i 
(1) Australia should be splendidly pros- 
perous, 
(2) Australia in fact is in a state of un- 
certainty, and, considering what her 
wealth shouid be, is in a very danger- 
ous industrial and financial position. - 
(8) The welfare of industries is of vital 
importance to all parties and equally 
so the welfare of the workers. 
These facts being allowed, we have now 
she problems to determine, first as to who 
8 to blame for the present turmoil, and 
1gain how to keep the offenders in check. 
In our arbitration system there are 
three main parties, capital, labour, and 
the community generally, and the last 
named includes the two former and their 
families, besides many others that come 
between labour and capital, also the 
general consumer. Now the community, 
as the whole is greater than any part, 
whether capital, labour, or consumer, 
should have complete control, 
Now we will try out each party in turn 
and start with the employers, 
This is an easy task, for arbitration has 
Oy its enactment and penalties so con- 
trolled the employers that no one can 
quote a case of lock-out or serious breach 
of the Arbitration Law. Possibly the em- 
ployers’ sane view of the necessity of 
honouring their signatures to agreements 
and of building up industries has greatly 
helped. The employers are in one way 
to Plame in that—especially those in in- 
Justries that could pass the burden on— 
m_ many instances they have, for peace 
sake, given in too readily to the unrea. 
sonable demands of the unions. 
No take the employees. 
They have in case after case dishonour- 
:d their agreements, and, led by imbeciles 
with axes, have smashed up the industries 
:hat provided the wealth required to pro 
vide them with a good livelihood; and. 
mind you, these leaders as a rule have not 
the mentality of a backward nine-year-old 
20y. Their “brains” seem to have reached 
3 certain point and then stopped short, 
while their frames prew larger and their 
voices stronger. 
Although probably four out of every 
five members of the unions are against 
these destructive tacties, they are so ter 
rorised by the noisy minority that run 
them and get so sick attending the union 
meetings, and of having to listen to the 
idealistic rot of their sub-normal com- 
rades that they give up attending meet 
ings, and thus all the power falls into the 
hands of the never-tired extremists. 
To give the general public an idea of 
what a unionist has to put ap with in 
some unions if he dares to oppose the 
“heads” take this scene as it actually 
eeurred. 
Place: A large hall, over 800 unionists 
present, summoned to decide an imports 
ant question which individually most of 
them were against. Moved by one of 
the heads that the proposition should be 
passed and stated by him that anvone on 
Our Industrial Problems. 
posing this motion was a scab, a renegade, 
and boss’s pimp, and that he hoped not 
ye traitor hand would be raised against 
it. (Thunderous applause from apparently 
300 men). 
Up gets a “traitor” to propose that a 
secret ballot shonld be taken so as to give 
all absent members a chance to decide. 
(Pandemonium let loose; roars and 
screams of derision from apvarently thous 
sands). 
After nearly half-an-hour’s waiting for a 
hearing the “traitor” got a few words in 
and eventually the question was put, and 
by a small majority was sent to a ballot, 
which, some time later, turned down the 
proposition by an overwhelming majority. 
The man whe called for this ballot was 
afterwards a marked man and heoted, 
time after time, in the streets and elses 
where. Perhaps this description will an- 
swer the question so often asked: “Why 
lo not the sane unionists control the ex- 
fremists¥” . 
Surely it is not too much to claim that it 
2as now been proved—if proof were ree 
quircd—that the present disastrous state 
of affairs is due to an organised sub-normal 
minority in the unions, and further that it 
is most unfair to expect the unorganised 
normal majority in the unions to ostracise 
themselves by fichting against their works 
ng mates and doing the work that should 
be done by the community through its 
“overnments and judiciary. 
The community is the next party to come 
mder review. 
Now the community is in the unfortu- 
nate position that it is responsible for the 
control of the different parties and indi- 
viduals in the State or Commonwealth, 
md how has it stood up to its duties? 
It certainly has nobly and fearlessly ad. 
ministered the laws against individuals 
and even, of late, against the compara- 
tively few employers, but against the very 
numerous employees (who are also voters) 
it has shown arrant cowardice. The com- 
nunity has allowed the unions. to break 
every law, whether arbitration or other- 
wise, and has made the name of Australian 
irbitration justice a byword throughout 
‘he world. 
Not one of us but must feel a wave of 
shame to think that we three million adult 
people of Australia have stood helpless 
while probably less than 10.000 imbeciles 
led by a few opportunists have tyrranised 
over their fellow-unionists and ourselves 
ind have crippled many industries that are 
the life blood of the country. Six mil 
lion people to-day held up by one little 
man backed up by a score or two of fol 
oweral 
The question is: Where is it going to 
stop? Are we for ever to be more and 
more at the mercy of a few untiring in- 
dividuals, or are we going to take a hand 
and wipe out the tyranny now existing 
and give again individual freedom and free- 
dom of speech such as existed even 20 
ears aco? 
The Best Weekly for City and Countiy : “The Western Mail.”