LAW AND ORDER IMPERILLED..

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVII, Issue 54, 4 November 1913, Page 4

LAW AND ORDER IMPERILLED..

Probably no newspaper in the Dominion has expressed greater sympathy with organised trade unionism and the legitimate aims of labour than I has the "Nov.- Zealand Times." That the strikers and lawbreakers have nowj passed beyond the pale of that sympathy by their highhanded violence' and reckless folly, is made pretty plain from its latest comment on the situation. Thus: "The time has passed when it was expedient and possibleto discuss the claims of the waterside! workers on the one side or the shipowners on the other. This is no more a matter of an industrial dispute. It has suddenly developed into an acute 1 national crisis without parallel in the history of New Zealand. . The existence of law and order is imperilled, and, whatever the consequences, the supremacy of the law must he maintained. It is impossible to tolerate a condition of tilings that, if prolonged to any further extent, must eventually lead to anarchy. If the waterside workers and the large body of organised trades unionism that unquestionably sympathises with thorn are open to reaso:;, they must recognise that in the best interests of the paople as a whole constituted authority must instantly assert itself and assume absolute control of the sitiiaion. There can be. no liberty without restraint, and even the liberty to institute a strike and maintain it by legitimate methods, depends for its existence upon ,|lre. supremacy of. the law.,'and the restraint,established under its' authority.", Ami again : '"The strike 'committeewas not warranted in constituting itself tire governing authority of tliir, city or country.. It was not justified in arrogating to itself a position superior to the law. When the

strike committee ventured to seize control of the wharves, and to determine what should and what should not he done there, it assumed an untenable position'in defence of constituted authority.' ' AVo'are living'in a free conntry, hut the freedom of which we'hoast "does not"'belong to ' the watefsidors alone, or even to the whole Of the trades unionists. There re also the freedom of the balance of : the people at stake.' So far as this was tio+ interfered With, the strikers were within- their rights, and the law was hound to .protect them. They were fully entitled to refuse to work, hut they were not entitled to ' prevent others who wished to do so from working. Tin's is where the strike committee and the Federation of Labour, which succeeded them in the control of the strike. Have placed themselves hopelessly in the wrong."