CIVIL WAR IN NEW SOUTH WALES.

Levin Daily Chronicle, 6 September 1917, Page 2

CIVIL WAR IN NEW SOUTH WALES.

Sir,—lt has be'<in said "Whom"the gods woud destroy they first make mad." An executive of the labor unions in New South Wales have 'decided to defy law and order and the Goovernment. Conscious 'of' ' thd amount of loss and inconvenience they assured that the .Government , would capitulate to them rather than put the wheels of industry out of action. So thfey! gave the Government an ultimatum to compel tlie cmmilasioners ol' railways to withdraw a regulation they" hkd made or they would cease work. The .Sfcstfc Cabinet. . Refused ito be dragooned, and halve stood by tthe railway authorities. The unions tlius "cut short," in .defiance of a regulation of their own tliajt prior to organizing astrike they would take a ballot. - But labor (long-eared) mostly acts first, and thinks ' afterwards. The fact to bo noted particularly, is thait the unions working und :r State manage iient ».rr :>,ore ready to strike management are racie to st-riko ttlian the unions under'private ,neter prise. One of the reasons for w suing State control is they think hey can more easily coeroa the iGovetrnment. In tliip instance, as in lotherts, they liavo made a blunder,, the Government refusing to.be bullied or coerced. . As to ,the politicians ain New South Wades, they are -a job lot of schemers.- They, vied with each other in cajoling and patronising tlie unions and now at last confronted with a monster of heir own creation they are compelled to sitand at bay. If the

State Cabinet stands firm the now worklew unions are sure to be defeated. Probably 50,000 •employees will lose their empoymeot in thje aggregate. In the face of such a disaster, if the State Government did its duity jit would arrest the Labor Executive and deport them (say) to Maoquarrie Island l or' same similar locality. That would end the strugglte. Their PariiamtoiUbary sympathisers ,in j the N.-S.W. Legislalture have bitten urgin,g the Cabinet to get the -unions out of the trouble they have involved themselves (in. But the House, by substantial majorities, (Kefuises ttoi do anything till the unions return to work. If the Government maintain that attitude the attempt to overturn constitutional Government aJad set up a government of irresponsaJila agitators, will end as it ought to, in the interests of all sections of labor m a. complete fi asoo . j bear ammus against unons which are ne» cessaa-y noi . against labor which is indispensable. But I haAe tyranny, no from ProbaWy G f all tyrannies' the .t' Uy . e is the worst. I wT e ™ arbitratfon in. all disputed ticf 1^ mati<maJ - Not that jus. < the h i ***** ' te a ° n€ '' the best means yet devised to deS Wlth mdustria l <®suites.- ! amj etc> an HONEST SCEPTIC).