SOCIALISTS’ PARADISE

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1067, 3 September 1930, Page 14

SOCIALISTS’ PARADISE

SWISS VIEW OF AUSTRALIA “Australia, the Socialists’ Paradise,” is the heading of an article printed in a recent issue of a Swiss paper, “Schweizerische Arbeitgiver Zeitung.” Extracts from the article give a novel view of Australia through foreign eyes. “One of our friends,” the writer says, “who, because of his commercial profession, has lived for some time in Australia, wishes to expose the present conditions of the Socialists’ paradise in Australia which so many Frenchmen impatiently await. The Australian workers, he said, are as far removed from our French workers in character, mentality, and action as they are by distance.” After having quoted many exampes of the trifling disputes which cause strikes in Australia, the writer adds: “Such examples are legion. It is not surprising that, with a population of 6,000,000, 2,078 strikes were declared from 1923 to 1928, involving 719,304 workers, who lost 6,217,000 working days, representing £6,393,258 in wages. When one remembers the childish pretexts invoked by Australian workers in order to obtain holidays, or to exercise pressure upon employers, one cannot help believing that a disastrous road is before young Australian industry. . . . On disembarking at Australia, one cannot help but notice the bad quality of the work of the dockers. The cases, crates, bars of iron, and pieces of steel are only moved with extreme slowness, even if mechanical aid is available. At the docks the principle is, ‘The least effort for the maximum salary’.”