The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1928. ORDER OR CHAOS.

Hokitika Guardian, 25 September 1928, Page 4

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1928. ORDER OR CHAOS.

The question of law or order is again in*the balance in Australia, where the Federal Ministry has been moved to introduce drastic industrial legislation to ensure good government. As the Prime Minister remarked “interruption of transport by watersiders or seamen in the past ten years has made Australia a byword.” He added that great financial loss was already accruing to the country as a result of the industrial trouble. The disposition of organised labour to go back to chaos is. a recurring event in most countries where trades unions are badly led or advised. Admittedly they are prepared to accept the dictum of the Arbitration Court, but the moment there is what they consider an adverse award, they disdain it. Those who refuse to work under the conditions of an award break that agreement, and having broken it, it should be open to anyone else to come in and do the work. But not with the militant trades unions, anyone willing to work is called a blackleg, and very, often the life of such a one is in dapgr. While not working themselves, they seek to prevent others, and with their unionism draw other unions into their conflict, and not hundreds, but thousands of workers are out of employment, and commerce is held up, and the life of the community threatened by these unlawful proceedings, unlawful because tlie unions defy the law, and induce others to do so And they threaten even worse—to spread unemployment by a general strike to ruin the country. This, though whatever grievances they had were settled in lawful form by a properly constituted Court which they pretend to admire only so long as Its decisions suit their own sweet will. Surely there can be very little sympathy with unionism, which, as a Sydney paper puts it, pursues a policy “to smash arbitration, unionism and industry all together.” It is Mr Bruce’s task at present to remedy this unpleasant situation. The air is evidently electric for we read of the strikers singing the revolutionary song “The Red Flag,” while in another part of Melbourne and in Queensland, free labour is being attacked. The Waterside Workers’ Federation is being proceeded against for inciting members to strike, and so we have examples of order being reduced to chaos. Speaking on the Government measure to re-

trieve the situation and enforce the law and maintain order, Mr Scullin, a Labour member, talked with bis tongue in his cheek about standing tor arbitration and the observance of tlie awards, but considered the efforts which had been made were frustrated by the Government action in-bringing down a Bill to -save the situation for law and order ! So much for the Labour leaders a-s evidenced by this speech and the necessity for prosecuting the Waterside Workers’ Federation. Yet is is clear free labour is plentiful, and by maintaining a firm hand, law and order must survive. The incident is another warning of the vicious trend of the labour movement, as it appears to be organised generlly. These ebullitions suggest to what extent the country might suffer were the country under absolute Labour rule. In Queensland, where Labour is in power, tn© country is short of supplies, because of the shipping hold-up. It is difficult to understand why innocent people are being put upon in such a pass. Prices must be soaring as supplies shorten and all trade is seriously dislocated. Little: wonder that hopes of Labour acquiring any, serious advantage in the coming general elections iii New Zealand are dwindling. The votes of the people will not be lightly east -or Labour candidates at all readily, for there is always th risk of helping a dangerous party into power, and we see from the set made in New South Wales that one thought is to ruin the farming community. Farmers i eral, and the public at large, may well oeware of the Labour Party in New Zealand.