DOMINATION BY LABOR.

Taranaki Daily News, 1 April 1921, Page 6

DOMINATION BY LABOR.

THE WAY OUT. (By E. Maxwell, Opunake.) Dominion by organised Labor really means domination by the Labor agitator, supported, often very grudgingly, by a portion of the rank and file. Thissmall number of extremists, living on their fellows, under the pretence that they are acting for the welfare of Labor, incite throughout all sections discontent with the conditions of work and wages paid, and incite the making of demands as to both, quite irrespect-. ive as to whether there is any justice in them, and regardless as to what inconvenience, injury, or hardship may, as a result, be imposed on the community. They also incite resentment and enmity against the 'employer, capital, social conditions and law and order, and in every way foster a spirit of revolution. Among their chief arguments for the wrecking of the present social and economic conditions is the freeing, of labor from the imaginary slavery to the employer and capital, but they carefully fail to point out that what they advocate is a real—not imaginary—complete and abject slavery of all labor to the union bosses. The astounding thing is that labor is so blind as it is in submitting to the domination of these agitators, whom they must know are mostly, if not all, selfseeking spongers. Of all the community, it is the rank and file of labor that is mqst dominated and most defrauded by these wreckers of society, but so long as labor submits, they as a whole must take the blame of what is done in the name of labor. Within the ranks of labor there are many who are desirous of giving a fair return for the wages they receive, many whose ■ natural inclination is io work Industrially, and to whom “filling in” time is objectionable, and mhny who are ashamed to receive their wages knowing how little they have done to earn them. But they are such slaves to the agitator and union boss and their spies that they dare not work the least ®eyond the dead slow loaf set by the union. They know that to give a fair day’s work £or the wage paid would mean not only hunting off the particular job, but hunting off work altogether. Decent and honest work and good feeling between employees and employer would mean the end of the agitator and all official labor. For that reason, and not for thought of the real welfare of labor, these agitators up discontent and ill-feeling, and keep all existing unions active and form new unions, so that more and more workers w?U pay levies to keep these agitators in lucrative billets and in positions of notoriety so dear to the heart of such. It is intolerable that one section 'of the community should hold all the rest >n thra l !, whilst for the selfish ends of these agitators industry and the welfare of the people and State are wrecked. All sorts of endeavours, such as Conciliation and Arbitration Courts, and plans of co-operation, have been made to bring about industrial peace, all''of which have only resulted *in greater and more unreasonable demands and extended methods for extorting compliance. Labor would seem to have lost "all sense of honest dealing. It never seems to enter t|)eir minds that to extort the highest wage they possibly can and to give in return the very least and poorest work is nothing but deliberate robbery. There is no profiteering and wholesale as the profiteering being carried on by labor, who, faking advantage of the shortage and pressing need for labor, are extorting exorbitant wages for a minimum in hours, rate, and quality of work.

They demand extreme Wages-, all sorts of conditions, exemption from all liability, in return for which they do the least they can, do it as poorly as possibly, damage and waste, strike, go slow, hoid stop-work meetings, and enforce the of employment of any of their number, no matter how guilty he may be of “go slow,” waste, neglect, or insolence. In other words, they demand and enforce continued employment, or rather continued payment of wages on their own * terms and irrespective of Quantity or quality of service they render. Such conditions as these are not only intolerable but are so certain to lead to complete disaster, for all that they must come to an end, and the sooner so the better.

To reason with such as these agitators- is useless waste of time; agYe#ment has proved impossible; concessions are only met by further demands. Therefore there is but on 6 course, and that is by all employers—the Government and all others—adopting one method of action, namely, to fix on a fair rate of wages and fair conditions for and in each class- of employment under which they will employ, after which if any lot of employees in any branch of service, industry or other employment “go slow,” strike, fail to carry out or object to, or evade any condition or fail to render reasonably honest service, their employment in that industry or service be terminated at once, once and for all, it being made quite clear that no cry of victimisation will have any effect, and that never again need they seek or will they get employment in that service. So one would suggest that there would be any justice in forcing a man to work at. all against his will or to work under conditions he objects to or for pav he considers insufficient. Equally it is absurd that anyone should be forced to employ anyone against his will or tD pay his money to anyone who does not render a reasonable return for..it.

It may be contended that the adoption of such a course by employers would result in holding up the whole industry of flie country. It might do so for a time, but it would be only for a very short time, and once only, whilst under existing conditions one branch after another of industry is held up from time to time, and a complete hold up is inevitable.