In Our Opinion.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 19, 14 July 1911, Page 9

In Our Opinion.

CHEERS for William Cornish, of Brooklyn, Wellington, who accepts jail rather than conscription. His sentence is a cruel one. almost unparalleled in its judical savagery. 21 days because a boy shows spirit and has pluck enough to endare the penalty of showing spirit! It is a bad day for a nation when its most spirited sons Jai-e made the chief victims of a nations, shortsightedness. Better, far better, for any nation to have boys of spirit, even if the spirit be -manifested unwisely, than . that its boys should be without spunk. Young Cornish will live t as doer. .If we mistake not, his sentence will beget indignation everywhere and quicken revolt. This paper starts a : HOLL, OF HONOUR in which every lad who goes to prison in protest against conscription will be enrolled. No. I. is William Cornish. Who'll be No. 2, or any number? And now, to fight these military training prosecution's we open a fund. The fund will be used fy passive resistance propaganda. A shilling from every reader of this paper, please. .

« BETWEEN Professor Mills' ideas of compulsory arbitration and, say, the Hon*.-J.- T. Paul's there yawns an abyss. The protagonists' of "arbitration in Australasia have all allowed the surrender of tho right bo strike and, generally speaking,..hay© insisted on the surrender as the price "paid for compulsory awards. Although in New. Zealand Mills" views are bein« enlisted in support"of arbitration the enlisters never mention the importance attached by. Mills to the right to -strike. Tn Australia (just now in ■South' Australia noticeably) arbitration ia being enacted - in, order to end the strike. Mr. Mills is a unique arbitrationisf. Directly his attitude became the official supporters' attitude the Arbitration Court would give up tbe ghost, for there can't 1» arbitration unless there be obedience to arbitration. We want to know from Mr. Paul per his rnterest-in-.g series of syndicated articles if he favors Mr. Mills' arbitration? If be doesn't, he ought to knock off quoting Mills as inferentially upholding the N.Z. avbitrationists. If he does, then he practically becomes - endorser of the "away with arbitration" movement.

YES. this paper stands for fte-e and secular education. It is opposed to the introduction of the Bible in the State schools. Straight-out aiul determined. It will not under present circumstances, countenance a referendum on the subject. In thi.s connection, tho referendum is the refuge of the evasive, tho trimmer, and tho wobbler. Whatever a referendum said, the Socialist would still fight for secular education. The Socialist is here to preserve the child's independence of thought until it is of age. Ho is here to guard against the capture of cur educat.ii.ual .system by Cither philanthropist, p-aivson, or m-iest. Education is a social thing; free," compulsory, and secular education is a human necessity. Besides, the Bible is •»•

bad book for children. As Word of God, it is not true —any more than this paper is Word of God.

■ 9 fTTHE Irish Home Rule papers rightly •*- uphold the action of the Dublin corporation towards the coronation, andthe King's visit to Ireland. They cay —some cf them very apologetically, it is true —that Ireland could not participate in a coronation pageant while justice is denied to Ireland. So the Home Rule Parliamentarians and the Dublin Corporation officially kept out of the coronation. They seem to keep sterner stuff homa than they send abroad. Envoys Kedmond and Donovan spent Coronation Day distributing coronation medals to the school children at Ross, N.Z., and made eight patriotic speeches during the day to the youngsters. We rather fancy that what they wouldn't do in Ireland the envoys should not do in New Zealam!. They've done weil financially in New' Zealand, but we don't see why the principles of the Home Rule movement should be sold for donations.

rpilE president of the Wellington Car- -*■ penters and Joiners Union, W. Maddison, seems to be in a tight corner. In the recent arbitration case Judge Sim Insolently spoke of Maddison's enthusiastic effort to block exemptions as "impertinence," and Mr. Maddison is snorting, not only on account of this but because of his failure to get an award satisfactory to his trade. So Maddison has cent a letter to each of Wellington's dailies reminding employers that if the

Maddisons don't get their way the Eabor Federationists may get theii- way; and as the way of the Maddisons. is obviously better for the employers, what the,! devil do they mean by allowing SinjfTo throw of! the mask and the toilers see the ugliness of Arbitration? This is what *the letter a||!&i_tmts to, anyway. And employers will "take a tumble <md Sim will be shifted or amend his ways — while aa-bitra-tion will be better "administered," and that horrid Labor Semple and Co. —stopped from ruining the poor bosses. Unfortunately, as with perfect administration, arbitration couldn't stop prices rising, nor casual work, nor unemployment, nor tlie robbery of the workers' product, events will prove that the VLabour Federation holds the right end of the stick. By the way, the said Federation isn't the Frankenstein Monster Mr. Maddison pictures, but a quite reasonable amd quite practical organisation seeking better conditions for the workers. Th© carpenters will act sensibly if they examine the Xabcr Federation for themselves instead of acceptinar Maddison's ravings.

WE like the anti-titles spirit shown by A. P. Barclay and the Dunedin branch of the Labor Party. The resolution carried merits wider publicity. It reads : "That this branch of the New Zealand Labor Party expresses its unqualified condemnation of the practice of granting titles for political services in a democratic country like New Zealand, and most especially hereditary titles, and also its intense disgust that the nominal leader of the Liberal Party (formerly, under Mr. Seddon. the Lib-eral-Labour Party) should be the prime factor in introducing objectionable class distinctions into this country, and de£Jres to congratulate the Premier of Australia on his loyalty to his party and democracy, and on his manly action in remaining a. plain commoner.'' Baronet Ward should not be forgiven his apostaey. He ought to be driven from public life. It is good to down a renegade, and title-hunters should be shown no mercy. Regard less of consequences,

there would be poetic, justice im getting shunt of Ward because he was bribed with a Baronetcy and so possibly made his progeny for generations'; beyond enumeration a standing reproach to tbo d<emociacy without which New Zealand ha<l been despised and fruitless. Send Ward to the rightaibout. Give hini the sack.

fWIHE industrial Socialist's appeal is JL solely to the working-class. .Such Socialist is aware of the Class Struggle and interprets it as certain to end in the supremacy of the working-class when the working-class makes, up its mind. Such Socialist is also aware of the capacity for wealth-production of the work-ing-class, and how it is robbed of the greater portion of its product, sell ing itself under the present system for bare stibsistence. Such Socialist knows, further, that all political revolutions are fights for - economic power, and that Parliament is the engine used to defeat attempts at economic readjustment. Parliament will be so used until the work-ing-class bends it- to the uprearing of the Industrial Republic. Ilencie 'the need for Socialist parliamentarians.

HAVE done with palliative piffle. Look you, "Something now" will be speedier yours if you organise for your hour-—for getting your own, for the Cooperative Commonwealth. "Something now" comes when j T ou demand a ehantre in the ownership of wealth by voting for the change. You'll never-show you want a change in oAvnership if you go on voting for the numerous measures in the jerrj'-built platforms of the old jjai-tiw. Palliatives blur the path, obh-cur-u the goal, delay emancipation.