The Manawatu Herald. Saturday, November 15, 1913 NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 1172, 15 November 1913, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. Saturday, November 15, 1913 NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Although Mr J. Robertson, M.P. for this electorate by virtue of tooling a section of the Massey following at the last general election, is a champion of the syndicalistic Federation of Labour — now tottering to its fall—he has kept a fairly discreet silence on strike matters. Knowing the temper of a majority of the Otaki electors, he has presumably abstained from inflaming the strikers by rash talk. We give him credit for this, but unfortunately he has broken out and been the cause of a heated and undignified scene in Parliament. Mr Robertson was refused admission to the Wellington wharf on a recent occasion by certain specials acting under orders. He poured forth his indignation at being thus held up. But what the specials did to his sacred personage is exactly similar to what his Federation has been doing to the industries of this country—holding them up. If he and hisfellow Parliamentarians had cause to feel indignant by such treatment, how much more so the public at the treatment it has been subjected to by the syndicalists ol whom he is one of the leaders. But this was not the only cause of Mr Robertson’s indignation. He saw and heard —or thought the latter —a military officer giving instructions to a special constable. By the way, this is not the first time Mr Robertson’s keen sense of hearing has led him into trouble. It will be remembered that he overheard a certain conversation at Waihi during the strike trouble there, and which he repeated in the House, being stigmatised as an eavesdropper for bis folly. He repeated what he thought he heard on the whart between the officer and special constable in the House, which brought forth an absolute denial from the officer, and resulted in a heated and undignified discussion, as reported elsewhere. The cause of Labour is not going to be benefited by such childish tittle-tattle tactics.

The Dominion, in referring to the hampering of Parliament as above referred to, says : “The little group of so called Labour members, backed by some of the radicals of the Isitt-Atmore type, are, inten tionally or otherwise, doing their best in Parliament to embarrass the Government in connection with the strike. Daily one or other or all of these members attempt to raise discussions in the House of Representatives on the strike situation which can only have the effect of encouraging the strikers to prolong their foolish attempt to bludgeon the community into submission to the dictates of the Federation of Labour. On every occasion they have been frustrated in their attempt by the great majority of the House emphatically refusing to permit debate on the question. It must amuse the public to note these so-called Labour members describing themselves as the only direct representatives of Labour in the House. Mr Robertson, for instance, spoke in this vein on Thursday—and, by the way, we trust the electors of Otaki will duly note the mischievous attitude of their member since the strike trouble first arose. Neither Mr Robertson nor any other of the socalled Labour members can fairly describe themselves, as the member for Otaki did on Thursda}, as the direct representatives of Labour. Mr Robertson himself crawled into Parliament on the votes of the farmers his friends of the Red Federation are now trying to ruin by blocking their produce from reaching the Home market.

The tone of recent speeches of the Labour members one exception) and the extreme Radicals who are seeking their support is quite sufficient to prove the wisdom of the action of the Government in declining to assist in making an opportunity at the present juncture for the discussion of the strike on the floor of the House.

Th#RE is nothing startling to report in connection with the strike. Work is proceeding merrily on the Auckland and Wellington wharves and a number of the old waterside workers at Wellington have turned to and the new union membership now totals over 600, while about the same number are now employed

at Auckland. Au ultimatum has been issued to the Lyttelton waterside worke'S to register under the Arbitration Act and to resume work. Failing a favourable reply to this by noon to day, the port will be re-opened and worked by a new union. At Picton the waterside workers have seceded trora the Federation of Labour and the port is again open. At Nelson the wharves are being worked by farmers and Arbitratiouists. Gisborne, New Plymouth, Timaru and Wanganui ports are being worked by Arbltrationists. Notice has been given to the local waterside workers that their agreement with shipowners has become void by the stopping of work by a vole of the union on November ist, and that they will not now be recognised unless they register under the Arbitration Act. The old conditions as to wages, etc., will obtain, and no trouble is anticipated in working the whati which will be reopened on Monday. The strike leaders are still holding forth in Wellington with the object of hardening up the men out of work, but it is clear that the strike is collapsing and the men are tiring of a struggle in which they had no right to be dragged.