The Daily News. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1912. RETALIATION AGAINST LABOR.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 186, 5 February 1912, Page 4

The Daily News. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1912. RETALIATION AGAINST LABOR.

We are hearing a good deal about the "revolt of labor," and when it revolts because it has something to revolt about, the public is not antagonistic to it, even though the public may be. the victim. Where labor revolts on the most fragile pretext, the position is entirely different. Labor—instancing that employed on the Brisbane and Wellington tramway systems—assumes that it dominates the situation. In the cases of the car services it assumes that it is the controller of conveniences which are the property of the public. Human nature is retaliatory. The average man, woman or child if injured desires to return the injury with interest. It is instinctive. Take the Brisbane upheaval as a text; Here are a comparatively small number of men who have become so impressed with the idea of their own importance that they can "paralyse industry." These are the words that aggressive Labor uses when it has made up its mind not to labor. Brisbane tramwaymen, together with their friends who have come to their support, financial and otherwise, cannot perhaps see the justice of retaliatory methods—not retaliation by force but still most potent retaliation. Brisbane, however, is handling this matter in a new and sane way. It is with perfect justice fighting these dominating persons with their own weapons. Brisbane says in effect that it is sick of the assumption that it is dependent on little groups of men who threatened to "paralyse trade," so Brisbane does the "paralysing" itself. If Brisbane refused to step aboard a car for' the next three months, Brisbane would punish the tramwaymen in exactly the same way as the tramwaymen are punishing the people. Labor organisations become tired of paying men for work not done. In the very near future the striker will be met by the employer with this weapon: "You knock off workwhen you like having a trifling grievance and force me to shut down. You cannot, however, force me to open up when you want to start work again, and I am not going to open." The lock-out is perfectly just retaliation against (strikes of such a description as those which are taking place in Brisbane and Wellington. In Brisbane many activities have closed down, not because of any threat of a few men to "paralyse industry," but because the traders are in revolt against the dominancy of hare-brained Labor leaders. Businesses quietly closed, and the traders have united to fight a growing iniquity. It is a unity that must win in the end. The public—as Sistinct from the aggressive Labor section—will not long tolerate a dead town, and it is the public that can crush any strike by systematic boycott. For the public of a large city to be forced on to its knees by

a small number of men is an iniquity. To permit such an iniquity is to acknowledge that your trade, your public services, your liberty is controlled by a few men who expect to be able to cease work when they like and to be reinstated as soon as their bile has cleared. The public may say on many future occasions that cessation for mere trifles will be rewarded by complete cessation. Because of the Brisbane tramwaymen, shipping companies will not send c«rgo to Brisbane. Brisbane is in the position of a beleaguered town, and is being grievously punished for the absurd conduct of the men who really believe they control it. The natural result will be that Brisbane will become very angry with the men who have caused the rumpus, and although it may be quite wrong to smite the honest toiler back when he smites you, it is very natural. The aggressive conduct of groups of workers who have no really serious grievances will react on their own heads. They are on a good wicket as long as they are allowed to control private trade and public services, but it is merely a question of shutting down the private concerns and stopping the public services after all. It doesn't matter who strikes, or who demands higher wages, if there are no jobs and no wages to be earned. Unity of tradersshipping concerns, foodstuff providers, anybody with jobs to give away and cash to pay for them—might be used to quell intolerable conditions in retaliation for many humiliations. The aggressive ones assume that employers will not retaliate because they are frightened to lose profits. These "enemies" of Labor (anybody who pays wages is an enemy of Labor) are already beginning to show that they, too, can stand a siege against their bankbooks. Traders merely have to close down, shipping companies to tie their steamers up in the harbors, commercial concerns to dispense with their hands;, and sit tight. It is precisely the method* adopted by the Brisbane men. As to the question of which side can stand the longest siege, well, there isn't any question. No worker and no combination of workers can force an employer or a union of employers to pro ; vide work. Although the Brisbane tramwaymen can stop the trams, they cannot start them if their own weapons are used against them. The principle involved in such strikes is most interesting. The worker assumes that a business owned, controlled and financed by other- people shall be turned over to him. He assumes that he has a right to have the business i conducted according to the principles laid down by his leaders. He presumes that his objection to the employment of men he dislikes is so. serious a matter that such a man should be removed. If the public permitted Labor to have many wins in such directions, no one's position, particularly if he were supposed to occupy one of authority, would' be safe, There would be constant turmoil. To concede the workers' right to have a minor official removed is to concede the principle that any official might be removed at the behest—or on the strike—of the men. If, for instance, the ticketinspector Fuller is discharged at the behest of the Wellington men, it will be just and reasonable—should the men demand it—to have the engineer, Mr. Richardson, also removed. It seems also quite unnecessary to have any other controlling body except the men themselves, if the men are able to over-ride the alleged controllers. The necessity of placating every little group of rebels which arises in the Labor world will presently cease, for there must be retaliation, and continued excesses arc bringing the days of retaliation closer.