Pushing Arbitration in America

Industrial Unionist, Volume 1, Issue 5, 1 June 1913, Page 1

Pushing Arbitration in America

For some time past the employers in England have been gradually waking up to the value of arbitration as a means of chloroforming the workers, transforming the unions from fighting machines into agencies for keeping Labour docile* defeating the revolutionary end of the Labour movement, and side-tracking Labour generally. This is true also of the employers in America.

Judging by an article in a recent issue of an Auckland daily, tlie American press —capitalistcontrolled and ever ready to do Fat’s bidding—has been set to work to prepare the working class mind, evidently with a view to the introduction, on as large a scale as possible, of compulsory, or semieonipulsory, arbitration. Under the heading “ New Zealand’s Industrial Legislation” the paper referred to says: “ It is indicative of the wide interest that has been excited by New Zealand’s social and industrial legislation, that a firm of New York publishers .. . undertook the pub-

li cation of a book bv a New Zealand writer on this subject, and that the work has been widely reviewed by the American Press.” (Italics ours).

New Zealand has been referred to, with some truth, as the “ Sociological Laboratory,” and observant people have long been aware that the New Zealand worker is being used as a sort of bell-wether, to lead the workers of other countries. “ Look how patriotic the New Zealanders are.” says the press of England, “ they don’t object to compulsory military training,” but the territorial strikes* the camp mutiny, the boys ridiculing their officers, and the partial failure of compulsory training, are kept well in the background. So also with the failure of arbitration.

“ The people of New Zealand,” says the writer of the book which the American Capitalist Press is advertising, “ are to-day, it may be said, without exaggeration, the most contented, the most law-abid-ing, and the most prosperous community in the world.” The intelligent American worker will recognise, that the fact of this book being boosted by the Employing Class, per medium of their press, is sufficient to condemn that

which it advocates —-arbitration. There is another booklet on the same subject, also written in New Zealand, which is not likely to be published or advertised by the American Employers; we refer to Labour Leg-Ironed by H. E. Holland. This pamphlet, which outlines the Arbitration Acts, and their workings, in New Zealand and Australia, gives facts, and shows up the treachery of Parliamentary labour leaders; it is an indictment of arbitration, and should be in the hands of every rebel, in America and elsewhere, who is fighting arbitration. It will be mailed post free on receipt of 4d. (10 cents) by Lit. Sec. I.W.W, Auckland, N.Z.