April, 191 2. 



history of the Month. 



mat it was not .(g,iiii.-.t .strikes, hut only against 

 hatlly organised ones that failed. Speaker after 

 speaker sjx)ke in praise of the strike as a weapon 

 in the hands of Labour, and when the matter was 

 boiled down it amounted to this : that if a union 

 felt wisliful to have a strike, the matter should be 

 referred to the executive- If that body chose it 

 could forbid the union striking ; if. in defiance of 

 the executive's decision, it did strike, no other union 

 would contribute to the support of the strikers. 

 If, on the other hand, the executive decided other- 

 wi.se, and sanctioned the strike, every other union 

 of any kind whatsoever would contribute, or, 

 what is more menacing, strike in sympathy. 

 Here is where the danger of blatant, mili- 

 tant unionism lies. That is what raised the 

 l)eoi)k' of Queensland against the unions, that over 

 forty unions which had no quarrel with their em- 

 ployers struck because the tramway men struck. 

 If this new union proposal comes about it will either 

 mean anarchy or the ruin of the unions. No matter 

 what the caiwe of dispute in any one union, it is a 

 crime to involve a nation in trouble. One cannot 

 help wishing that elections in State and Federation 

 could l)e precipitated as Mr. Denman is precipitat- 

 ing the elections in (Queensland. Just now would 

 be a fine op|)ortunitv for testing i)ublic opinion ujxjn 

 the domination of blatant unionism. 



The 



Sir Joseph Ward came safely 



», y , A through the motion of no-confidence 



New Zeiland , - , 



(ioTernmetit. »l>i<"h was moved against him a 

 month ago, but the fate of the 

 Government was decided only by the Si)eaker's cast- 

 ing vote. The debate was enlivened bv some impli- 

 cations of briljery and corruijtion bv an Opjjosition 

 member, on the jiart of some of the members of the 

 Government party, and it was a great relief when 

 the statement, on Ijcing investigated by a commit- 

 tee, was found to have no basis in fact. Apart 

 from its effect on any particular mcml)er, it 

 would have lieen a sorry day for Austral- 

 asian |>olitics generally if it had been true. They 

 have l)e<-n singularly free from any thing of that 

 kind. It was a pity that that kind of fighting was 

 indulged in by the Op|)osition. It we.ikeiied its 

 ca.se consider. d)ly. If its cau.se was a g<xj(l one. 

 there was no ne<'d to resort to questionable methods 

 of warfar<'. The charge fell hojiek'ssly to th<- 

 ground, and a very slight enquiry beforehand would 

 have iiroved its ficlii>n. Sir Jriseph Ward resigned 

 the leadership of tFi"- |iarty, and Mr. T. MacKen/.ie 

 has been s<-krted b> the Lilx'ral and I.alKMir I'ariies. 

 A strong effort was made by his friimds to in<Uice 

 Sir Joseph W.ird in retain the position, but he 

 insisted on resigning as the only way of bringing 

 aliout a combination of the two jiarties. 



I'fMtO.] 



SiudiOf. at. liiUla. 



C.\NON SADI.1BR. 



Who has heen appointed to the Bishopric of Xelaon, 

 New Zoalaiui. 



The 



The Xe\T South \\'.iles Sjeaker, 



NewSouth Wales }^'- ^^■'",'^-, ^^^ -^tiH . «" t^e high 

 Parliament. horse, and the C>pposition has little 

 or no chance of making any api^eal 

 for fair treatment that will be considered. Once 

 or twice the Oiiposition has left the House in protest 

 against the treatment it has received. It is growing 

 increasingly clear that there will be no peace in the 

 House till another Sjx-aker is appointed. Under 

 the present circumstances legislation is being reduced 

 to a farce. Some of the meml)ers of the Govern- 

 ment are talking largely about establishing iron 

 works, but the enormous ex])en.se involved will prob- 

 ably prevent the .scheme Ix-ing carried out. Parlia- 

 ment talks of .soon going into recess. This would 

 really be the liest thing under the circumstances. 

 Indeefl, for all the practical good that will W done, 

 it would be a g<xxl thing if it reces.sed till the next 

 general elections. 



During the month there was held 

 F.ducatinnal in MellKnirne a Congress which 

 Loni<ress. ought to haxe a considerable in- 



fluence in rousing public opinion 

 iijMMi the subje<'t of education. It also ought to 

 bring alxiut a more complete and satisfactory method 

 of dealing with continuous education. This it will 

 do if a committee which was ai)|)ointed as a result 

 of the Congress ilevotes itself laboriously to its 

 work. The conference was com])o.sed of representa- 

 tives of every institution and s<H-ielv that cared to 

 l)e represented. Th" Trades Hall Council, by the 

 way, deelinr-d the invitation iHraiis" 'he Indepenilent 

 Workers' Union hail accepted its, and was send- 



