THE Pukekohe and Waiuku Times PUBLISHED ON TUESDAY AND FRIDAY AFTERNOONS. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 1916. THE AUSTRALIAN STRIKE.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 5, Issue 228, 21 November 1916, Page 2

THE Pukekohe and Waiuku Times

PUBLISHED ON TUESDAY AND FRIDAY AFTERNOONS.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 1916. THE AUSTRALIAN STRIKE.

The Official Orqan ot : The Franklin County Council. The Pukekohe Borough Council. The Tuakau Town Board. The Karaka Road Board. The Pokeno Road Board. The Wairoa Road Board. The Papakura Town Board. The Waikato River Board. The Mercer Town Board. The Manurewa Town Board

" We nothing extenuate, nor set down auaht in malice."

Although latest advices are that the strike of coal miners in New South Wales may be brought to an end by wise counsels being accepted for a settlement the fact remains that the action taken by the men has tended to paralyse the whole industry of the country. That in itself is enough to give food for the most serious thought ; but, in addition to this, the fact that they are prepared to take such action in such a manner at the present time shows that they care nothing for the State. They recognise no duty to the community and no obligation of any kind to their fellow citizens, either of Australia or of the Empire. We are told that the men claim that the time should be counted from when the lirst man enters the pit until the last man leaves it, and the employer that it should be from the time the last man enters until the lirst man leaves; and such particulars convey no sort of information to people who are unacquainted with the details. The masters state that the present wages are very high. The unfortunate fact is that action of this kind is most common when wages are high and j employment easily obtained. The mere statement of the position shows how futile it is to treat the matter as a mere squabble between masters and men, which will right itself when one side gives way. Unless the matter is handled with more knowledge and tirmness it will lead to civil war on a small scale, in which the property of the capitalist and the self-government of the worker will disappear together. We, in the country have little cause to plume ourselves on freedom from these troubles. The disastrous strike at Waihi and the idiotic folly of the attempt to stop shipping are recent enough to show us that the necessity for action is as great here as in Australia, and, unfortunately, we do not seo any particular signs of preparation. There is not, as a matter of fact, any real endeavour to know the cause of the trouble, while employers are in too many cases as unreasonable as their men. It is at present impossible for any class of the community to escape some inconvenience from tlio war, but in most industries an addition has boen made to wages which will go far to cover increased cost. The

immediate necessity is to recognise that the aim of the I. W. W. is not to improve the portion of the workers, but to destroy the basis of society. The working man who sees this—and most of them do -is as interested in preventing it as the employer, but it is grossly unfair to expect him to take the lead. It is the business of the employer to invite tho assistance of the reasonable worker in dealing with a danger that threatens both.