MEETING AT LYTTELTON.

Press, Issue 14828, 20 November 1913, Page 7

MEETING AT LYTTELTON.

ADDRESSES BY STRIKE LEADERS,

A public open-air meeting was held in Lytteiton last night, when addresses were given by Messrs L. Wilson and J. Thorn, members of tho Christchurclv Striko Committee. Mr J. Osborne presided over an attendance of about 100, most of whom wero strikers.

Mr Wilson, after paving a tribute to tho lato Mr G. Laurenson, M.P., and giving what he considered would have been Mr Laurenson's parting address to tho workers, maclc what many of _ tho onlookers considered a very surprising remark, by stating that ho hoped shortly to assist in putting in a Labour candidate for Lytteiton. Tho greater portion of his address was devoted to expounding the principles of revolutionary Socialism, but amongst other things, he said that the striko had divided the Labour camp*. It had shown who were Labour's true leaders, and had exposed in their true light those few who had in the past posed as such. He criticised recent remarks of th© Hon. J. Barr, and stated that if tho Federation of Labour had diverted the £4000 Waihi strike funds into tho "Maoriland Worker," it could not have done a wiser thing. He had but recently been down in Tiniaru,.. and thought that a little persuasion would get tho Timaru watersidere out.

Mr Thorn said that the action of the strikers in removing the railway trucks on Tuesday would not bo the cause of bringing the "specials" into Lytteltoh. Days before the trouble, arrangements had been made to bring the "specials" in. Rations had been ordered, batons manufactured, and special constables' badges prepared. It amused him to read that "Tho Press" was unfeignedly sorry to hear of tho strikers' action in removing tho trucks, involving, as it did, tho introduction of "special" constables into Lytteiton. Referring to the batons, he was prepared to show somo of those manufactured to the editors of the papers, "and ho would warn thorn that if they were not moro reasonable in thoir attitude towards the strikers the batons might, be used on them. For the last two days be had been attending the sittings of the Arbitration Court, and what had strongly disgusted him was to see members of tho Employers' Association trying to obtain exemption from the very law that they were striving to inflict on the masses.