STRIKE MADNESS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 1172, 15 November 1913, Page 4

STRIKE MADNESS.

HOW THli WORKINGMAN IS MISLED.

“Who is the biggest fool ou earth?” asks Sir Guilford Molesworth, in au interesting little pamphlet published at one penny by the St. Stephen’s Press, Westminster —the main points of which are particularly apropos in New Zealand at the present time. The answer is, “The British working man.” And in a breezy, unconventional style the author makes a series of points which go iar to justify his contention. Sir Guilford is, of course, referring to the working man’s general and trade union politic o . The author, comments the Standard's reviewer, has no bigoted objection to trade unions. If they confined themselves to their legitimate functions, on the contrary, he would consider them a positive blessing. But unfortunately, the working man has allowed the control of these organisations to pass into the hands of the very worst of his class. The Socialist agitators who are now omnipotent are perfectly callous to the sufferings they

inflict on the workers an 1 the poor, and care only for their own selfish interests.

CO-PARTNERSHIP. As a specimen of trade union folly, Sir Guiltord calls attention to the strike at the South Metropolitan Gas Works. It was caused by the adoption of a scheme of copartnership, giving the workman a share in the profits of the company. This the Strike Committee of the Gas Workers’ Union denounced as “a seductive though most plausible bribe, calculated to weaken the influence of the union, and though they admitted that the company’s offer would be beneficial to workmen, they ordered a strike. The strike failed in its object; the scheme was adopted and has been an entire success. During twenty years employees have received benefits, and out of six thousand workpeople more than four thousand bold shares in the company to the value of more than ,£300,000. Eleven gas companies and many other industrial concerns have followed this example of co-partnership, against the inception of which a strike was ordered by the self-interested trade union leaders. Here, surely, is one justification for the author’s uncomplimentary description of the British working man. Strikes are generally urged by the younger members of the unions, who suffer compaiatively little, while the brunt of the distress falls on the wives and children ot the married men.

AUTHOR AS A STRIKER

“It has beer my lot,’’ writes Sir Guilford, “to pass through a very important strike ; that of the Amalgamated Engineers’ Union. At that time I was working as an apprentice engine fitter in Fairbairn’s works at Manchester; and during the few weeks that elapsed between the notice of the strike and its outbreak, I had every opportunity of discussing the question with the men. It was most unpopular with them. On all sides I heard : ‘Whycan’t they let us alone ? We are doing very well as we are ; we don’t want to go on strike.’

“The demands of the union were for the abolition of overtime and piecework —for the reduction of apprentices to be employed on he works, and other changes tending to limit the output of labour. Overtime-—being well paid for — halt as much again as ordinary time—was very popular with the men, and it was a great boou to those with large families. As for piecework, it was that which enabled a good workman to rise to the position of a master. POTHOUSE AGITATORS.

“I asked a very intelligent workman, with whom I was then mated ; ‘Why don’t you, and men like you, get on the council of the union, and influence them for belter? You see what mischief they are doing.’ He answered : ‘What cau we do? When we have doue our day’s work we like to go home to our wives and families. We don’t want to go blethering about the pothouses, and it’s just those pothouse chaps that have the gift of the gab, who have the say at the union.’ “This I always found to be true ; those men who prated most loudly about the rights and wrongs of the true British workman were the idle, dissolute, worthless fellows, by no means representative of the true British workman. The commands of the union, however, were all-powerful. Disobedience to them entailed expulsion, loss of subscriptions and benefits, aud, what was hardest of all, social ostracism and denunciation as ‘blacklegs’ by heir mates. So the strike went ou, entailing fearful misery upon the wives and families of the men, ruin to employers and employed, aud terrible loss of trade, until the funds of the union were exhausted, when the strike collapsed—and well it was that it did ; otherwise the trade must have been ruined. As it was, the strike enabled the foreigner to gain a good grip ou it, and he has maintained it to this day,” Speaking of the injury to the workers done by strikes, the author recalls a strike at Silver-

town in 1889, w'hich collapsed after twelve weeks. Four hundred and fitly men and women lost their work permanently, yet the result —a defeat —was airily acclaimed by the Strike Committee as “really a victory.”

“henroost” robberies

A portion of the pamphlet is devoted to the folly of the working man in supporting.the “henroost" robberies of the Chancellor of the Exchequer and “Progressive” follies in municipal affairs. “About half a century ago Herbert

Speucer sounded a warning note to the working classes in this respect. He pointed out that ihe enormous and ever-increasing rates and taxes falling as they do chiefly on the employers of labour, must necessarily be met from the industries of those employers, and eventually by the labouring classes, either in decreased wages or unemployment. Since that time rates and taxes have increased by leaps and bounds. Imperial taxation has nearly doubled, and local taxation more than doubled ; and this fully accounts for the existing unemployment, distress and poverty.” Here is an example of “progressive” policy in Milwaukee, which was captured by the Socialists in 1910, and suffered the following results of twelve mouths’ maladministration : “The cost of tne city administration iu wages aud salaries alone has been enormously increased. The lowest wages paid are 8s a day ; and, lor the current year, it is expected that the rates will rise quite 50 per cent. In every branch of ihe business side of the administration there is muddle and loss. Incompetent Socialist enthusiasts have beeu placed iu responsible positions, for which they are entirely unfitted. A teacher iu a trade school earning a’year was appointed Commissioner of Public Works at a salary of a year. The Socialist town clerk is a retired minister, aud spends most of bis time delivering Socialist lectures; and it is alleged that he was in his office only forty days during the first nine mouths of his appointment. The City Health Commissioner is not a recognised member of the medical profession at all. According to the Milwaukee doctors, he does not even know how to write out a prescription. Of course, he is a good Socialist.”

The pamphlet, which contains a great deal of solid information, as well as forcible argument and picturesque illustration, is well worthy the thoughtful consideration of working men who have not entirely succumbed to Syndicalist lleas.