MASS MEETING.

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14831, 24 November 1913, Page 8

MASS MEETING.

GOVERNMENT ASKED TO LEGISLATE.

AN ORGANISERS WILD STATEMENTS. A mass meeting to discuss proposals for the settlement of the strike was held in Vieioria square on Saturday night, and was attended by two or three thousand people. The Mayor of Christchurch (Mr H. Holland) pre:.ided, ana the proceedings throughoi t were of an orderly character. THE MAYOR'S REMARKS. The Mayor said that they were gathered as a meeting of citizens to consider one of the greatest crises that had ever \'isited the Dominion, and to try, by sane logic and common-sense, to see is there was not some way of ending the present unfortunate state of affairs. The motion to be submitted was one, he felt sure, that would commend itself U> the judgrrent of those present as a means of enuing the present industrial dispute. "V arious propositions had been made by different representative men throughout the Dominion, but unfortunately they had not been taken up with much enthusiasm. It had been proposed that Sir Joshua Williams should act as arbiter, and he himself had forwarded a proposal to the Government, and had given a copy of it to each of the newspapers. That proposal, if it was agreed to, would have made it possible for a settlement honourable to both sides, and one that should have been acceptable to both sides. His suggestion was that the present Arbitration Bill before the House should bo withdrawn—(Hear, hear.) —that the Arbitration Act should bo repealed—(Hear, hear.) —and that, in place of both of these proposals, legislation should be given something on the lines of the Canadian system, by which both sides would get a portion of what they asked for. and" that no strike or lock-out would be possible until thirty days' notice had been given. (Dissent.) His Worship concluded by appealing to those present to do or say nothing, that would bring discredit on the Labour organisations. He caiJed on Cr. Hunter to move the motion' standing in his (Cγ. Hunter's) name. A MOTION SUBMITTED. Councillor H. Hunter, in the course of a somewhat lengthy speech, said he was sure the workingmen realised their responsibilities, and knew that there was nothing to be gained by violent methods. They could heartily wish that the other side realised to the same extent that position, as it was realised by the workingmen. (Hear, hear.) The meeting was the outcome of a resolution arrived at in the Christchurch City Council and unanimously endorsed by all councillors. The workers were not going to be dictated to by any privileged class ,, of the community. (Applause.) Hβ moved:— "Resolved by this mass meeting of citizens of Christchurch, the Mayor presiding, that the Governnierst be requested to introuiire legislation to end the present crisis, and that in such a manner af shail immediately return all workers to their regular employment, and shall protect all unions in all industries from the creation of any new union in any industry in which there is a union already organised, either' under the Trade Unions Act the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act." In supporting ' the motion, the speaker emphasised the right of the workers to organise as they thought fit. Councillor J. McCombs seconded the motion, the essence of which, he said, was the "smashing of bogus unions." He reviewed the legislation affecting trades unions, and gave an account of the present strike -from the Federation's standpoint. The advertisement calling the meeting made no mention of a collection, but a largo number of men at this stage went through the crowd with collection boxes to gather money to further the strike. AN ORGANISER SPEAKS. "Professor" W. T. Mills, organiser of the Social Democratic Party, was the next speaker, and he was received s with continued applause on opening a long . and violent speech. ' In his opening remarks he referred to the combination of the "Squatters'. . and Farmers' Union, the Employers' Federation, and the Wholesale Merchants' Associations" of New Zealand as a national federation, of "the exploiters of New Zealand engaged in the work of exploitation on a large scale." The small shopkeeper was being "robbed" by the Merchants' Association, and the Employers' Association, and the reason the siehll shopkeepers "robbed" the public was to settle with the "robber" who was "robbing" them. The speaker then gave an exposition of the rights possessed by Britishers under the British Constitution, and alleged that the Employers' Federation in demanding that trades' unionists should register under a certain law were attempting to amend the Constitution. He I wanted to see the industries and comI merce of the Dominion go on unhindered, but that could not be "done by "the illegal, disorderly effort .of a group of freebooters temporarily in control of a free State." (Applause.) As to the" employers' statement . that they were not opposed to organised labour, the speaker said that he had attended a conference of selected representatives of the employers, and he had asked them if they were opposed to the United Federation of Labour, if they would say what kind of federation they favoured', and he had been told that they were opposed to any federation. _ "Ar.d vet these liars in tiie syii<g coiuians or this lying Press, owned by the liars that lie in it— (continued tell you that they are opposed to a particular federa.tion that they don't like." He-con-tended that the policy 6f the Federation of Labour right through had been to settle a id end strikes, but the presentstrike was thrust upon the workers "by a conspiracy of those who are traitors to the British Constitution and thieves in the British world." (Applause.) He might be asked: Is it not trute that the Federation of Labour declared in its constitution iir July that it stood for the policy: "Strike first, strike last, strike all the time?" No, he said, that statement was made by a "hired liar who had been in the Congress for the express purpose of misrepresenting the work there done." The Federation, he added, had never declared against arbitration; the majority of the unions affiliated to the Federation of Labour were registered under the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act. "Go," he said, "and tell the liars that run the Employers' Federation tb#t this is the truth." Mr Mills, who spoke for about an hour, doalt with the causes of the strike and various aspects of it, 'punctuating his remarks plentifully with rcicrences to "thieves," "robbers," "scoundrels," *'h"ars," and "traitors." There was, however, little of a constructive character in his speech, and his remarks, in the main, had little connexion with the terms of the motion. Renewed cheers marked the conclusion of his speech. The Mayor said he had been asked one question, and that was if he had received any reply from Mr Massey to the letter he (Mr Holland) sent him on the subject of settling the strike., He (Mr. Holland), had received a reply, but it was marked "Private and confidential." (Cries of "Oh."). On a show of hands the motion was declared carried, no hand being held up against it. On the motion of Cr. Hunter, second-

Ed by Cr. McCombs, a vote of thanks was accorded the Mayor, and hearty cheers were given for him. On the motion of Cr. Hunter, seconded by Mr B. M. Speirs, it was reGolved:—

"That this meeting of Christchurch citizens enters an emphatic protest against the imprisonment of the labour leaders under an Act that has been disregarded for one hundred years." The gathering then dispersed."