THE SYNDICALISTS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1456, 3 June 1912, Page 7

THE SYNDICALISTS.

SOCIALIST ORATORY. TIIB FEDERATION MEETING. A public meoling- was lipid in the Optra House last evening, under the auspices of the New Zealand Federation of Labour. A conference of this body has bei'n sitting in Wellington, and all tho delegates present at it wore on Iho platform to .support their president, Jlr. I'. Webb, who took tho chair The speeches' were delivered by Messrs. 11. Hunter, R. Semple, I'. H. Uickev. F. J. Howard, R. 1). Ross, and J. li. tins. All the talk was of the Socialism of the syndicalist brand. They talked cf "class war," tho implacable hatred the toilers ought to feel towards tho capitalist, and their simple method of organisation to abolish the capitalist and his wage system. Everybody outside the Federation of Labour sphere influence, oven the United Labour party and their "useful people," mid especially the "capitalistic press." wero held up to contumely and roundly abused. Tho strike at Vi'aihi was only mentioned once, mid the reference was a mere passing one. There wero about 700 people present. Jlr. 11. Hunter supplied tho only news at the meeting. He is an executive officer of the Drivers' Federation, rcpresenfat.ivv!s from which body liavo lately held a conference with tho employers of drivers throughout Now Zealand. Jlr. Hunter detailed the grievances cf the. drivers, tho principal one of which was that they are required to work a 47J hours week,, exclusive of stable duty, which might amount to anything from 10 to 25 hours per week. The drivers asked for a 52 hours week, inclusive of stable work, and wages at Is. per hour. The Court had refused to consider anything of the sort at Christchurch, because an award had been made in Wellington on different linos, and Jlr. Justice Sim had held that the Wellington award must bo made the basis of all future discussion on drivers' conditions. They were going to give the Court one n.ore trial, at Auckland, and if they met with another rebuff, there would be "the greatest industrial upheaval in New Zealand that had ever been known." They had asked the support of the Federation of Labour, and had been assured that it would bo freely given. A motion to the effect that the meeting protest against "the injustice inflicted on the drivers by the Arbitration Court,' and that if they failed to get redress from, the Court the drivers were warranted in taking such further action as might bo necessary, was declared carried by a show of hands. So far as could be seen almost everybody in the building voted for the ivotiori. The fact that three press reporters present did not hold up their hands was made the subject of comment by a section of the audience.