PEACE IN INDUSTRY

Hokitika Guardian, 17 May 1929, Page 8

PEACE IN INDUSTRY

APPEAL TO CHURCH

.SYDNEY, .May 2. AYilli so much industrial unrest throughout. Australia, it is little wonder Unit there sh.nild be people who ask: “\\ hat is the. Church doing:' el.innot the church exert some .inlluenee for the general peace of industry?” it lias remained for the Goulburn Diocese, in New South "Wales, to accept the ciialleiige, as it were, and its ..untvcr lias lax.ii that there should he a “truce of God’’ in industry during the whole of 19;3i). At any rate, the GiouSoourn Synod has promiseu to won; in ilnit end, and if it succeeds in interesting other synods and other sects, ana eventually brings about the idealistic “truce of God,” then it will nave achieved a. notable victory. There ,s no dw-ulit that the present, industrial unrest is causing apprehension in tile minus of those who have ihc best interests of Australia at heart. Hound table conferences have been held, and they have proved unsuccessful, but there is just a suggestion that they nave failed because of the mental attitude in which they were approached, i lie object of the conference was admittedly'■excellent but if in the minds of life conferring' parties there lias ,cen a latent determination to concede as little as possible, fai.nre to arrive ,t a modus . iveiuii of a.most a loregone conclusion. Those people who unve ; noted the failure of all means that have been tried to induce industrial peace, have doubts whether the Mun-li would succeed. Dill they would probably he. unite glad to give the an opportunity.

Canon Gordon Hirst, ol Cnbma, who prop.scd the. ‘‘truce of God” at the ast meeting of the Goulbourn Syin.d, says that the resolution invites a!', sorts of ridicule and ojiposition, and no doubt a dozen reasons could be advanced i> show that it was wildly impracticable, but there was nothing in it more absorb than a temporary cessation of hostilities between armies in actual warfare. If such short armistices were n ,L only possible hut even .deemed necessary it should not be Utopian to believe that a truce, between men who were Unit by the c.osest ties of country and kinship was within..the hounds of reason at least. In .the ordinary relationships of life iL wa.s invariably found that the spirit of conciliation accomplished far mure, than was possible with abuse and retaliation, but it was surely nearly tiu'ie that they began to detect .he .fallacy and futility ,of industrial warfare.

The Goulbourn resolution, said Canon Hirst, might he visionary, but the vision was worth contemplating. It. would begin to fade immediately they started to think in terms of self-interest and entrench themselves whether., alter all, g. odwill and understanding between ,pi an and man was not worth the sacrifice oi a little.,profit or the surrender of some small gain. Absolute t'airniASs and honesty was needed on both sides, and withholding of provocative .legislation, a readiness to see the other fellow’s point of viewall very idealistic—hut life is always finest when it is most adventurous, and the world has more than once IK-en well served by the pursuit .of an ideal that, men of small faith considered insane.

•The Goul bourn resolution has already attracted a great deal of attention, and it is hound to he discussed at other synods. Even if it brings the Church within closer toueli of the problems that are exercising the world to-day, particularly the greatest of problems, that of industrial unrest, it will have solved a valuable purpose, Not long ago ltishop Long, .of Newcastle, made the coal industry crisis the .subject of his sermon at the Newcastle. Cathedral and he appealed for a spirit of .conciliation on both sides.