The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. MONDAY, JANUARY 18, 1909. THE BROKEN HILL STRIKE.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2402, 18 January 1909, Page 4

The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. MONDAY, JANUARY 18, 1909. THE BROKEN HILL STRIKE.

AYore it not tlr.it the issues are off such ’serious import the position at Broken Hill, to-day would constitute an extremely amusing commentary upon -all the efforts that have been put forth to date in Australia for the settlement of disputes by process of law. Notwithstanding the existence of the Industrial Disputes Act or the State and the Arbitration Act of the Commonwealth, we find a large industrial centre as completely in a state of industrial siege .as in the days when the strike was the only weapon of aggrieved ’’labor. The dispute occurred ,as usual, over wages, the owners of the Proprietary Aline having notified the men that they would he compelled to reduce wages. This was •naturally galling to the men, especially as other mines were continuing to pay ait the old rate-. AYlien the men objected to the reduction, the Company made .a proposal which was certainly not 'unfair. The company said in effect:—“AVe find we must revert to the oldi -rate of wages; but as you do not think this equitable wo are willing that the Court’s award, if ibis in your favor, should have a retrospective 1 action, and wo will pay you the back money.” The precise hardship of the proposal is scarcely apparent. .But the unions will not accept, with the result that the Proprietary mine is closed down, and while metals remain low it probably will suit the company perhaps better to keep the mine closed than to work it. The worst feature of the strike has arisen from the picketing tnctics adopted by the Unionists. In some arisen from the picketing tactics fined las an act of wia.r, and when carried out as it now is at Broken Hik no milder term is to it. Practically the Proprietary mine has been kept iia a state of siege, no one being allowed to enter it except by consent of the Unionists. .Even a Government, inspector was obliged to obtain a Union pass before he could enter. Without raising tli,e question of the legality of picketing, it inlay be allowed that public opinion in labor centres recognises that it is a justifiable (weapon of labor war. There is no need' just now to dispute that opinion. A picket, once we have accepted the -fact of industrial strife, may exercise a function in deterring free labor from taking tlie place of strikers or locked-out men. But, it is dearly all the time on dangerous ground. Union or no union, dispute or no dispute, personal liberty is something that must bo preserved, and the State cannot stand by and i see men I’obbcd of. their common rights by -any species of intimidation. Even the “moral suasion” df a pic-, ket is generally intimidation of a pretty effe-ctivo type; but in the case , of Broken Hill tlie regrettable fact is that even the pretsmeo of “moralsuasion” has been thrown to the winds. There have been, many acts of violenco and it (was these which led to conflicts with the police. Referring

to the outrages which have occurred the Sydney “Morning Herald” says: “For these it cannot be doubted that organised labor must be held responsible. Though such acts will be immediately disowned by unionism, they are perpetrated in its name. Ilf it is urged that unionism has no disciplinary power over its members that in itself is enough for our purpose. -Such disciplinary power has got to be exercised, and the (State, which undertakes in general terms to preserve law and order, must intervene if unionism is powerless to prevent, violence. Broken Hill needs to be t.).U! plainly that it is altogether mistaken if it imagines wo are going to bi >i: on passively while labor and certain mine managers wage what is virtually open war. AA r e shall'do nothing of the kind. (Remote as Broken Hill is, it is still not so distant that law cannot reach it, and the State is not so feeble that it cannot back the law with a legitimate show of strength.”