them differently from other unionists. There wore 10,000 out now, and would probably be 20,000 shortly.

The best thing was for them to use their influence with the engineers and get them to return to work.

Mr Cremon : Is there no chance of monetary assistance ? Mr Hughes replied that he would refer the matter to the Executive.