IN CHRISTCHURCH.

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

IN CHRISTCHURCH.

STREET SCENES..

AT A CITY RESTAURANT. - Between 10.30 and 11 a.m. yesterday the portion of Gloucester street, near the Theatre Royal, was closely packed with people—principally men out of occasion for the gathering being the fact that a number, of special constables were being conveyed to a restaurant-in the vicinity to get a- meal. A large number of '.'specials" were gathered at the King Edward Barracks since 3 a.m., having attended .at ttfat hour so that a selection could be made from their number of men to go to

Lyttelton. The remainder, those not selected to go to Lyttelton, naturally began to feel hungry, and were conveyed in batches by motors-ear to the restaurant in Gloucester street. A large crowd soon congregated, and about eleven o'clock it was estimated that tier© were about five hundred people on the roadway. A number of umiormed police kept order. Thero was no trouble, though at times some of the crowd gave evidences of a desire to interfere. Threats to boycott the resttiurantkeeper were uttered, but no activo attempt was made to interfere with business, and shortly after eleven o'clock the crowd melted away. Outside tho Socialist Hall, where the Drivers' Union is holding its meetings, there was a fairly large crowd about eleven o'clock. News of the happenings along Gloucester street had reached some of the strike leaders, who addressed the gathering in front of the hall, and' urged them to treat the special constables "with silent contempt." "KEEP RELIGIOUSLY AWAY." Mounting a chair at the entrance to the hall, Sir Hiram Hunter (secretary of the Drivers' Union) said:—"On behalf of tho organisations taking part in this fight for the rights of the workingman and this country, I want to urge you whenever any demonstration is being made by the authorities with special constables to keep religiously away from them. Do not play into their hands by exercising violence or anything of that sort." He instanced what took place in Auckland when a procession was forming outside the Trades Hall and some "specials" came along. "The word went round," he said, "for the men* to face the wall and they did so, and treated the special constables with silent contempt." Ho urged those present, when they saw "specials" coming along to "get out of their way," and give them "no reason to use their batons." "I understand," he continued, "that a demonstration is going to bo made, and I wish you to keep out of the wayl" . A LEADER'S ADVICE. Mr E. J. Howard (the secretary of the General Labourers' , Union) next mounted the-chair. "I believe," he said, "that a deliberate 'try on , will be tried on to-day to try to create some trouble. We can win this strike,: »but we can only win it by folding our arms. They won't hit a man whose, arms are folded." A Voice: Oh, won't they. Another voice: That won't . got Semple out. Mr Howard said that Mr Semple did, not ask anything from them, and if he were present he would advise them as' he was advising them. "Fold your arms, raid turn xour backs <on them,"' Mr Howard advised, "and you will, do more to win this fight than by any other means. You can't win by force: over that crowd. They have the guns,; the soldiers, and they have these menarmed. We cannot win by violence—; and it is always said that wo urge vio-' lence. If any trouble arises, it rests with the other side. If we can. only! keep our heads for another • week, we; have got this thinir won. I, saw,._ or ( imagined I saw,, the object of bringing these men to this place (Mr Howard hero referred to the well-known restaurant). I,urge you with all my strength ; • —haying gone through the . Waihi affair, and having had ; experience. in, the Labour,movement —I urge you to hold fast.to your common^ense.,and . fold your arjns when those fellows pass. (Cries of "Wβ will try \i,") "We have, .uniformed men who can keep the -city in • order—("Hear,- hea,r". arid applause)— let us stand-by these uniformed; men.' They have chosen it as. their trade—! let us stand by them. But .these 'specials' are here with the deliberate, intention to > get at your heads and my head, and see to it 'that we preserve order." • .' . . ' ; ; • •:,.. 'Cheers were then given for the uniformed men /-several -of whom were on duty in'the vicinity.': : : " '■'•'; '/ ;■ ''Later, "Professor? , Mills * made his appearance; and was cheered as lie -left! byi motor-car on an electioneering* visit* to tho Bays. , WORKS CLOSED. x The boiler and-blacksmiths' ehope-at the Atlas Foundry wore closed down last night, and only the range-making shop-vill be kept open./ \ Messrs Skelton,. Frostick arid C 0.,. ' Ltd., have announced that; owing to the disorganisation arising out T of thff strike, they will be unable to run their' factory "for a few days. The firm will announce in the newspapers whemrork will be resumed. In the meantime the apprentices will be as usual. ■ ACTION BY HpTELKEEPERS, In view of the present unsettled' state of things, an arrangement has been arrived at by the city hotelkeepers to close their "bottle departments. Those hotels which do not run a bottle department have agreed not to sell any liquor' in bottles.. . STRIKE COMMITTEE'S ACTIVITIES. . Collections made at meetings held by Mr J. Thorn at Timaru on Saturday and. Sunday realised. £8 10s, and this amount has been received by the Strike Committee ".'- AT CAMP.. The reserves left behind in the Addington Show Grounds camp were occupied yesterday in games and drill.. It is estimated that a third of .the force is" held in reserve at Addington, apart from the section which, returned from Lyttelton yesterday afternoon. In the evening matters at camp were "reported to be. quiet. There was no inrormation available as to whether or not the force at Lyttelton would be augmented to-da?. . '■.. ■ RICCARTON BOROUGH COUNCIL'S . RESOLUTION. At the meeting of the Riccarton Borough Council last evening; considerable discussion took place on the following resolution, moved by Cγ. White: —"That this Council deplores tho attitude adopted by the Government in the present industrial crisis, , and urges that immediate legislation be brought down to effect an .equitable • and just settlement." Several councillors spoke wholly or partly in favour of the motion, but others objected to the wording of tho motion, especially the reference to. the Government's attitude. The majority expressed the opinion that the Government had stood in the background and looked on without making any serious effort to ond the crisis, but this view did not meet with the ap- ; proval of others. Some of the special constables came in for round condemnation from a section of the Council, one councillor, remarking that he had been, jeered at and insulted by a body of some fifty or sixty "specials" when be was returning from work. After much acrimonious discussion the motion was finally carried by 5 votes to 4, the division heme: — For —Crs. White, Dempster. Wat Hell, Stokes, nnd Foster. Against—The Mnyor, and Crs. Helliwell, Ford, and George.