OUR SYDNEY LETTER.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXV, Issue 2854, 28 October 1890, Page 4

OUR SYDNEY LETTER.

(l-'ROM OOP. OWN COkUKSri) N"D/'.NT.) Sydnkv, October 11, No riots this week and no Ministerial complications. The public peace, however, is only preserved by extraordinary police precautions. Where these are relaxed molestations of peacable citizens are at onco resumed. Still it is satisfactory to note that there has never been nn y m.neral outbreak of lawless intimidation since the Riot Act was read at Circular Quay. The Ministry appear to be once more as happy a family as ever they were. But it can hardly be said that this harmonious spirit extends to the Assembly. Partly from ill-concealed sympathy, and partly from the natural hesitation to grasp firmly a particularly venomous and threatening nettle, a little knot of five or six of the most disorderly and least responsible members have been allowed to hamper business and to monopolise an altogether undue share of the time and attention of the House. Owing to their vagaries the House was compelled to punish itself by sitting all Thursday uightaud up to half-past three on Friday afternoon in order to pass a partial Supply Bill. Far better would it be to punish the real offenders than to pay them such an unconscionable tribute. According to Sir Henry farkes and Mr Salomon's the strike ring-leaders came into collision with the law of the land when they began to threaten and conspire to call out persons who were peacefully following their avocations, ror some reason best known to the Executive, no notice was taken of the breach, and they were permitted to consummate their design in full view of the authorities. But there was another law which, fortunately, is not left to a possibly timid or supine Government to administer. I am not referring to the law that il a man will not work, neither shall he eat (though that also will have to be reckoned with at no very distant d-'te), but to the more homely and pw:ii« Master aim Servants' Act which onsets that, it a .servant wilfully break,; his engagement lie incur.-i formidable penalties Hundreds of shearers in a spirit of misplaced loyally, dropped their tools ill obedience to the " mandate" of their pu',l 'ringleaders. They are being proceeded a'uaiuat by their justly incenseii employers, who find themselves exposed to heavy loss in consequence of the default. Judgment has already been yiven againat the convenautbreakers in a number of cases, and hundreds of others are pendin". Unionists can now sec the praotical results of handing themselves over, body and soul, to cxecute the behests of men who are liable to he betrayed into such an error as this. J hey have hurled their unfortunate dupes against the law of the land in a last desperate effort to vindicate altogether indefensible demands, and so fatal a blunder cannot fail to recoil on their own heads. Morally, every shearer is entitled to recover from the Union not only the amount of wages he may lose, but compensation for loss of time andthe expense to which lie is put in defending himself, lint he conid never recover from the Union his unblemished reputation as a man of his word and a respeetor of his own just agreements. 'Hie instigators of this humiliating piece of business declare that tho men are at liberty to break their engagement because there ia a clause in the Union agreement which _ specifies that if any shearer Haves or is discharged before the completion of shearing, ho is entitled to be paid for nil the sheep he has shorn, ft remains to be seen whether an individual contingency, such as is provided for in this clause, can be made applicable to a wilful and avowed con(.piracy to call out all tho men as a means of injuring the employer, and thereby putting pressure on him to assist tho Htrikeri. It also remains to bo seen whofcbur by ft one-sided of this kind emplciyers can be debarred from their rights at common law. These and other questions will probably be arjrued before a higher court. Meanwhile, thero is little doubt that the magistrates will do their duty. The situation of Sydney is changing a lit,tin for the better. Some of I.»>e_ m.m nre beginning to see thai, a ruinous blunder has been made by their leaders and they would gladly return to work il they dare. No doubt there are some peiierous and self sacrificing spirits among the strike leaders, and these could be fair even to an employer or a nonunion labourer. i!ut unfortunately neither tho conseienco nor tho good sense of the Labour party is allowed its due voice in the direction of aliairs. 1 hi: niiiuiijfoincrit is monopolised by the most violeut and headstrong section, ar.d the snore moderate are cowed into ac» qtih'soeneo and subjection. The one ro- * of the violent party is intimidation. Ti-ii-i intimidate their own members, they

cruelly harass non-Unionist workers, nn< they attempt to iutimidtitc employois an( the general public by v.uzue hints am threats of tho t«rriblo tilings thoy nri .'oiritr to do. Tho only vioo that cai make it possible for moh tactics ti triumph is cowardice, and jint in pro portion to the cowardice shown, thi; intimidation is rampant. If respi-ctabl itnd law-abiding Unionists would demaru a reconsideration of tho whole matter and insist on referring the decision to thi ballot instead of allowing themselves ti be driven like a flock of sheep by m eendiary spontors, the strike would sooi be at end. , , , The feeling that the employers shouli meet the men in conference is gaminj strength, in proportion as it appears evi dent that the strength of the strike i broken. If a conference could be ar ranged without loss of self-respect, I be lieve they would gladly accede to tli raincst. But I cannot see how the; could justly bo expected to do so, as Ion; as the invitation was pressed in the wa; of compulsion, and accompanied by fearfu threats of wlr.it tho strikers '.vould do i their request was not granted. Em ploycrs have no desire to perpetuate tin present state of affairs. It means seriou loss to them. Neither have tliey an; desire to crush Unionism, to lower wages or to increase the hours of labour. It i only the madness of the other side, whicl has insisted on presenting then with an offensive ultimatum whicl they could not honourably _ac knowledge, which has compelled then to hold aloof. But, even if employers were a3 fiendisl as the imaginative writers of the labou journals represent them I doubt if by tli utmost stretch of their power and inge nuity they could do so much harm ti Unionism as the strike ringleaders ar doing. Suppose, for the sake of argu ment, that they had been able to subori the handful of men who have planned al the mischief and had bribed them t< wreck the cause. Could the most malig naut traitors do worse than has already been elfectod by headstrong incapacity Could thoy do more than expend thi Union funds in a hopeless struggle, o demonstrate to the public generally thei powei lessness to effect the objects o which they boasted ? Could they_ di more than demonstrate that conscentiou men cannot afford to be Unionists les they should be made accomplices ii unscruplous terrorism ? Even those whi wish to maintain their reputations a men of honour, and law-abiding citizen must look askance at Unionism, be cause they have been shown by it; present leaders that it means the viola tion of their honourable engagements, ti say nothing of tacit sympathy with lawless outrage. Even mere men of thi world must see that to be a Unionist ac cording to the ethics of the " new school' , means the carrying ot a heavy hatulica] as compared with other men. Any en gagement into which he may enter i vitiated by the knowledge now, uii happily beyond doubt, that on sonu 1 trumpery dispute between a fireman am a steward, or something eqpally forcigi ' but equally liable to oceur any day, he ! may be called out by his Union, and hit r contract become so much waste paper. Already it is sni;i;flstu:l that Union employers, in si'lf-defence, must requirn their men to find substantial guarantees for the due fulfilment of their agreements. Could the worst enemy of Unionism have done it more injury than has been effected in 11 few short weeks by 1 its professed champions ?