In Our Opinion

Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 70, 12 July 1912, Page 1

In Our Opinion

I' ET those who haven't given now -I give, ami those who have given now give the more. Cash is tlie need.

A S to leaving tho Feik-iation, the J\ jwpiM-s imply that all tho unions are puie—yet, strauge to say, they aro all 1.-it.

ENGINKDIUVLKS At Reef ton are not lowering blacklegs, and don't you lorget it. Here's three tiui's three for them.

HEIMv and now is the test of Federationism. The mean and sneaky who want to run away after getting help in prosperous Federation times are not equal to tllie great trial of adversity, and are poor creatures anyhow.

SAYS the secretary of the Sydney Section 1.W.W.: "The mission of the 7.W.W. is to educate end discipline the workers for the new order of collective ownership and industrial co-operation to be realised by civilised niotthods without resorting ito violence or the destruction of property created by the working-class."

4 WE.ITEK in the Sourh African y-jL "Worker" says: "We must take the. workers as we find them, and if they don't want an end to the capitalistic system, ivt> cannot force them to accept Socialism. It's of no avail damning a man because he cannot see eye to eye with us; better a Unionist or Nationalist in the Trades Unions than a scab outside." A point of view worth pondering over.

TITHE Sydney "Standard," commenting •*- on the New Zealand Labor Party, says: "The New Zealand Labor Party is Ho be congratulated upou the soundness of its proposals. If tho Australian Labor Party had such a policy we would be glad to support it." <Jucry: If tho milk-and-watcry policy of tho Australian Labor Party is suchi as to meet with the opposition of th« 'Standard," what sort of diluted dishwnsh must the policy of tho United Labor Party lie to earn the Sydney sheet's approval? Why, it is palpable that tho U.L.P.'s policy is as thin as boarding-house soup.

WITH reference to the outcry against the ungainly garbs of the senior cadets, a suggestion is made whereby Dictator-General Godley could turn an ugly position into good account by allowing tho farmers' sons tho privilege of using tln> uniforms as scarecrows at certain seasons of tho year. Besides the "privilege" now being granted them for training to suppress any possible industrial uprising of their city brothers, it is believed that, if the above suggestion were carried out, the cf-rtain saving that would be effected in the crops would well repay the farmers for the absence of their poms' at drill during the year. If officii Tve-y is tho one thing to be aimed at by the General—what could Ihj more appreciated by the fanners when in thus defending their crops from feathered marauders they would he adding to their banking account?

" ©OCIALTSM keeps you £3 young," said Grand Old man JlynU.man in London recently. I'es, there is no doubt whatever about it. Young in faith in 'humanity, young in love for one's follow*, young in sympathy for their sufferings, young in toleration of their frailties, young in. hopo for the revivifying and regenerating reconstruction of M)ciet>y. All the terrible instances, individual and aggi'e«at«d, of tlio horrors of capitalism do not make the Socialist hopeless. He knows they are the inevitable results of tire system of production for private profit against which he is constantly fi-phting, and that they will continue in some shape or form as long as the collective intelligence is insufficient to take control of industry for the benefit of the wholo community. He is constantly meeting with the rebuffs of ignorance

and prejudice, but Socialism is a wellspring of undiluted hope and courage; and it is those full of hope and courage who make tlie best revolutionists—not those crushed down by despair. The Socialist is not to be crushed. He drinks again a draught from the crystal spring of Socialism, and freshened and fortified re-enters into the fight against injustice and oppression. Ho has not the time to brood over his individual troubles; his wider outlook on men and matters maintains an interest in life for him to the exclusion of his own personal misfortunes —he has something infinitely greater to work md fight for than self. His lodestar of life is contained in the poet's words: — "For the cause that lacks assistance, For the wrong that needs resistance, For the future in the distance." He knows that the future will assuredly bring the triumph of his cause, and in tho vision of 'lihe world that is to be ho has a plea sun; far transcending the. gratification cf any individual desire*. This is the secret of his perennial youth, of his evergreen enMigy, of his hope and his counage. Ye sympathisers who hold aloof from the organised Socialist movement, is there needed a more powerful appeal than Hyndman's utteranceP Qvt into the movement now! Yo-nr work will lire after yon, not in monuments to your individual greatness, but in the happiness of generation.' le fome. And—"lt will keep you youns"

HE. HOLLAND writes: Have just • been reading the "N.Z. Herald,' July 1. Such a sorrowful tale it tells of the "unpopular strike" at Waihi. In the course of its campaign, it oven makes an imaginary member ot tho Auckland General Laborers couvpjiain because he is now getting Is. sd. an hour, 'is. ordinary overtime, 2s. 3d. from midnight to 7 a.m., and 2ti. lOd. for Sundays, under the Federation, as against I*. 3d. ordinary time and 2s. all overtime, under tho Arbitration Court. It also poiuts out I'hat if the miners had not been on strike, "from .£34,000 to A'35,1)00 would have been paid in wages" during the past seven weeks. In its "Mining Newa" column, same date, the same paper says that the mining rut urns for the month of June —a little more than four weeks —show tho very large decrease of ,£74,180 10s. Gd, duo to the stoppage at Waihi. Now, if tbe miners would hare drawn .£35,000 in seven weeks, they would have drawn .£20,000 in four weeks, and if tho Waihi

miners produce nearly .£75,000 worth of gold in ono month, and they only get as wages about .£20,000, will someone from tho mine-owners side kindly explain what becomes of the other .£50,000?

AFTEIt all the gush about the poor illused "j'oung lady" who played the pictures piano, the plain recital of the facts as sent by Mr. MwMillan should be sobering—especially to shandygaff wate-r----siders. It's all right to think of Mrs. Dale but what about the three thousand and more women and children Mr. Dale seeks to help starve into submission to the bosses he has sold himself to ?

ONCE JioofovcH was Teddy to Taft, once Taft Mac Billy to Tod; the fizz of Friendship oft they (limited —true pals they were from A to Z. Two souls with but a single thought, ono they were in heatf and mind; but ninoe "the 'bosses' Taft have bought," both of 'em with rage are wild. Bill's now a big boob and a dub, a be*if head, a frazzle, too, a zero mark, a bloated tub, and a hippo for o. zoo. Teddy's a traitor and a tough, a plain and fancy liar, a braggart (all whoso talk is bluff), a windbag and a crier. Got to him, Bill! Soak him, Teddy! Thus t'hey'ro sooled on by the plebf.. while the latter, strong and steady, work and fight for Eugient Defee.

IN conscript countries the civilian removing from one place to another, even temporarily, must report himself, like a ticket-of-ieave criminal, to the authorities. When llhe French conscript, for example, wishes to leave his home only for a few days he has to present his "livrot" (record book) at the nearest gendarmerie, and a fall account of the places lie intends to visit, and his intentions in visiting it aro written down. This accounit has to be vised when ho arrives at his new residence, exactly in the manner of our ticket-of-havo system. Should he go abroad, he must present his "livret" to the French consul, and whenever ho changes his residence for more than thrre months lie must undergo a like operation. Failure to comply with these conditions implies exemplary punishment at the hands of (■'lie military authorities. Some such system, probably at first not so stringent, will bo inevitable if order is to be maintained in the New Zealand compulsory

enrolled force. It means the intrusion of the police into ordinary civil life m a manner hitherto unknown under British rule.

rililE women suffragettes in New York •*- are on business bent. To make tho mere men sit up and notice they are proposing to go without new head adornments occasionally. "New York women," we are told, "in good circumstances are accustomed to epend three guineas to sixty guineas for an attractive Easter hat," which is a bit of an enlightenment as to why the capitalists require so much to keep them going. But there seems something wrong when a woman can spend JCGO on one hat. Fancy, more than millions of hard-working women get for twelve months of hard toil spent on a bit oi' head decoration! If these women had do no anything to earn the money wo could understand, and also allow' that they had a right to spend their money in the way they thought best, but wheat it is other people who toave had to work to procure this wealth and only by and through our rotten (system of commercialism that these gay birds are able to squander other people's hard earnings we think there is something rotten in the State of Denmark. Even here in our Dominion we will find that the beet clothes, hats.la^ees

and general women's finery are not bought by those who work, but by those who shirk. How long shall we put up with a state of affairs where tho whicehanded parasite gets the honey of life, while the hard-worked toiler gets tho stings?

AN exhibition was recently held in London of actual photographs ol tho Tripoli war. The London "Times," the paper of tlie clashes, commenting on the exaibmun, said: "... Tlie eilect as wonderful. The visitor can wauaer rouno.* the gallery and see ifersaglieri lining trendies on the «uid dunes; heaps of Arab corpses; artillery and machin« guns in action; troops i.anamg, nnug, bivouacking, and fulfilling all the various incidents of a campaign une misses, however, in tlie test work of the war photographer the actual .shock of battle which the war artist could always depict, eve» though lie drew upon his imagination. Where tho war artist Stirred our admiration by movement ill his work, the war photographer only raises our horror with lus grim evidences in still lite. Levelled bayonets and clubbed lilies are far more stimulating than tlie harrowing plates showing tha wounded passing to the rear and .stiffen* ed corpses awaiting burial." The workers of the world, who always form tha overwhelming majority of the "stiffened corpses awaiting burial," are now commencing to realise that financial interests are back of every war, and that all the talk of "patriotism" and "Umpire" is so much humbug and hypocrisy. It is, of course, plain that, if they airo to bo shown the ghastly truth of the bloody business itself instead of having glowing pen and word pictures drawn by lying war correspondents under the heel of their capitalist employers and tha military censor, then really il will be difficult to get them to go (o war, and that would never do. The "Times" and its wealthy readers could never endure such a thi?ig.

IT is well to call the attention of those New Zealand educationalists who have fallen victims to the blandishments of the militarists, and who have lwliped in the militarisation of the educational institutions of this country how militarism reacts on tfie educational world itself. For many years it was the glory of German culture that it fearlessly sought for the truth and as fearlessly gave to the world the results 0 f its research, no matter what waft its social or political tendency. For sonw years, however, determined efforts have been .made by tho reactionary party, headed by the Kaiser, to curtail the freedom of scientific research. A Bill (the L.-x Arons) was introduced into the Diet, which threatened to demolish at. one blow liberty of scientific research at the universities. It provided for the rigid supervision of tho "priviat-docenten," or tutors and independent lecturers. It was only fti'tev a hard

fight that tho measure was defeated, and in tho course of the debate tlie Prussian Minister of Education frankly stated that the object of the universities was to train the students into g-ood servants of tho State and of the monarchy, with orthodox views on all important questions, political or otherwise, and not into men of science. These attempts have lieen so fa-r foiled, but they are by no means abandoned.