"SPECIALS " ABUSED.

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14833, 26 November 1913, Page 10

"SPECIALS " ABUSED.

BY WOMEN AND CHILDREN.

A GOOD DEAL OF BAD LANGUAGE

Throughout the day the attitude of the strikers towards the "specials" was one,of sullen curiosity, not- unmixed with respect. Though expected, the Arrival , of the "specials" had proved a great shock to. them. They -watched the "specials" patrolling, muttering words among themselves, but ever they kept a respectful attitude,-especially towards the mounted men, who patrolled the principal streets of the town throughout the day; The strikers lined the streets all day, and they hung round" the waterfront, from which they were excluded, watching the steady work proceeding on the wharves. ABUSIVE WOMEN. If the men kept" quiet, they had no hesitation in passively encouraging women and children to ■ abuse the "specials." Near Salt's Gully, above the tunnel mouth, some of the women excelled themselves in the language they used. One woman went so far as to urge the strikers to seize the •specials horses, ride into the country, and molest the '"specials' "women.folic.' girls, not out of their teens would rush to doors and hurl taunts raised with obscene language at the "specials" and boys and <;ins howled themselves hoarse. A number of small boys threw stones at the 'specials, 1, doing their best to aggravate them,, but the men who had come to keep law and order kept control of themselves, and made no attempt at retaliation. . The throwing of stones and the banging of - kerosene tins, however, frightened some of the liorses, which began to play up. When SeniorSergeant Ryan heard of the trouble that was going on, he immediately despatched a. couple of detectives and uniformed constables to the scene of the affair and hardly had they been seen. approaching, . than the strikers, the women, -and , the children, "made themselves scarce.'/ ■ '.. ■ " Ever since the beginning of £lie strike, a large crowd of strikers and others have been in the habit of gathering every day in the vicinity of the Post Office. These men were, however, constantly moved on "yesterday bj- the police, withvthe result that very quickly the footpaths were thronged in preference to the road. After eight o'clock last night, when the "specials" were withdrawn from

the streets, the crowd gathered again, and watched with sullen interest the departure of the Maunganui. The strikers appear .to resent very keenly being kept away from tho wharves. After being for some weeks masters of the situation, it is a severe blow to their pride having now to play second fiddle m this respect to the "specials." - . Last night the wharves were well patrolled by the "specials," and no trouble of any serious kind was reported.