The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1920. A GRAVE SITUATION.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3408, 12 February 1920, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1920. A GRAVE SITUATION.

With-which its incqrpL".a.tun4 “Tho Taihape Post. and Waimarino Newt."

Very few people will fail .to recognise to the fullest. extent the very grave nature of the intelligence received from Australia-‘yesterday with respect to the Marine Engineers’ Strike. It will be reinembered that the engineers appealed for better conditions; that ship—owners refus'ed_:" that the engineers went out’, on strike; that several attempts were made '.to reach '3. satisfactory basis of settlement, and that all have failed. It has been notable,‘for:good or ill, that the Commonwealth Government have been on the side. of owners, and against the engineers, the elfecrt‘ of this being to make the men very chary and suspicious of the part the Government has played throughout and the Government, by its last act, has justified caution. It will be fresh in most minds that when the Engineers refused to accept the latest concession, -Mr W. M. Hughes, the Commonwealth Prime Minister ‘got angry, and accused the Engineers of resorting to “bushranging tactics.” It will be generally held ‘rliat while such a stigma nl';ly have been the only words applicable. to the course the Engineers were :taking, it was the indiscretion of’ lunacy to use them in the particular circumstances, a better example than one of bullying, which is the usual forerunner of brute force, should have been set by Mr Hughes, who should not have ‘forgotten that‘ he too has passed through Leigh House. If the Prime Minister and shipowners otter bullying, the men will assuredly resent it, that. is in accordance with human nature and justice. Hovievrw, the Marine Engineers refused the terms of settlement ofi"ere(i by Sillp()\‘\7nL‘l‘S, and the Prime Minister, Ml‘ H11g11"5: lms issued v. proclamation that will startle the whole Empire. It is issued under the Commonwealth VVar Precautions Act, and is in essence, and is obviously, intended to virtually outlaw the Engineers and starve them into subjection under more harsh conditions than was ever applied to an enemy (luring the progress of the war. The gauntlet is thrown down by Go\'Dl‘ll- - on in-halt’ of shipowners ,and it is yet. to be seen how the Engineers, the public, and the whole body politic of Australia will regard the challenge. The proclamation, under la. penalty Of five hundred pounds, '.ol'qSiX months’ imprisonment, or both, provides that no loans of money, contributions of money or goods may be made to the Engineers; banks are instructed that Marine ilfingineers are not. to be allowed to withdraw their own money; any U3-flk ot‘ticial honouring a cheque pl‘oSCll“‘d by a Marine Engineer or his agent will be deemed guilty of an ofli'CllC<‘-~ ogd the Ifloclamartilon concludes by stating‘ that “no person, organisation.or association shall, by word or (7095; instigate or aid the continuance of the strike. ‘The penalty for so doing is 3 fine of five hundred pounds, or Six months ’imprisonment. or both. Britain, and even Germany, have had serious Strike conditions to negotiate, but the Australian Governmen’t. evidently does not favour riegotiation, it goes Straight for repression and compulsion, and takes all the consequences, whatever 4.1103’ may be, 6'l’ rcpl-essivisv~meaS-Toß‘ that are not equalled in German settlement of strikes since the war. 'l‘hol'e is only one more despotic step to

be taken. and that is to line up the

‘Engineers and shoot them. Details of the progress of the Strike reaching l New Zealand have been meagre, indicagting nothing more than an ordinary [every day ralfair «that everybody is ‘ quite conversant with, but the method of strike-breaking is an innovation that invokes fear for the commonweal of 3 the Cornnionwealth. It is of the sledgehaiiimer kind of which British peoploS have no serious knowledge and InoSf are in fear and trembling as to the outcome. The old axiomatic injuncition is being" given a new interpretaltion by Mr Hughes, who decrees that Marine Engineers shall only be al]o‘V' ed to eat, travel, or do anything 0150, by the sweat. of their brows, for just what shipowners like ’fo P33’ them; they are to do the bidding of shipowfiers Without J any potent voice in fixing remuneration, and their wives and ichildren are to "be pal'tnas-l‘S in thr:il' I-starvation; in fact there is only one ultimate to be drawn, men are to work for what others think proper t 0 pay them, or -they and theil‘ WiVf-‘S and their children are to starve, which, in essence, is slavery or starvation. Mr Hughes is an impulsive pbeing, and he -has very likely failed to view the situation he has created as rthe great majority -of people will view it; he does not realise that his Proclamation «has virtually condemned the Marine Engineers to death by star- I vati-on if they continue to refuse *O. 'do what shipowners want them to do; the has closed every avenue whereby the Engineers, their wives’ and their children might have obtained food, clothing and lodging; he did not mean that, but the landlord who supplies a -house is proliibitied from con!,iml.ing to do so under terrible penalties. Were the proclamation loyally honoured al'-l Marine Engineers, with their wives and children, not living in their own house, would be turned out into the streets to starve, not to beg, for to give would involve a fine of five hundred pounds or imprisonment for six months, or both. By comparison it will be seen how absurd the Hughes }Proclamation is: Wh-ile_.the _Weapoll of complete staravtion may be up'lifted against -the Engineers because -they cannot come to terms with their employers, a physically weak, or incapacitated men would be" guilty ,murder if he shotithe plunder-er of‘ this home, or even th'e"rava:g’er of his , lehildren. Is to withhold ones’ labour: [until its ownerreceives the value he‘ puts upon it agreater crime than roh- l [Vbery and ravishing of the pure andl (innocent? It is too quaintly paradox lical to think that the Prime Minister l ‘of a Labour Government in the foremost democracy of _the world should become the tool used by employers For throwing. down the gauntlet to labour, but so it seems, and all Australasia, waits with almost bated breath for -the result. We are not writing ill support of the Marine En-gineer-’s case, for wexvlrave little opiportunty of learningpthe details, but lwe are certainly opposed to a Proclalmation that appeals to us as diabolical =in its purposes and provisions. Did the Privy Council decree that the Australian Prime Minister was within the law in issuing such a Proclamation, then human liberty has no existence 'in fact; it has gone, and will only be retrievable by the surrender of the class issuing the proclamation, or by the spilling of much human blood. It lis said that the Marine Engineers are ,demanding a wage higher than others [receive for similar work. It should Lbe taken into consideration that the ‘living expenses of such men are greater through. having a, home to lkeep ashore over which they can only ‘have imperfect supervision; but. as lwe have stated, we know too little about the strike details to fairly disICUSS them; we do venture to state, IIIOVVOV€I', that. we -believe there is ‘no law in the British Empire under [which these men, their wives and 'children, may be condemned to death by Starvation, and if the cable is ’correctly transmitted. that is what Mr Hllghes,’ proclamation does condemn l’£'h€lll t 0: not only workers, but every ‘honest and humane minded person -wilal revolt at the very thought. Bank officials are liable to six months in EllOl if they pay out to a lvlnrine En- M Sineer his own money. The men are. not to be allowed to have their own‘ money to buy food to keep life in their l children. The men -are guilty of nol crime or they could be arrested and: imprisoned. We can only express the,» Opinion that it‘ this Proclamation l’G~l presents the attitude employers in.~ tend to take up the4Britisah Empire is I not yet safe from the SCl‘a.phe:lp fol which other great civilisations liavel been committed never to return. Vve I "look in vain for patriots. l