The Manawatu Herald. Saturday, January II, 1913. LABOUR UNREST.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 1049, 11 January 1913, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. Saturday, January 11, 1913. LABOUR UNREST.

Labour troubles are still in tbe air. No sooner is one difficulty settled than another crops up. The threatened danger to shipping is over, by which the firemen on the ferry steamer Maori refused to work until an apology had been made for the publication of a misleading paragraph, sent abroad by the Press Association and the name of the originator of the item handed to the firemen. The Press Association corrected the item, but the name of the unfortunate reporter was not passed on to the firemen, whose fine sense of dignity he had wounded. We wonder what those firemen would have done to the unfortunate scribbler had they been aware of his identity. Lynching would have been too mild a punishment for the enormity of his crime. The incineration of bis carcase iu the Maori’s stokehold, no doubt would have been his untimely end. Anyhow, the whole thing, has blown over and we are pleased to say that the Maori has taken up her running as usual. Just fancy, hundreds of innocent people being made to suffer and transport company’s affairs dislocated because a reporter said that the fireman refused duty on an excursion trip unless they were paid 30s per day! Things are coming to a pretty pass iu this country. Now, the slaughtermen operating in the principal meat works of this province, have given notice to quit work unless granted a substantial increase in wages. It is reliably stated that the men under present conditions can knock out *6 to £9 week. It is not long since an increase was given them. It is true the companies have paid substantial dividends, but the operatives have got their fair share of the profits. We question however, whether the producer—the farmer —is or has been so well treated as the slaughtermen. A strike will do no harm as the country’s stock has been sadly depleted of late year?, and, further, New Zealand consumers will have the pleasure of eating some of the prime meat which would otherwise go to the London market. Then we hear that there is trouble brewing in the ranks of the Flaxmills Employees Union between the extremist, or Red Fed. section and those who believe in the wiser counsels of the United Labour Party. The Feds, are battling for executive honour. The Union’s champion, the member for the district, will have a hard row to hoe to unite the workers in their common cause, and is at present suffering from a nervous breakdown. So far as the employers are concerned iu this industry the Union have no cause for complaint. Labour unrest will continue until Labour finds its limit.