The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE MONDAY, APRIL 23, 1917. STRIKE OR REVOLUTION?

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 23 April 1917, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

MONDAY, APRIL 23, 1917. STRIKE OR REVOLUTION?

(With which is incorporated The Tai* hapo Post and Waimarino News).

I To-day, the Minister of Railways lias notified, the, usual railway conveniences will he very drastically curtailed it the strike of the coalminers stiil continues. Now, coalminers or any other section of labour have a perfect right when their share of the profits is altogether out of keeping v, ith those taken by the men who find t--.ie capital, to insist in using the only methods at their disposal to adjust things. If it is right for owners to withdraw ,or re-arrange their capital, then it is equally just for men to withdraw or re-arrange their labour, toi it must be kept in mind when such questions are under consideration that capital is merely concreted labour; in other words, bottled or banked labour. When, however, either capital or lahour juxtapose themselves to the statute laws of the country they render themselves subject to all the penal clauses of such laws, and their ac-

tions cannot legitimately be sympathetically viewed by their friends with cut reflecting to some extent up-

cn what every true citizen is honourably, morally, and legally bound to support in thought, word and deed. r Po

do otherwise is to introduce the in

faction of rapine and murder into the human gregarious life. It should be obvious that the first necessity of .our social existence is "the framing' of rules or laws that are just to all, pressing equally upon all classes, and that when a man or any body of men refuse to conform to, or to be guided

thereby, they should at once be removed from being 'hurtful to the whole, remaining social fabric. It is in such directions, all enacted law tends, and no man can break these laws without injuring to a greater or lesser degree a very large circle of their follows, indeed, we have undeniable evidence that it may affect disastrously a whole nation. Coalminers have not withdrawn or re-arranged their labour because they are inadequately remunerated or because conditions press unfairly upon them; in fact it has been reported without contradiction that they are quite satisfied with pay and conditons under which they world; they have no complaint against mineowners, and their cessation of work, their refusal to fill their place in the social structure of supplying it with I coal, just as butchers supply meat and ( bakers bread, is because the Government of the country has deemed it essential in safeguarding the existence of the British Empire to enact a law whereby every man, rich or poor, is compelled to take his place in fighting the Empire's battles. Coalminers, abov e all other sections of labour, do not desire to risk themselves in fighting the attackers of their lives and liberties. They have been content to let some seventy thousand men leave these shores to fight for them before spreading a coal famine over the whole country in opposition to the lawful system of enlistment. There ar e doubts, strong doubts, as to Avhether this strike is in opposition to conscription, as it is apparent that this country cannot spare another miner from the work of raising coal for this country’s needs; that miners are doing much more valuable and necessary work at home than they would be doing in the firing line in France. Then, are miners, above all others, likely to go out on strike to disorganise the business of the country and spread privation and suffering over something that does not affect them, and does not directly concern them? Such an assumption is bordering on absurdity; nothing is more unlikely and, (we believe we are correct in saying) farther from th e truth. But if the strike is not against the conscription laws, what has it been engineered for? It seems that the conscription story or plea is a mere pretext, as men do not go to such terrible extremes over matters which do not affect them. Coalminers are not on strik e against conscription; it is nearer the truth to say they are the plastic material that pro-German revolutionaries found available for instituting' trouble that would interfere with the despatch of troops and food supplies to the battle of victory that has'commenced. The strike for something which does not concern coalminers is a very clumsy excuse which the engineers of an incipient revolution have invented. The men are not striking against conscription; many j of them may believe they are, but ( their leaders know to the contrary. If any section of labour had been so disloyal to the Empire and had no respect for the law of its own country, it would not have put off its forcible opposition till this late hour; till the final struggle in Europe has com-, menced that will decide whether we of tae British Empire are to fall unocr lac ban of the Kaiser or whether vre are to remain a frc e people. The

coalminers are not striking against the conscription bogey which has been held up to them, and which has probably scared them, but they have taken steps which undoubtedly are on the paths leading to the broad way of revolution, and it seems that the Government has correctly diagnosed the disorder and is applying the preliminary correctives. If it becomes neces sary, in the opinion of our administrators, to apply much more drastic treatment we must loyally suffer any inconveniences they entail. It is-rev-olution when men forcibly oppose themselves to the laws which it is their duty to their fellows to obey; coalminers are guilty of this, and persistence in such a course has no other name than revolution; they are revolting against the country's laws, and no recriminatory talk can alter this fact. History furnishes ample evidence of the rapidity with which it may spread, therefore, we are certain that th e people of this country will rally to the aid of their Government with all haste and determination. When revolution is against appression it is largely supported by the people’s newspapers, but in the present case there will not be a daily newspaper in New Zealand to advocate, applaud or support in any way the stupid course into which coalminers have been-hood-winked by their Empire’s most contemptible enemies. If better advice does not prevail, we may be prepared for sensational happenings that will bring heme to all of us the true nature of what is apparently being successfully engineered -amongst /fjoalminers.