Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-08-26
HORROR Of STRIKE
IN SOUTH AFRICA
Recent industrial War Re-
garded as Disastrous to
Business Enterprises.
GOVERNMENT is BLAMED
FOR FAILING TO CHECK IT
Mine Managers Act Primary Cause,
But Miners Also Exceed
Their Rights.
Foreign Correspondence of The star.


CAPE TOWN, August 10. 1918.
throughout the union of South Africa
nothing is thought and talked of except
the great strike on the Rand, now, it IS
to be hoped, thing of the past. Its
causes and the lessons it taught are
briefly summarized as follows:
The manager Of the New Kleinfontein
mine was in the first instance the I'M
happy cause of the whole disaster. He
issued a notice which undoubtedly
affected the hours and conditions OF
work. Under the Transvall industrial
disputes prevention act of 1909 he should
have given notice Of month of the
proposed change. Instead of that. the
new conditions were to come into force
almost at once. His was the initial
blunder. However, he promptly set
about repairing that blunder to the best
Of his ability, as soon as the men quit
work, by the withdrawal of the notice
and the giving of the men five days
within which to come back.
The miners at first refused to avail
themselves of the opportunity on the
ground, it is said, that they had no
they objected would not be reimposed at
q later date, after the statutory period
had elapsed. When later they wished
to come back other men had already
been signed on in the place of some
OF them, and because the!~ request that
these new hands should be dismissed
to make room for all of them was. some
what naturally, refused, they continued
on strike and set about pulling out
the men all along the Reef.
Applies to Mining Industry.
statute book with almost complete una
nimity by the Transvall parliament in
1863, and applies especially to the mining
industry 1t is modelled directly on the
act which has worked SO we'll in Canada.
But the reason it has worked well there
Is that it has been stringently enforced.
The government should at the very out
set have prosecuted, under that act, the
mine manager for his illegal notice, but
1t stood by and did nothing. Had prose-
cution Immediately followed the issuance
of the notice there would have been no
strike. Then came the still more utterly
illegal action of the men.
Section 6 Of the act makes 1t unlawful
for: "(a) An employer to declare lock-
out, or cause a lockout to be declared, or
to aid in any manner the declaration or
effecting of lockout; or (b) an employe
to go on strike or cause a strike; or tc)
any other manner aid an employer in eff
fecting declaring, or continuing lock-
out; or Cd any person to incite. encour-
age or in any other manner aid employees
in going or continuing on strike on &C
count of any industrial dispute"
Government Inaction Responsible.
The danger to the union as a whole of a
government such as the one which now
holds office could not have been more ter
ribly exemplified. Eventually the govern
ment officials took firm stand, but this
cannot be allowed to outweigh their early
supineness. Had adequate measures been
taken at tine commencement of the trou-
BILE the loss of many lives, much suffering
and tremendous destruction of property
would have been avoided.
The manager of the New Kleinfontein