//le Keview or Heviews. 



May, 191 2. 



HIg Laudation 

 of tbe Strike. 



/'/(OtO.] 



CAPTAIN AMITNDSEN. 



[Lfljd ijcttr 



Mr. Fisher on 

 tbe Stump. 



Mr. Fisher has had a gay time in 

 ( Jueriisland, during the month, 

 whiirther he has gone to help his 

 Painty ait the elections. It is hardly 

 necessary to say that the dominant note of bis 

 speeches was his refusal to accede to the request 

 of the (^)neensland Government to 'RU]>plv troops to 

 assist in preserving order. The sitring is haqntd on 

 so much that one c»in discover the anxiety that lies 

 l^ehind to put himself right with the general ])uhlic. 

 He gaugt-il the ])os.ition bettt-r than the Oueensland 

 r*n-mier, said he. although he was over a thousand 

 miles from the situation ; and that his opinion was 

 correct is <-viden<'ed hv the orrler tlvat was kt-|«t. 

 Surely Mr.' Fisher 'is utterly devoid of humom ! 

 Order wa.s kept hy the Government in spite of Mr. 

 Fisher's refusal ; but the fact remains that the 

 T'cdt-ral riiivernmenit did nfJt do what it ought t" 

 have doni'. The ("onstitution is clear enough. Tlic 

 Federal Government shall su|)ply militarv a.ssistancc 

 under i'crt.\in conditions. These (-(niditions existed. 

 ;in<l the request was made in iiro|)er form. But Mr. 

 I- ishtr refused — not becau.se he lielieved he was 

 constituition.dlv right, but liecau.se he feared thp 

 bludgton of his Party. It vvxauld not hesitate to 

 denounce , him if he ceased to \te a machine to carry 

 out its orders ; and Mr. Fisher is noi a .strong 

 enough man to act indi-peudenth . Public policv 

 .ind his own judgment. forMXJth 1 The prbsjiecf of 

 dethronement by L.ilHUir i^ not a plea.saut thing to 

 contempl.ite by men whi^ h.ue come to love power 

 and »-nvibiments. 



Mr. Fisher has no sense of 

 h amour ! Thef>retically, he is 

 again.sit strikes. During hiis Queens- 

 land campaign he left the strikers 

 no doubt as to his belief that the strike was a right 

 and proiier thing. Mr. Fisher naturally falls into 

 the pose of the actor agiitator. He pictured the 

 piior -wives of tramway men (who. by the way, had 

 no (ju.irrel with their conditions of work), in fear 

 and trembliing every day le.st the evening .should 

 bring home a dejected man who had been di.schargef] 

 for his lieroic determrnatiini to wear a union badge 

 when on duty. What rulihish ! And he justified 

 tlie holding up of the city of Brisbane for that, sub- 

 scribed to the strikers' fund, and refused the help 

 he was legally Ixiund to give to the terrorised folk 

 of Brisbane. Mr. Fisher temporised with the ques- 

 tion of badges by saying that, of course, ' a man 

 could hardly appear with medals all over him. But 

 win not? If a company or an employer cannot for- 

 bid the we.iring of one medal, which is objected to 

 because it f>ecomes a signal for strife and di.scussion, 

 how can he forbid the decoration of an employee's 

 ooat with medals galore. <.>r prevent him from turn 

 ing himself into a walking metal shop. It is well 

 to know that Mr. Fisher is opposed to sitrikes, and 

 in sympatin- with the Brisbane strike. It is an 

 indication of a many-sided character, at any rate, 

 but such an attitude is verv like that of a bandit 

 who ilr.ius .1 sh.ir]) knife lightly across his victim's 

 throat, t'l give him an idea of the gravity of the 

 situation, and then s;iys. ■ I'm bitterlv oppased to 

 cutting thro.its, it harrows my finer feelings, it is 

 oppo.sed to hum.ni [iroj^ress ; but. by jingo, if you 

 don't empty your |n.H■knt^. I'll cut vour throat with 

 plea.siuv." It won't (Im. Mr. Fisher. Tliese sophis- 

 tries are not fnie eno^^ll 10 veil the true state of 

 affairs from the people. 



The 

 Koombana. 



The loss of the " Koomlun.i " off 

 the .North -West Caist of Australia 

 is another of the tragedies of the 

 setis to which we have lateK lie- 

 cKine accustoni.-d. The " ^■ongal.l." off the i>oa.st 

 (.1 iJui-ensLuid. and th ■ ' Ivoomban.i," off the 

 West, bring home to us the dangers of the sea in 

 .1 fearfully imjiressive way. It is the opinion of 

 meteorologists that the " Koombana " w.is caught 

 bttween the walls of two cyclones, .md w.is U-aten 

 to pieces, .^o ship, thev s;iy, could have lived i:i 

 such a sea. Thank Go.l. these terrible conditions 

 ot wind and w.ive do not often happen. The 

 '■ Is.eombaii.1 " was reg.irdt-d as a setiworthy Ui.it, 

 well found and propeil\ .^luipped, but it was of 

 no avail. Her wreckage Ix-ars eloquent vvitne.ss to 

 her terrible fate. No trace of any of the no souls, 

 slie cirried can ix' found. 



