GOING TO GAOL.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1547, 17 September 1912, Page 5

GOING TO GAOL.

SELF-IMPOSED MARTYRDOM

WAIHI CASES. THE SCENE AT THE RAILWAY STATION. " WHAT IS THE GOOD OF IT ALL?" (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) Waihi, September 16. A mass meeting, "open to the public," was held last night iu (he Miners' 11,-dl. Addresses were delivered by Mr. Parry (president), Mr. M'Lennan (vice-presi-dent), and others. Mr. Parry contended that they had not received justice from the Court in that tho statements of policemen had been taken in preference to that of many honest miners. 110 and tho vice-president intended going to gaol. Thero wero plenty of others to take their places. Tlio Federation had the trump card up its sleeve, which it would play in duo season. The meeting was also addressed by a woman, who upheld the principle of' going to gaol, calling the men liorocs. O'Neill, one of the men found guilty of common assault, produced sureties in Court this morning. J". Docl and Paluck Schollard declined on principle to find sureties. Tho magistrate pleaded with the men to reconsider their decision, adding that tho Court had no desire that the men should go to gaol, and to obviate this had made the sureties merely nominal. He had done all ho could in the matter if the men still persisted with following up free labourers. Tho hearing of charges of following up and annoying free labourers against W. E. Parry (president of the union), W. M'Lennon (vice-president), J. Melhose, and Chas. Opie were, continued to-day, the time of the Court being occupied by nn exhaustive cross-examination of the police, and evidence by defendants. At different stages (he latter intimated to the Bench that they had abundant evidence which they would call later, with a view to showing that the police statements were absolutely incorrect. Charles Opie was the first defendant today. He contended that whatever part ho took in tho following-up, no ofl'eilee was committed. The case was adjourned to allow defendant to get a map of the locality where the offence is alleged' to have been committed. M'Lennan's case was.next taken. He also urged that no offence had been committed. The case is proceeding. It is understood that the authorities are considering the advisability of instituting prosecutions for perjury in connection with some of the evidence given during the hearing of the strike cases. PROCESSION TO THE STATION. WHAT THE WOMEN THINK ,0F IT. "WE'LL GET NO BENEFIT FROM THIS." (Bt Toleeruph.—Special Correspondent.! . Auckland* September 10. " Describing tho scene when (he strikers at Waihi decided to go to their self-im-posed martyrdom, the "Herald's" special reporter says:

An expectant crowd of about 100 sinkers ami other* assembled outside the courthouse to ascertain what would he tlio result of the decision of the Miner-'" l-nioii that the strikers hound over lo keep tho peace should go to gaol insteul of finding, sureties to keep (he peace. \\ hen the word had gone forth that eleven out of the fourteen strikers had decided to go to prison rather than find sureties to keep the peace, a feeble cheer from the strikers was the only indication- that anything out of- Iho ordinary had taken place. Two by two t.ho wives of the prisoners were allowed to take leave of their husbands, and as they entered the court buildings the crowd cheered them. It was at onco apparent that the wives had not fully realised that anything untoward had happened, for they entered the court with smiling faces and defiant air. Tho strikers wero placed in the Wailii "lock-up" until their I departure for Auckland by tho C p.m. train. 'Die men let.t tlio police station, each man being escorted by a constable,' and two bv two constable and striker walked at a brisk pace to tlio railway station. Mounted constables to the number of about a dozen wero also in attendance, and about one hundred strikers and their friends, among them being a fair proportion of women, brought up tho rear of Hie procession. The utmost good humour prevailed.

Th-3 strikers appeared lo ho in jocular mood, and the escorted men were smiling and cracking jokes with the constables during the march. At the station about 50 people had assembled, and as the procession reached the platform a majority of thoso present gave vent to a cheer. Some ten minutes elapsed before tho train departed, and those assembled filled ill the. time by cheering the prisoners and Mr. Parry, 'with an occasional groan for (he. policemen. Tired of this form of diversion, they broke into the strains of "Keep the Red Flag Flying" and! "A Life for a Life," and as the train departed cheers were once iiinro given for tho men in custody. While tho momentary excitement lasted, tho strikers appeared to look upon Iho whole nltnir as something in the way of a diversion that relieved the monotony a little, hut when the train had gone the' futility and the foolishness of trying to imagine that their comrades wore heroes sorted out for distinction appeared to force itself home to quite a number in the crowd, and they became very subdued.and silent, and soon went back to their respective homes.

Tlio women . are the greatest sufferers by the strike,' tuid some of tliein, buoyed by eiimliimnl excitement, consented to their husbands posing as martyrs. Two of these women regretted (heir action as soon as t-lio train had left the .station. They looked at ono another and then burst into tears, and as their friends tried h> comfort them ono of the women remarked audibly tlmt the strike was no good to them. "\\ T hnt is tho good of it all f" slip, said. "AA'o'll get no benefit from this. Why did I allow my husband to gof" Tho utter futility of tho whole thing had evidently dawned on her like a flash. Of course tho men can gain their freedom at any moment. All they have to do is to sign a bond, and get a surely to sign also, that they will not commit a breach of tho pcaeo for iwolvo months, ami they will bo allowed to go free.

In tho eveniupr the subdued feeliiiß that was apparent nfter Iho departure of _ the train was even moro pronounced. Iwrs of the men conversed in Croups, and it wns gathered from tho conversation that tho solo topic was whether tho attitndo of The union, in urgim; the men to go to prison rather than find sureties lo keep the peaoe, was in tho interests of the miners. The wisdom of such a proceeding wis freely questioned, and not a few of the men have come to the conclusion thai' their leaders had carried the men further than common-sense warranted.

The utterance of the president of the union at the mass nicotine: of the union on Friday night, when it was decided to urge the men'lo go to cnol. does not meet with (ho approval of a number of the men. Ills statement at the meeting that tho I/ord had sent rain.to Waihi to niak* the mine collapse is met with derision from some of Ihe members.

This altitude of the moderate section nf the strikers clearly goes to show that it is only necessary for the companies to commence operations at I ho mines, ami in a short time many men in the union ansious to work wmilil mnlce application for employment. Many of the strikers, although still showim more or less loyalty to tho Rovcrnin? body of the union, are iiAvrrthol'JS ciu'tainlv to a targ* extent disaffected, and would undoubtedly vol-

como any course which would permit or thoir returning to wcr.'t under conditions whereby the hated word "scab" could not be hurled at them by tho extremists, who have created a position from which the sensible men find it <lillicult to'retreat,

IN GAOL. .VISITED BY FIiIEXDS. (By TclcEraub.-FroM Association.) Auckland, September 18, About a dozen ex-Waihi miners visited Mount Eden Gaol this morning and asked for admittance to see (heir comrades. Only lour of them wore allowed inside tho pri'on walls. Tin. strikers wore then iu the- exercise yard, and tho visitors had (o be content with conversing villi them through iron bare. The prisoners, who were clad in prison garb, appeared to bo nuito cheerful, and it is slated that their (lonieanour seemed to indicate that they intended- to "take out" their full term of imprisonment rather than find their sureties. Any man, of course, may regain his freedom immediately he finds a surely of £10. Tho alternative is twelve months in Mount Eden Gaol. Inquiries at tho institution to-day elicited the information that nono of the sureties had been forthcoming. SHAKING THE COUNTRY. SOMETHING OF A SURPRISE. t,„ ~ Auckland, iSepteinl>er IG. When Mr. Parry's statement at YVaih! that the country would be shaken from end to end on account of (ho imprisonment of the strikers was made known this morning to tho officials of tho various unions in Auckland associated with (ho l'oderaliou of Labour, it was found that it camo as something of a . surprise to them, and in tho enso of tho tramwaymen, tho general labourers, and 'waterside workers, it was ascertained that no communication had been received from Mr. Parry. At tho same time, however, it was not suggested that the president of tho Waihi Miners' Union did not know what lie was talking about.

"SPLENDID MILITANT SPIRIT." . RESOLUTIONS OP PROTEST. ..' Auckland, September 10. At a special meeting of the Waikuto Miners Union at lfuntly vesterdav, at which 300 members were present, it was unanimously resolved to forward the following resolution (o the Prime Ministers —/Hint we, the members of the Wnikato -Miners Union, in special general mooting deprecate the unjustifiable action of tho Government in' sending bodies of polico to Waihi and Waikiuo, with, we believe, the avowed intention of coercing and harassing the hitherto admittedly peacefill strikers, wilh the result that eleven of our fellow-workers, who have, iu our opinion, rightly refused lo find bonds to keen the peace, have lie?n incarcerated in gaol. A's members of a producing class who have been promised a square deal, wo call on you to revoke the unjust senfence passed, and to liberate our fellows. Wn request an investigation of the police tactics at Waihi." Tt was further unanimously resolved: "That we. the members of the Wnikato Minors' Union, wholeheartedly congratulate and appreciate, Uio splendid militant spirit of our fellowworkers at: Waihi, who, rather than submil, to the .machinalion. of Capitalistic, hirelings, in denying them the recognised practices, of striking, workers nrefer to be thru=t into prison cells." It. was also unanimously resolved: "That, we, being in svmnalhy with our fellow-workers at Waihi, pledge our adherence lo anv decision re concerted action, tlmt Hip Federation of Labour executive may decide."

Westport, Rent-ember IG. Tho Westport General Labourers' and the Walwsiders' Unions have telegraphed to tho Premier,, protesting neainst' tho eaoling of Waihi strikers-on the first offence, and also the Government oncourasinir the introduction of free labour to Waihi.