COMPULSORY MILITARY TRAINING
THE POSSIBILITY OF A STRIKE.
(By Telegraph—Press Association.)
GHjRISTQH'URCH, Last - Nigjfit.
The decision of the Iron Moulders' Union to take a plebiscite of its members, on the prcpo.sail that if the compu'kory cjlafftses of the Defence Act remacin unrepealed by next Labour Day, a istruke showM be declaimed, is ridiculed in responsible labour circlesin tilie city. Even Unionists who (have some liking for tihe strike, as an argument, and who are' bitterly opposed to the compulsory cteuuse®, say that it would be folly to use the strike in a purely polildioail! controversy. This opinion is not ura.m'mously (held, but the greet majority "of the workers' representatives who were qiiestiorfcd flo-day, declined to take the suggestion iseriou'sly. Mr D. G. Stn'liiv.an', Prsident of the Trades omd Laittaur Council, said •that hie wouild prefer not to express an opfciion. on sudh a matter, beoaraee a question of the kind, if any-rt-]<'ng came cf itj, would harve to be considered by the Trades and Labour Council, and, it would scarcely be proper for 'him to make a statement wr.iihorrb the express authority of the Council. 'Mr Sullivan added that his personal feeling was utterly against the idea of a - strike.
A prominent loader who was ap-. proached sa'tcl that t!he> liton Moulders' resolution was, in his opinion,, 'fliot- aiir;" He did not believe that ■the members of the Union would' have a word to say in favour of thie proposa'l, if , the suggestion were submitted to the vote. .
Another laibour leader remarked that there was littte chance of the Trades "[Moras getoerr4'ily falling in wifcih the proposals, a.s they were clivided on. the qaiesrtakm' cf defence. Per&on ally . he favoured military training,, butt not Hinder tihe present Dcifonce Act. He wanted to see some scheme wfhich oould be democratically admlinistered.
'Mr Louis. P. Christie and Mr C. N. Ma'oMie, prominent officers of the National Peace Council, stated that the action of the l Union was taken without any instigation from their organisation!. The Peaice Claim cil was natiuiraHlv pleased to see the workers, through their unions theiir tlmpprovatl of compulsory military itra!inin,g~ but iti did n'cit approve, of .any but constitutional; methods being employed to effect reform. It certainly would not advocate an industrM strike, b,ut there were indications that) the workers, or at least that secaon of the workers wiho were sympail/heifcicalily inclined l to itfhie Federation ctf Laiborur, were prepared to use the isthAke as a weapon to tlhe matter of milf'tiairy training, and for other purposes. :
SOCIALIST RESOLUTION. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) OHIRISTCHURCH, Last Night. A resolutifon, w<as carried last evening by the Socialist Party to the effect that, in the case of walr, the •workers would down tools. It was decided that the resolution' shduld be submitted to every Laibour organisation in New Zealand.
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Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10629, 7 May 1912, Page 5
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467COMPULSORY MILITARY TRAINING Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10629, 7 May 1912, Page 5
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