THE LABOUR TROUBLES.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 2962, 9 July 1891, Page 4

THE LABOUR TROUBLES.

10 nil: Ki'ii'ii:. Sik, -Oin uen.-l 11.1t \»- oinl'.wod with prophetic vision, in Hi- light "i recent I'veniy. I . foroliill that h'dorn long wo -h ill Ic in 1.1..; lln of a I.l> mi- struggle, r-unpared u-i'ii winch th.it. i.t I.V.II) will .ml; int.. in og. Ililidliee. 11.-oilli! '.l-C-.-i"ll lr.!. <;illi-'MM>. I , u-.iwl 1.1 ..,,0 ~f Ml.l I'oi .11 Cniipuiv'. I, .it , I ~„'..-M-l it,'... (■..ni"!.;ite.n will. . .in- ..I Urn cr.nv, and I ha-1 i>-• tn.ublr n> hnniiur tl.-i tlii'ii.o upon tin; recent strik' , . Tim men seem.-d verv -"re upon their il.-f.Mt,, and 1 elicited tin: inform.itinti tln.l the shipowners, learniri',' that a strike was mi the tapis, forced the hands ~f the men whii 'lid ii'.t intend t > V" <»it till the Christinas holidays ; when, as iny informant rein irked, the owners w.mld have had to accede to the men's d-maniU as they c mid not allow trad.) to lie paralyzed at th.it su-ison. In reply to a query in to whether tho men would try it mi again, I was infi>rin»d th;it tho various labour b .dies would organise, and when they were r'idy we would heir from them once more. That tho Ntiour bodies are organizing at t us priKunt time admit* of no doubt. Take, f .]• instance, thn recent elections in New South Wales, and wo lind that in i\ House, cinpti-iuil of 111 members 37 " Tubonr '' c .miniates h.ive already boon returned. This unquestionably will put the wholel> nvor in tho hands ;f tho labour party win. cin dictate their own terms to either the Government or tho Opposition; and, a» was pointed out by tho shearers (vide. cablegram in your last issue), it' a Government attcmpt-i to innititaiii order in disturbed districts during a etriko they will be speedily overthrown 1.0 make room for a more complaisant Ministry. Returning to our own shores, we find the name thing obtains hero; a body of 15 or 10 men hold tho balance of power in tho House of Representatives, under the astute leadership of tho member for Nuwton, and these men (mostly labour members) are thus virtually tho directors of the dentinie.s of our fair colony. If they were guided by the principle* of justice to all, I am not »ure that anything could be urged against it; but they have apparently erased the word from their vocabulary and ignore all idea of equity in their endeavours to pander to a class. They aro ably backed up by members of the prosont Cabinet, for it was a Minister who submitted the Shops Hours Hill to the consideration of tho House this session—a measure which, as I understand it, is nothing but a. wanton interfei-enco with the rights of employers. Those in our towns and cities, as a rule, favour early-closing, and the majority recognise (! o'clock as the hour for closing ; but to make it illegal to remain open after that hour is quite (i different matter. Another Bill that is to \k introduced into tho House by tho member for Waitemata is very suggestive — namely, a Bill to abolish tho Railway Commiesionera. During the last atrike, it was admitted by all impartial judges that ',ho Commissioners, by thoir firm stand, deterred tho railway employers from getting involved in tho strugglo. Had the rail ways been under tho control (if the Government, there is reason to believe that Ministers, by thoir dilly-dallying aotimi, would havo given tho men liberty to follmv tl;o bohosts of "King" Millar, This is bnrno out by tho fact that a deputation of .striken waited upon thu Government mid magnanimously informed them that the union. , ) would allow Iho Government 1-leanierrtt.o convey thnuitiils, in theevent of tho Union boats huing compelled to lay up, if t.hoy did not carry cargo; and it will scarcely be credited that one of tho Ministers complimented the men upon then moderation in the matter, instead of inf inning thnui thai, tho Government refused to bn dictated t». When wo rcmctnbei that that Ministry was supposed to be opposed to thu strikers, the question naturally arises as to how tho present, one would have acted in a Riniilar contingency. We know the Premier considered that the Railway Commissioners were littlo short of tyrants, und a southern journal, which is edited by another Cabinet Minister, was vory bitter against them for insisting that I heir employees must handle, thu goods of tii ins that had incurred tho displeasure of the unions. Viewed from all standpoints thu position appears to bo rapidly approaching a crisis. The working classes havo become so infatuated by the utterances of agitators and others, th;it they are apparently hoodless of their own interests. Thcso agitators aro no friends of their.--. They havo to get a living somehow, and they find it easier to prey upon thn foolishness of thoir fellows than to earn thoir bread by the sweat of thi'.ir brow. They have succeeded already in persuading their dupes that capitalists and landowners ave necessarily their enemies, and that if they can only remove them, the world would be ii perfect paradise. These agitators will stop at nothing short of S in its most virulent form. They are ntruying class against class, and so sowing tho seeds of a resolution. Would thn working classes be any happier if this were brought to 11 successful issue,? They hive tried it w France, and aro tha people r.f that country any happier than their fellows across tlu Chaniißl'/ I think not. They appear to he living in fear and trembling, and the Government refuse to allow a scion of Royal Mood to reside within their borders—so fearful aro thoy that the people will demand a oiiaugo. Jsefora the labouring clashes follow Mie counsels of their leaders they .should consider well as to what they will lead to, and lie euro that their counsellers are animated with a desire for their welfare, and not the filling of their own pockets with thu gold which the workers so freuly contribute. Where did all thi money go to that was contributed during the recent shearers' strike in 'j'.ieenslaiid, and what advice did the, notorious leader of tho strike in New Zealand givo his obedient followers when lit) found that coin was getting low? He advised them to do then what all along he had urged thorn not to do-to work with blacklegs, froo labourers, or anybody else. Surely these things should open tho eyes of the simple. If they do not, one is led to exclaim with the Wise Man : " How long, ye fools, will ye hale knowledge !"—I am, &c , Colonial. Jlnmilton, Oth July, ISOI.