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A' -STRIKE CHAMPIO:
' The brains ' oit' ! Peter ^Bowling .are,'.not quite
ordinary."' All ■, Australia has come to know
that this coal hewer can work miracles with
his fellow men. He holds up his hand, " and.
lo! ten thousand workers throw down. their
picks, abandon their profitable work, and,
trusting implicitly to his guidance, wait re
spectfully for his next command. The ma
jority of them d' not even know why there
should be a strike; they are content' to know
that Mr.. Bowling deems one' necessary. Enjoy.- .
ing such implicit confidence, this autocrat in
-moleskins is in* that enviable position "where
he' may'think and act upon the boldest plans..
Avithout interference from the officious, nervous
fools who so frequently obstruct the plans of
clever men,- or by 'their meddling and jealousy,
ruin great projects Avhich they cannot conceive
themselves' nor even understand, Avhen. the.
.master brain unfolds them.
It Avas this untrammelled power that enabled'
Mr. BoAVling. to plot for the possession of a
colliery whilst he Avas planning a prodigious,
strike. It was this that enabled him-to con
duct his schemes Avith the utmost secrecy up
to the very minute Avhen the gun was ready to
be fired, and then to calmly pull the trigger
with dramatic and demoralising effect. lie
has dared to call a strike . Avithout wasting'
words over a specious motive. He has had the
audacity to fight the enemy with, shot out of
the enemy's lockers'. He Avill turn the very
trade union itself into a capitalistic company,
will make every miner a mine owner, ; and 1
thi'ow every boss out of a job. He Avill use
the money made from his mine to support the1
strike fund and prolong the strike which keeps
the capitalists' mines idle-whilst the union can
work its own mines at a handsome, profit on
account of the strike rates ruling for coal.
Here, indeed, is a Napoleon of Trade Union
ism. Hi's projects compel admiration on ac
count of their very audacity. But it is certain
that in the long run his ambitious project- will ■,
break doAvn under its oavii stupendous weight.
He cannot stand long- between the mines and
the people who have been in the habit of using
over four million tons of their coal annually
for the necessary impulse to their industrial •
machinery. I-Ie cannot keep the great New
castle and southern mines locked up whilst
he-is experimenting with a'pet co-operative
scheme of his own. The great coal-consuming
public of Australia will not wait for him. He
Avill not be able to satisfy 9000 miners Avith
doles of strike pay while he ■ is employing
another thousand at fancy wages in his fancy
co-operative mine. - ' ' •
. His only plea for respite long enough to en
able his scheme to fructify must be'based on
. the argument that he is fighting not against a
, common capitalist, but against tlie rapacious
• coal vend, a. creature fattening upon secret
profits and control of shipping interests. But
Lhough the shareholders in the coal vend may
be greedy, - the unemployed miners cannot be .
expected long to remain workless while Mr.
Bowling performs acrobatic feats in economics
for the.amusement of a 1'qav idealists. ■
The public , will have little enough sympathy \
for ; the coal vend, which ■ makes them pay
through the nose for household: fuel, so''that,
share dividends' may .be' increased ;" but it" will
have less^sympathy. for this new union-oum
capitalistic, machine'-which, makes -them .pay
even higher prices for fuel, gives tliem only a
, vulgar, 'fraction, of. the v'„quantity requisite : to
continue i|tlie . eoimtry's'ywork; nnd 1 utilises the /
■ uncpnsciably.-.high profits To /support in utter
idleness1 an;, army ;;of-uniners/ aiid' to keep elosedi
The most! valuable* coali<pits>. in the continent. -
wMrj. Bowling" has' 'been' clever' In working -up
i'rhis situatidn:;r>jheswlll-.-fail -invthe execution, of
his project because it will outrun his powers
of controllng it. A couibination oi' as'fute capi
talists withunlimited '»-means behind Them
^ Avould. flnd-:.vit 'prhctidall^'liimpossible To estab
lish au-joornei;!'/ in coal * for a, whole continent
-.v^fci1/, anyvileng^theiied peidod, .■.and - M.r. Bowling
and the, men .behind him have neither the ex-:
perlence* or The capital .to enable them to carry
•*'*.j(ll}is^pi;qjeofcvito;:'»a,',-fitttooessful Issue.
$