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THE BRISBANE STRIKE
The general strike-at Brisbane is
a frankly deplorable affair, . for
which both'sides are to blame.'It is
too late in the day for arbitrary
tramway managers to refuse recog-
nition of unions. The employer who
refuses .to recognise a union in Aus-
tralia is inviting trouble, and sooner
or later he gets it. Moreover, the
members of the Perth Tramway
Union wear badges, and nobody's
feelings are outraged, nor does any
officiai who doesn't sport'them ever
get Smocked on the head or slagged
on the Jaw. . Badger's tramway ex-
perience has been gained in the
States, where the non-unionist con-
ductor sometimes goes in peril of
his lite, and this foolish imported
functionary' nw ken the mistake of
Imagining that what has happened
in lawless Chicago and 'quake-fren-
zied 'Frisco is likely to be repeated,
if the union ls recognised and
badges ara permitted, on the free
soil of law-abiding Australia. But
when all is said and done, there
wasn't the slightest justification for.
a general strike. Because Badger
won't let bis men wear badges \s no
reason why compositors should be
called out and railway men leave
their posts. The non-recognition of
a single union doesn't entitle 43
other unions to go "into confer-
ence." The provocation strikes one
as being too flimsy altogether. Pos-
sibly the fact that a general election
is impending in Queensland-. had
^something to do with $b« attfke^
$