Rangitikei Advocate. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 1908. EDITORIAL NOTES.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIII, Issue 9068, 7 February 1908, Page 4

Rangitikei Advocate. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 1908. EDITORIAL NOTES.

A MINISTRY that is too weak to enforce the laws it makes, or laws that are in existence, is a real danger to the State. Winn it stoops to plead with a class which is dissatisfied with the law it gives that class a decided advantage, which may be dangerous to the interests of all other classes. Even if the result of its pleading is to temporarily avert some industrial disaster its display of weakness is ultimately productive of more harm than good. It is no secret that the present Ministry are in craven fear of the Frankenstein they have created, and that in spite of Conciliation Board and Arbitration Court the danger of a strike is always present. The latter has been conclusively shown by recent events, and the question arises Whether it is any use making laws which those in authority fear tp enforce. There is also the further question as to the injustice of the State making laws which one side are forced to obey, but which are derided or defied by the other side. That some attention will have to be given to these questions at an early date is becoming very evident, and it is also clear that the present Ministry are unfit to deal with them. Seeing the rapidity with which the Dominion is progressing towards extreme socialism there

seems ground for fear lest some 1 emergency arise which will provoke civil or classjwarfare in which success would be likely to be with the class which could lay its hands on the best weapons. We .can only hope that the coming elections will cause all who have a;'genuiue stake in the country to unite in securing a strong, ' honest, and ‘economical Government, and one that will not allow any class to dominate the others.

REFERRING to the fact that a Masterton Butchers’ Association is to be registered under the Conciliation and Arbitration Act, and the position of employers thereby improved, the Wairarapa Daily Times states that a black-list is to bo established, and the public is to pay whatever prices the Association demands on short notice. .All this is quite in harmony with the present Arbitration laws. Really the employers in this case are only taking a leaf out of the workers’ book. The workers in Masterton have their own unions, and, through these, they can, if needs be, protect themselves. The Arbitration Act gives unions and employers alike the necessary machinery for raising prices, but it does n'ot also supply the necessary machinery for lowering them. The universal process, therefore, seems to be in the direction of raising prices. Possibly the process cannot be indefinitely prolonged ; but while it lasts, the Masterton butchers are well within their rights in the action which they are taking.

THE success of the Labour Partyin the Queensland elections seems to indicate a triumph of orgnisaticn rather than true public opinion. Throughout all the colonies the Labour and Socialistic parties must be credited with ability to organise and with earnestness in the prosecution of their designs. The other side is apt to remain apathetic "and supine, and will make no organised resistance until it ,is too late. In our own country it is difficult indeed to arouse a majority of country residents to the danger of allowing the town socialists control of the Legislature. The coming election promises to enable some improvement to be effected, but this is not certain, because on previous occasions the dangling of bribes before country constitutencies has caused them to temporarily forget danger, and tne forgetfulness has lasted till the election was over.

WE direct the attention of all who have a fixed stake in the country to the movement now being made to federate all the socialistic unions. If such federation can be effected then it is certain that no existing law will prevent serious industrial disaster. For if all are federated a strike by one union which has failed to secure all it desires will mean la general strike until the demands of that union are satisfied. Employers and the general^public will have no protection whatever under such conditions. The Federation will make the only laws its members will obey. This development has been made possible solely by the action of the party at present in power which has taught the socialistic unions that they alone are the people, and has done its utmost to promote their interests at the expense of those of all other classes.

THE telegram reporting the result of tho'ballot for sections in Raumati Block stated that “there was no great rush for sections.” It also stated that 14 out of the 30 sections were'not applied for. The new "Act which aims at preventing speculation in such lands has evidently caused the gamble to be less attractive. But what has become of the “earth-hunger” which Ministerial supporters claimed really existed? It is evident that those who contended that the rush to the ballot merely indicated that gamblers were at work were perfectly right in their contention. And in this case where is'the justification of the Ministerial policy of purchasing estates for socalled “close settlement?” There is clearly no demand that cannot be satisfied in the ordinary way without the State becoming the landlord.