The Daily News. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 1922. PROPAGANDA MONOPOLY.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 September 1922, Page 4

The Daily News. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 1922. PROPAGANDA MONOPOLY.

While every organisation has a perfect right to manage its own affairs in its own way without interference from outside, yet when the methods adopted are such as' to partake of the nature of a direct attack on the principles of liberty, then they are open to criticism and condemnation. The Alliance of Labor is not very particular as to the means it adopts in its obsession for domination, yet it comes as a surprise that even so ruthless an organisation should be able to make the executive of the Railway Servants’ Association the laughing-stock of the Dominion. The particular breach of the canons of democracy and fair play to which we refer is contained in two resolutions passed by the executive of the A.S.R.S. to set aside in each issue of the Railway Review a page to be given free to the N.Z. Labor Party for propaganda purposes; also that, no political advertisement, excepting that of the Labor Party, be accepted for publication in the Review. The outstanding features of such tyrannical action are—(l) the evident necessity for forcing the propaganda of the extremists into the minds of railway employees; (2) endeavoring to ensure that only one side of polities shall be fed to the men, so that they may imbibe the pernicious doctrines of the Alliance without any antidote; (3) to institute a boycott against all other political parties, and make the Review the mouthpiece of the Alliance alone. It is almost impossible to conceive a greater or more gross abuse of power than this rough-shod method of proclaiming the views of the Alliance. Happily, it has its humorous side, for the executive could not have adopted a more certain policy to bring itself into ridicule than this senseless method of proclaiming to the members of the railway service that, they are not to be trusted to exercise their own judgment or free will, but are to play the part of nurselings to the Alliance and be safeguarded from the evil machinations of those who look upon the Alliance with feelings of sorrow more than anger. All that is wanted to add the finishing touch to such desperate tactics is for the executive to pass one more resolution imposing pains and penalties on all members of the society who have the audacity to read any publication other than the Railway Review. That would complete the boycott and give it the crowning finish it now lacks, and unfinished work is always a sign of incompetence. It would be a thousand pities if the aim of the executive should be frustrated for want of just that one touch which would seal its class partisanship as a unique retrogressive move denoting the apotheosis of desperation. It is quite possible that the public may be puzzled over the fact that an executive which hits upon such arbitrary means of bolstering up the Allianse should be tolerated by such a worthy class of men as are to be found in the railway service, but the men are virtually powerless in the hands of their executive. Railwaymen of all classes are much appreciated by the public, yet it is not too much to expect that the sins of their union leaders will be laid on the shoulders of the men. The latter will still have the columns of the Press at their service, and will doubtless treat the clumsy tactics of the executive with the scorn they deserve. By all means let them read the propaganda of the Alliance and compare it with the policy of sound politicians. No fear need be entertained as to the result. The incident throws a lurid light on the methods of the Alliance, and it affords striking proof of the amount of latitude and toleration existent in the Dominion when Government servants can go to such extremes. However, it is quite possible that good may bp ovolved from such ill-considered action, as the danger of Alliance methods is so evident that it should warn the railway men of the risk they run in being dragged at the tail of an inimical force that is making for chaos.