The Manawatu Herald. Tuesday, May 21, 1912. THE WAIHI STRIKE.
The modern method of imposing penalties upon the women, children and men ot a whole community by means of a strike, about a paltry matter, is just as brutal and unexcusable as the oldfashioned method of bushrauging, when the aggressor held a pistol to the head ot the citizen and relieved his cash. In Waihi a lew violent persons have held up the whole community becausesome engine-drivers wanted to become a separate union and obey the law. The modern bushranger hates the law, does not obey it and forces his disobedience and his anarchial methods on a whole community. The public ot Waihi are the sufferers and we need waste no sympathy on the British shareholders or the small proportion of the shareholders who reside in New Zealand. They will probably pull through it, and at auyrate people can’t eat gold. A strike in a gold mining town is of less real consequence to outsiders than any other kind of strike. But, in strikes which impose hardships on a community by the pigheadedness of men who really have no serious grievance, suggests that sooner or later the public must retaliate. It is a question for the State, Shall a Federation ot Labour run Waihi ? Shall the people of New Zealand allow small labour cliques to run this Dominion ? As soon as a strike occurs suffering in a greater or less degree is imposed. Strike funds ate not everlasting. It becomes necessary when a fund is diminishing to call on men who are outside the scope of the quarrel to support miners in their idleness. The affiliated unions in the case of the Waihi strike will be in a curious position when called on to support the anarchial element in Waihi, and those who have been dragged in by the Federation ot Labour. There is. no question of hardship involved and these unions will therefore aid in an illegal enterprise in which they are not personally concerned. The unfortunate owners have offended no one. They have granted every necessary concession that has ever been asked for and although the miners have no quarrel with the owners, they feel perfectly justified in kicking a great enterprise harder than it has ever been kicked before and temporary ruining it. The miners position is that they desire to stay idle as long as it suits them and as long as charity can be found to support idleness. They will, when they have nicely rested demand reinstatement. The Waihi Company is probably going to retaliate as it has a perfect right to do. ii is m a position to close the mine down tor six months, or tor ever. The Engine Drivers' Union observed the law in pulling out of the Federation and in forming a union under the Arbitration Act, and it is this legal method ot procedure that is annoying the men who are engaged in a criminal campaign of destruction and damage, and Labour is digging its own grave when it has faction fights, and although the alleged basis of unionism is fraternity, the unmarried Waiheatheus who are making all the trouble are really fighting the married men, their wives and families. These men can escape without damage. They are at home when their hats are on, and will probably wait until the charitable aid is exhausted. If the disturbing element waits long enough, the patience ot the men who pay the wages will be exhausted too. When public patience is exhausted, the voice of the leather-lunged agitator is as the voice of one crying in ihe wilderness. The wilderness is the only possible place for that voice.
Bkhouj the birth of another political parly —ihe Radical Association —which came into being at Christchurch last week. It will be difficult, in the near future, to know t’other from which. Amongst the new Association’s planks are a proposal for securing complete and clean electoral rolls, proportional representation with a single transferable vote, the abolition of the 28 per cent, provision in compiling the country quota, referendum with popular initiative, the right of the people to decide all questions by a bare majority vote, and the elimination of the motorcar evil on election day. Under constitutional reform a single chamber of Parliament with advisory committee of experts and elective executive are mentioned. A vigorous settlement policy is advocated, the State to retain the freehold of the remnant of the Crown est and all lands pur chased with the people’s credit for closer settlement and other purposes. It is proposed that an immediate remission of Customs duties to the extent ot half a million pounds annually should be made up by an increase in the graduated land tax, and an increment tax is included in the taxation proposals. The Customs duties are"to be remitted on articles of common necessity which are not manuiactured in the Dominion. The national platform will include proposals for dealing with dustrial problems. The Old-Lew Liberal Parly, Reform Party and Labour-Socialist Party are now informed that they are not the only pebbles on the beach.
Cargo broaching and pilfering has attained such huge proportions in almost every port in the Dominion—and in this particular Foxton
has not a clean record —that drastic sentence are now imposed on persons convicted. When imposing a sentences of six mouths on a wharf labourer at Auckland Supreme Court on Saturday, on a man convicted of the :heu of goods to the value of seven shillings, and whose only plea was that he had been drinking, Mr Justice Edwards said it has been publicly notified not more than three or four mouths ago that offences of this class would not be dealt with by means of probation. He had then stated, and he again stated, ,<that it had become a scandalous disgrace to this country that these thefts were constantly being perpetrated on wharves and in connection with shipping. It was absolutely necessary that those who were engaged in pursuits which gave them facilities to commit crimes of this sort should be taught that any conviction would be followed by punishment. Another waterside worker convicted of stealing goods to the value of was sentenced to eighteen months imprisonment.
Mr. Robertson. M.P., informed his bearers at Otaki the other night that they need not be concerned over a general election for some time. He did not think there would be one for two and a half years. Mr Millar’s recent statement that the newspapers would soon be provided with copy and the fact that his constituents have given him a free hand, conflicts with the member for Otaki’s prophesy. The King’s representative cannot grant a dissolution it the Mackenzie Government is defeated and not until after every other constitutional means to carry on has failed. Supposing Mr Millar unfolds a tale, the effect of which alienates a few of the Liberal Party and causes the defeat of the present Ministry, we do not see how Mr Massey could carry on unless a compromise were effected with Mr Millar’s friends —and this is unlikely. Indications point to an appeal to the country on the part of Messrs Massey and Millar, and we incline to the belief that a dissolution will take place at no distant date.
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Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 1046, 21 May 1912, Page 2
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1,218The Manawatu Herald. Tuesday, May 21, 1912. THE WAIHI STRIKE. Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 1046, 21 May 1912, Page 2
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