WHERE LABOR RULES.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 January 1919, Page 3

WHERE LABOR RULES.

■i CHAOS IN QUEENSLAND. DEPLORABLE STATE.OF AFFAIRS DRIFTING TO'BOLSHEVISM. LESSONS FOR NEW ZEALAND. The chaotic state of affairs in Queensland, where a Labor Government is in power, and the ominous and ail too evident drift in the direction of something even worse, considerably impressed Mr W. J. Poison, of Wanganui, who has returned to New Zealand after a visit to Australia.

"The first thing thai struck me about the Labor conditions in Queensland, and About the Government, was that the ideal seemed to be the advancement of Labor without the advancement of the country as a whole," said Mr Poison, to a Chronicle representative. "Of course, they have a pretty extreme Labor Gorernment in power, which is now seeking to abolish the Upper House and extend the franchise to persons 18 years of age. Already they have their State cattle stations, State shops, State hotels, State coal mines., State sugar mills, and State ore mines, yet, as the result of my observations, it is disastrous to the State and the people. The latter seem to have lost faith in the State, and Labor, at the instigation of the extreme sec-' tion, is undoubtedly exploiting the State. The result is a fear for the legitimate investment of capital. Freehold land, which is the ultimate desire of every New Zealand farmer is at a discount in Queensland. No tenure, to judge by the opinions of many pastoralists, with whom I discussed the matter, is so unpopular, because the freehold is at the mercy •of the State. Leaseholds, particularly those where improvements are not absolutely necessary, are eagerly sought after. The reason is obvious, and is admitted—farmers can get out when the State makes it too hot for them.

BOLSHEVIK DRIFT "Labor appears to be led by the extreme element, and the more Bolshevik a candidate is, the surer he can be of a political following," added Mr Poison. "This is resulting in a growing distrust between employer and employee, and, if it is not checked, lead to civil war in Queensland. It seems paradoxical that where Labor has absolute control, unrest should be tho greatest, strikes the most prevalent, and a social upheaval so imminent. That trouble is brewing I heard nobody deny, and thus the paradox resolves itself into no paradox at all, with what one can see and hear on a visit to Queensland, The attempt to extend the franchise to children is an indication of Labor's desire to capture tlia votes of the unthinking. "Yes," replied Mr Poison, m answer to a question, ''one can give many illustrations of the existent state of affairs. While 1 was in the Barcoo district, fires were prevalent, and fire-fighters were being paid 5s an hour. In one case, while a homestead was threatened, they struck for 7s fid an how I was told by those interested of the efforts to create trouble in the shearing sheds by uttct disregard of awards, and tho appointment of Australian Workers' Union delegates—often an I.W W. agitator in disguise—to foment trouble, instead of carrying out the policy that the Australian Workers' Union officially subscribes to by the adherence to the awards of the Court. An official of one of the big meat works devoted to the canning of meat gave another instance- They had a staff of butchers and boners, sufficient of the latter being employed to keep the butchers going Presently the boners began to get behind in the work, leading to disorganisation. The manager called them together, and they insisted that the only way to catch up with the work was to start at 4 o'clock in the morning. When this system was adopted, the men invariably finished by "lunch; that is, they could do in seven hours what they formerly declared they could not do in eight hours. The secret was double time between 4 and 8 in the morning. They refused to revert to the old system. I was told by another freezing ! works official the story of their employees' picnic When the day came, the coopers assembled as usual' at the works, declaring they were not butchers, and that,, they desired to work. They were offered a day's pay in order to preserve peace, but when pay-day came they wanted double-time- for the holiday

EMPLOYERS' DIFFICULTIES '•I was m the north of Queensland, at Hughenden, when serious trouble occurred,'' proceeded Mr Poison. ''Here the loyalists' drove the I.W W leaders out of the town. The cause of the trouble was a retrospective award, a common thing in Queensland, which had been given in connection . with the hotels, the object being that the maids should he paid retrospective holiday time The hotel-keepers were legally advised that the award was bad, and thev refused to pay. The hotels were declared "black," and IW.W, leaders from all over the country came 1.0 Hughenden to spur on the workers to boycott the hotels, and after tiioy had outraged all decency by disloyal utterances, they were driven out by the loyalists. Immediately Ministers of the Crown, .accompanied by posses of police, arrived at Hughenden, <md the world witnessed the extraordinary spectacle ox I.W.W leaders protected, shoulder to shoulder, by cordons of police, uttering the most, appalling sentiment?, not only about Labor, but, also shout Great. Britain, the ling, and the Empire at large, while loyalists who attempted to intervene were promptly arrested. Carters at i'owiisville declined to handle inland goods for Hughenden, in order to help the boycott, and when the merchants dismissed them, the railwaymen declined to handle goods brought to the railway station by the new carters. Then a deadlock arose. The merchants of Townsville stood firm, although threatened with legislative, action by a Minister of the Crown sent, there. They refused to be intimidated. The. Crown evidently considered its case war weak, and went, no further, the workers eventually gave way, and traffic was resumed.

''oo iaow POLICY ""jSie of the worst feature? in connection :vith theiv La.bor troubles is the Uo Slow" policy." controlled. Mr Poison. "At the freezing works the union secretary indicates the number of men the manager must place on the floor of each machine, and the results are that the tagtefits pi modern »rj nulii-

fled. A manager of a sugar-mill in North Queensland told me. that a gang of eight Japanese vere carrying 011 work that sixteen whites declared they were unable 10 do. In Brisbane there was a strike because the price of beer was raised to iourpence a pint, and the whole city was involved. Could anything savour mow of comic opera than a meeting of Labor unions, with * Minister of the Crown -n the cfisir, protesting against the increased price of the workers' fceer? The result was the State bars reduced the price, and compelled the rest to return to threepence tt pint.

A SALTER VIEW "The more intelligent tabor men deprecate the trend of affairs," said Mr Poison, in conclusion. "But there appr"& to...b~6""lift*"frfMfThf"eourse^ N land holdings are only capable of Be-' ir.g worked j»v jien with large capita), able to stsjd three or four years' drought. Of)ser settlement, as we understand it in New Zealand, is almost impracticable without large Government expenditure.. The extreme section of Labo:-: believe thai, the State is subservient to tlw individual, without patriot,ism or creed except '"As much lor myself ?.s l can.'" The Queensland Government reflects the opinions of its aupj>orJ ors, which perhaps I can best show by another illustration. There are several State stations. Large numbers of cattle were sent to the freezing works in the ordinary way, the stipulation being Unit the Imperial Government should give the recognised price of 4 5/Sd, per 11). in spite of this fact, the Queensland Government, under the Chattels A.-i, is commandeering large quantities of pustoraiists' bee* at 2d per lb., m order to supply its own shops. I'ou hear all sorts of stories of positions found for Labor supporters, and a ease is on record of a defeated oabor Parliamentary candidate being appointed an inspector of | school lavatories e.t a «i!nry of £3OO per year. One gathered that not even the Judicial Bench is free from Government influence, and it is openly admitted that the Labor agitator eiu practically say and do as he likes, without fear of any serious penalty. One Orown Minister, in.an anti-conscription speech said "Britain is a land of (,ant, humbug and hypocrisy." There is no patriotism to tjie State. Another sign is the shocking condition of the roads in Queensland, which arc merely worn tracks Across the country. Between lpswicli *nd Bris-bane—-the two largest towi—tier* is a track across flax country which Tould be a disgrace to the back blocks of the King Country. In inj opinio;.' the greatest impeachment of liahosr control, as it exists in Queensland, is tlw *act ''rhai. it lives for 'he hour, aoi for the future; and in its anxiety to exploit capital it is - frightening it out of this country, bankrupting the State and itr 'future. The wiser heads see this, but are unable to stem the current. They realise that the policy of pin-pricking the employers, making two men do one work, redueuig individual effort i*.