The Daily News. SATURDAY, JULY 26, 1919. GRAVE MENACE TO INDUSTRY.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 July 1919, Page 4

The Daily News. SATURDAY, JULY 26, 1919. GRAVE MENACE TO INDUSTRY.

The miners' strike in Britain and the seamen's strike in Australia afford abundant evidence of the anarchic tendency to destroy industry and bring about widespread ruin and disaster, accompanied by intense suffering on the part of the women and children. Strikes in themselves are bad enough when there is a real grievance to be remedied, for they are double-edged weapons which inflict harm on the strikers and the community, while paralysing industry. Now that the "direct action" principle has been adopted the malcontents .among the workers have taken the bit between their teeth and defy their unions, thus becoming not only imcontrolable by ordinary means, but a seething mass of destructive agents who are totally callous as to the effect of their actions, nor are they concerned as to whether their reasons for striking are good,-bad, or indifferent, any excuse for exercising their will sufficing. Such tactics can only be designated as a plunge into the gulf of anarchy. One cannot! view with complacency the state of affairs in the Motherland consequent upon the strike of about a third of the coal workers. After all the stress that Britain has suffered during the war, it is most painful to realise that the work of reconstruction is being brought to a standstill by 200,000 miners and pumpers, at the critical time when increased production is the country's salvation. These men are evidently actuated by a desire to show their power no matter at what cost. Their demands for the effective organisation of the industry, for nationalisation, and for the revocation of the increase of six shillings in the selling price of coal are but stalking horses for direct action. Not content to merely cease work, they have taken the evil step of leaving the mines to be flooded and ruined, contrary to the practice hitherto of keeping maintenance parties at work. To meet this despicable trick the authorities sent naval men to work the pumps, whereupon the winders struck in order to prevent the lowering of men to the pumps. This is a striking illustration of the extent the miners will go in their campaign of destruction. It is to be noted that the Miners' Federation for the present holds aloof from the dispute. Meanwhile thousands have been rendered idle in Sheffield and other places dependent on coal for carrying on the industries in which they are engaged, and notices have been issued warning the users that it will be necessary to curtail coal supplies, electricity, gas, water and railway services, while a number of large works have been closed. It is no wonder that Mr Lloyd George stated to the House of Commons that a very dangerous situation had arisen. The danger due to flooding the mines is accentuated by that which may be caused by explosives and fires in the dry mines, also in stopping the ventilating machinery. Britain is essentially a manufacturing country, so that apart from the,loss of the export trade in coal, the stoppage of industrial works means that the business must pass to. other countries, especially America, The peril of dislocating industrial activities is one that can only be viewed with grave concern, for it strikes at the very life of the country. It seems monstrous: that these miners should be allowed to place Britain's future in jeopardy, but that is what they are doing without any valid excuse. They are wilfully destroying the industries on which the country exists, and placing still heavier burdens on the shoulders of people who have made tremendous sacrifices during the war and have to face a struggle that is sapping the foundations of the nation. It is, of course, inevitable that the miners themselves must suffer, but they, appear to ignore that aspect of the matter while concentrating their efforts on gaining the mastery. A nation cannot remain stationary; it must either advance or recede, and the miners seem to be bent on retrogression. To permit such a catastrophe is unthinkable. If the min- ] I ers are allowed on this occasion to •geeure a jtriumph it, wjll act as an

I incentive to a further trial of [strength, and then nothing but chaos and anarchy will ensue. It is evident the Government as endeavoring to exercise Wverjf possible means of obtaining*.** peaceful settlement, and doubtless some good is expected to result from Sir Erie Geddes' endeavors to overcome the serious menace, but considering the magnitude of the interests involved, and the groat principle which is at stake, the Government will fail in its duty mless stern measures are adopted to ensure that the industries of the country are not ruined by Bolshevik tactics. Happily the reports received this morning are of a more reassuring nature, there being a prospect of an early termination of the trouble.