The Dailu News. MONDAY, APRIL 23, 1917. A TASTE OF THE STRIKE.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 April 1917, Page 4

The Dailu News. MONDAY, APRIL 23, 1917. A TASTE OF THE STRIKE.

From to-day the railway services will be considerably restricted. This lias not been caused by the exigencies of the war, but by the anarchistic behaviour of a small body of men engaged in mining coal, the motive power of our main transportation facilities and other industries. The Railway Department had no option but to cut down the trains and conserve as far as possible its coal supplies for the maintenance ot the essential services. The mail trains will run as usual, for which we should in the circumstances 'lie grateful, whilst other

tfains will run. onlj tlu-ice weekly and some are cut out altogether. It will, of course, prove very inconvenient and cause not a little loss, but the position has to be faced and accepted with resignation. We are warned that a further "cut" in the services may be made if the situation does not improve soon. The Railway Department has fairly large reserves of coal at its djsposal, but these it must husband. The troops have to be carried to camp, and the dairy produce, meat, etc. 4 conveyed to port. The miners, judging by their recent voting, are in no mood to stand by the country and do their duty like those who are serving at the Front and elsewhere, and it seems as if ive are in for a long and bitter struggle. At any rate, we should prepare for the worst happening. The Government surely will not 1 sit down and accept the challenge tamely. It is put |on its mettle, and should take action [not only to vindicate the law but to ! save the country as far as possible, from j dislocation and loss. What it proposes to do has not so far been made public., but we presume it will take measures to I work some of the mines by free labor and import coal from overseas. Unfortunately the scarcity of shipping prevents the latter being done to any extent. The miners have acted in dastardly fashion, choosing the most di.iicult time in the country's history to launch their strike, noi, of course, to better their conditions, but as a pro•test against the Conscription Act, which, as has been pojiteii out before, does not affect them personally, coalmining being an exempted industry. To give in to them now would mean repealing the Conscription Act and the reduction of reinforcements. More than that), it would mean that any dissatisfied labor element could at any time challenge the law under threat of holding up the wheels of industry. Laws would cease to have any force cr meaning. Parliament would simply be a subject for mockery, constitutional authority would disappear, and we would become the laughing stoelc of the world. The issue Is plain—we are either going to liave rule by the mob or rule by constitutional authority. There is nothing between, There can be no compromise on a ques-t-ion of such vital importance to the future of the country, and no matter how great the loss and the suffering v,-c must fight out the issue to the bitter end and all do our best to support, the Government in whatever means it may take to overcome tho difficulty and the menace to our freedom and liberty. The reduction in the train services is but a taste of what we can expect it" ttic strikers maintain their treacherous attitude towards a country that has treated them in the past very mmU better than they deserved.