THE Temuka Leader TUESDAY, JULY 25. 1893. THE AUSTRALIAN STRIKE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2533, 25 July 1893, Page 2

THE Temuka Leader TUESDAY, JULY 25. 1893. THE AUSTRALIAN STRIKE.

The Shipping Strike in Australia is apparently at an end, and of course, as usual, the employers have wmitheday. The present strike differs materially from that of 1890. In 1890 the men struck for a principle ; they have struck now against a reduction of wages. The men in 1890 refused to work with non-unionists ; the masters insisted on freedom of contract. People looked on the dispute at that time as absurd ; but it is now plain that both men and masters knew very well what they were doing. The men knew that it was only by combination they could maintain high wages, and having this object in view tried to get all men into the unions: the masters knew that if all workmen were unionists they no longer would be able to reduce wages or do other things which they have been in the habit of doing. Time has proved that both were correct, although it appeared ridiculous to the outside public that they should throw all the industries of Australia out of gear for a mere principle. Labor is plentiful now, and the unemployed are numerous, and so the employers have taken advantage of the necessities of labor to reduce wages. If the strike had not taken place in 1890 the labor unions would have been so strong by this time that they could have fought the employers successfully, but their backbone was broken in the strike, and now the employers can do just as they like with them. Wages which wore £7 per mouth have been reduced to £5, those who got £9 have had to accept £7, and so on, and thus wages have been reduced by about 30 per cent.; that is, for every £I.OO which the employers paid before, they only pay about £7O now, and put £3O into their own pockets, and by this means one shipping company will save £30,000 a year. No doubt, the directors of this company will congratulate themselves on having made £30,000 profit next year, and it will never occur to them that they have defrauded their workmen of it. That is the last thing they will think of, and they will tell their employees that capital and labor are partners, and that both have an equal interest in the success of their joint enterprise. With Pecksuiflian unctuousness they will make it .appear that, literally speaking, heaven ancf oai-ili are the products of capital, and that capitalists are but captains of industry, and after deliver* lug a beautiful moral pronouncement upon the liberty of the subject, they will declare a dividend ot 10 or 15 per cent. Carlyle satirises them beautifully when he makes Mr Plugsou say to im workmen : “ Noble spinners! We have gained £IOO,OOO, which is mine; the three and sixpence daily _ was _ yours. Adieu ; drink my health with this groat each, which I give you over and above.” Wo shall not go deeper into the moral aspect of the question ; but wo may say that no partnership exists between C .pital and Labor. Labor is simply the slave of Capital, bound to it by the strongest of ties—the ties of necessity. It is not therefore very wonderful if the capitalists do not look with favor on any change in existing conditions, and this is what prompts Mr Rolleston and his followers to oppose the Arbitration and Conciliation Rill, which is now before Parliament.

The .object of that Bill is to submit to a prop.erlynCoiM'ifey&?(l authority all labor so as to PhP m i“ an am i c ‘ u jV ib®t te> thjs i^llestou able man. ;• s»pp9r,tefs ,vb^ct. ai ca l Jlta ‘ ’ botwqon 1 ivy object to any m. ■ u ± tn employer and employed; the_> ftH; *,

let them settle their differences themselves. Now why do the capitalists object '!■ Would not common aouso suggest to anyone that it would bo better to settle such disputes by arbitration than by a stiike? The capitalists think not. They kmnv very well that if an Arbitration Board existed in Australia it would not have allowed the shipowners to. reduce wages by about 30 per cent : l lory know that tho board would act I'aii iy between both, and that consequently their hands would be to a certain extent tied. Now this is what they do not want; they se' the unemployed increasing ami multiplying yearly, and they look for ward to tho day when labor will be as cheap m Australia as it is in England. Mr Rolloston and his capitalistic followers do not want arbitration nor conciliation, nor labor bureaus, nor cooperative works, nor anything of that sort,; they want to be allowed to deal with their employees as they like, but tho pages of history give us proof that that is not good for Labor. But the working men are beginning to see through all this. They must see now that strikes are by no means to be relied on to secure any benefit to themselves. Tho capitalists won tho strike of LSDO, and broke the backbone of the unions, with the result that they are effecting swooping reductions in wages now. That is plain enough, and consequently we warn workmen that they must not rely on strikes if they are to do any good to themselves. The only place they can strike effectually is in the ballot box. There they can strike without throwing the industrial machine out of gear and bringing starvation into their own homes, for they will not deprive any one of employment ; they will hurt no one and no ono will hurt them, and if they can distinguish their

friends from their enemies, mid support only their friends, they will year by year improve their own position. The question they must ask themselves in the ballot box therefore is “ Who is the friend of labor?” Let them decide that in their own minds and vote for him, and lot them put such things as strikes out of their heads. Strikes appear to us absurd and foolish in a country where the one-man-one-vote franchise exists, and no one ought to sympathise with them. If men are so stupid and so foolish as to sell their votes for a pint of beer, or for some such mess of pottage they deserve to suffer, and are unworthy of sympathy. The whole thing is in their own hands, they can make for themselves a hard or a soft bed in the ballot box, and let them lie on it.