NATIONALISATION.

Taranaki Daily News, 21 April 1917, Page 4

NATIONALISATION.

The New Plymouth at a. meeting last evening, passed resolutions urging upon, the Government the advisability cf the State taking over the coal mines and tho coastal shipping, as well as opening a butcher's shop in the town. One would think the occasion would 'have been seized to pass a resolution asking the coal miners to return to work, and so help New Zealand to continue to give its soldiers in the trenches the support they are in need of, and deprecating a strike of any kind in this, tho gravest crisis in the history of the nation. Tho strike will affect the workers just as much as, if not more so than, any other for with- a stoppage", or semi-stoppage, of transportation, many industries will have ' to slacken operations >r close down altogether. For that reason, one would think the meeting would have voiced its strong disapproval of the strike, which is anarchialin character and subversive of good government. More, it is an open challenge to -Parliament and the resit of tb.9 people of the Dominion, The strikers are the direct enemy of labor, which can only hope to improve its position along constitutional lines. This being so, it is extraordinary that a meeting which had no hesitation in expressing an emphatic and unanimous opinion upon the ownership of coal mines and coastal steamers, refrained from referring to a matter of more immediate and vital concern. As for nationalisation of coal mines, if that would bring about industrial jicace, it would be well worth consideration, but when wo find that employees in the present State mines strike without cause or provocation, such a scheme does ,not particularly commend itself. The State mines keep the public from exploitation, so what advantage is there in nationalisation when we know industrial peace cannot be obtained? As for tho State control of coastal ?teamers|. that may come in good time, but when wo see men holding up industry out of pure cussedness at a tune when such a largo proportion of the community are making great sacrifices, when thousands are suffering and dying to uphold all that makes life worth living for, and when we see workmen in a tranquil town like -New Plymouth oblivious to the real issue at stake- nml the fundamental factor in good jjov;v:::iicnt, w—.it

inducement is there for the Slate fp saddle itself with additional responsibilities, and bow can reasonable men and women be asked to give the project their support? If the strikers were to succeed, Mew Zealand would be just' about as interesting a land to reside in as if it wero Prussian-ridden. It is a great pity these precious striker traitors —for they are nothing else—could not be given a taste of Prussian rule, against the imposition of which their fellows are lighting; then they would realise what real conscription means. The trouble is this disgruntled element is too well ofiv and does not know it