The Titanic Disaster.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 66, 14 June 1912, Page 2

The Titanic Disaster.

Tho Titanic disaster is a tributo paid io tho God of Mammon, and a complete demonstration of the truth that those in the third-class arc always left in the lurch. Since the news of the collision was first published the chivalry ot tiio men in yielding the boats to the women and children has provided the text for an overdose of journalistic gush, which tho ghouls of British politic have not been slow to convert into '■argument" against votes for women, while a frenzied passing round the hat f..r tho support of the poverty-stricken relatives of a wretchedly-paid crew has 'boon utilised to shield from well-de-served censure tho negligently criminal powers that lie. It appears that the Titanic —a leviathan of 50,000 tons displacement—was provided with life-saving accommodation limited to the requirements of regulations adopted by tho Board of Trade in 1894, and having application to ships of 10,000 tons only. Tho regulations permitted her to go to sea with boats so few in number that when tiio crash came, only one-third of those on board had any chance of safely leaving the ship; the rest, of course, to tho number of 1500, being drowned hopelessly like rats in a trap. The shortage of boats is now explained ■upon several grounds, among which aro the lack of room for their accommodation, tho difficulty of launching thorn in a crisis, supposing their number to be sufficient for all purposes, and last, but not least, tho sustained opposition of tho ship-owners. The first two are casuistical, because, in the first place, ships whose fittings include special suites of rooms for millionaires, Tinge baths and camel drives, havo ample space for boats if this unnecessary paraphernalia were dispensod with; and in the second place, tho boats should bo there, so that in a crisis passengers Rnd crew would be able to faco it with at least as many appliances as tho circumstances would allow. Tho fundamental reason for tho attenuated life-saving precautions ia that thoy cost money —a fact which bulks overwhelmingly in tho consideration given the matter by Tory press ftnd politicians and Liberal Administration. Already in the House of Commons the Tories have pleaded that nothing should be done hastily, but that everything should be postponed until the thing could he discussed "calmly land dispassionately." In bin's they have the support of the Board of Trado, so that by the timo anything is dono witnesses will be dispersed and the recollection of those sccurablo satisfactorily blurred. Tho course adopted by tho Board of Trade, which, by tho way, is shortly introducing legislation encouraging the trustification of the railways, and has recently exasperated tho railwaymon by an interpretation of the conciliation schenio which disintegrates them into weak and humiliating sections, is to refuse an immediato inquiry. Instead, tho "investigation" has been placed in the hands of an "advisory" Committee of ship-owners I When this pack of wolves has considered tho safety of the lambs a board of inquiry will be established, which, after an indefinite period of unhurried deliberation, will apportion the blame and suggest its amendments. But nothing whatever is to be dono until the "advisory" committee of ship-owners has 6oncoc(ed its schemes, and by such means has biassed the findings of tho Ultimate inquiry. Is it any wonder that, with Parliament a capitalistic conspiracy chamber, workers loso their respect for it and enforce general strikes to win immediate revision of their conditions? It is a matter of no surprise that yesterday tho firemen and greasers on the Olympic—sister ship to the Titanic ">—to the number of 300, walked off five minutes before tho ship cast her moorings, as a protest against the inadequate precautions taken to savo life. Tiio facts are that, in response to public pressure, 30 collapsible, boats were put on board, but on examination some of these were found to be unsca-

Class Distinction.

By JAMES THORN.

'worthy, and when it was discovered by . tho firemen that some of these boats wore so weak that thoy could not resist a finger pressure, the decision was made to leave the ship. A few scabs wont picked ii]), whom tho Tory press will commend aa "courageous" and "bravo," which is only another way of describing half-starved men's stupidity and recklessness; whereupon the ship 'moved a few miles away to await tiio replenishment of her complement. The seamen aboard also wished to strike, but they were prevented from landing. "With' Parliament smugly upholding I ho ship-owners by the formula of "festina lento," the men, had they submitted quietly, would have convicted them solves of possessing suicidal tendencies. As it is, their prompt and well-timed refusal to work has made a dramatic appeal to the public, while putting Parliament and press in a position from which they cannot libel tho strike in their customary terms of abuse and malignity. The statistics of tho Titanic calamity reflect the sanity of tho strike, while forever disposing of the legend that our system of ethics discountenances preferential treatment of those whoso distinguishing quality is the possession of money. A cursory glaneo at tho figures following will amply satisfy all sceptics as to this point:— FIRST-CLASS PASSENGERS. Percent. Carried. Saved. Saved M<ui ... 173 58 .'54 Women ... 144 139 97 Children ..5 5 TOO SECOND-CLA.SS PASSENGERS. Per cent. Carried. Saved. Saved M.*n ... 100 13 8 Women ... 93 78 84 Children .. 24 24 100 THIRD-CLASS PASSENGERS. Percent. Carried. Saved. Saved Men ... 454 55 12 Women ... 179 98 55 Children .. 76 23 30 CREW. Percent. Carried. Saved. Saved 898" 210 23 In the first-class 63 per cent, wore saved, in tho second 42 per cent., in tlie third only 25 per cent., and of the crew 23 per cent. In the first-class 34 per cent, of tho men were saved, while in tlie third class only 30 per cent, of the children wero saved! Though tho Yanderbilts, the Guggonheims and other millionaires went down —an unrelieved tragedy that thoy owo their deaths to official negligence— the figures reveal a marked appreciation of life in tho first saloon over that in the third steerage—& fact which cuts right across the social order and embitters us when our sorrow should be refined of augers that are born of class division and human disunity. All that is left to do now is actively to demand amendment of tho shipping laws and despatch in tho prosecution of plans for tho exposure of culpable persons. If nothing remedial is dono at onco, nothing will be dono at all. The central axiom of British politics is that it is unwise to strike while tho iron is hot. Better when it's cold —nothing will result then.