CORRESPONDENCE.

Taranaki Daily News, 16 February 1917, Page 8

CORRESPONDENCE.

THE WATERSIDE WORKERS. To the Editor. Sir,—l, for one, must thank yon for your outspoken article on the above subject appearing in your .Monday's issue. What you say therein is perfectly sound 'and right. There should be no toleration for any kind of strike in the present crisis. Every man who strikes or encourages others to strike at this critical moment of Mttor warfare is a traitor to the British nice and to the British Empire, and he ought to be promptly told that lie is, and just as promptly treated as such. And what treatment should be accorded to homebred traitors when the Empire is lighting for its very existence? At such n time any kind of severe penalty is jus-j tifiaUie, up to and including death. There can be no doubt at all about that. To patter and talk soft nonsense at the present time is just inviting ruination'to overwhelm us. It is the plain duty of the authorities to act strongly, fearlessly and promptly. Let us clearly understand this very simple proposition: No Britisher has any rights outside the British Constitution; the Brjiish Constitution has no existence outside the British Empire; therefore, if the British Empire goes down, down goes the British Constitution along with every right we thought was ours! Wlint would then become of "the rig'hts of labor" that are so much talked about? They would be "down and out, 1 ' find then Messrs Scrapie, Ramsay and •Company would get • a job digging' trenches for tile Germans— [ am. etc., J. 0. TAYLOR. February 13, 1917.