THE RIOTING AT WAIHI.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1596, 13 November 1912, Page 6

THE RIOTING AT WAIHI.

PacißAßLY.no one ■ will be more alarmed at the outbreak of violence at ! Waihi and the firearms than the, mischievous strif&-mongers who have,been inciting the strikers .and endeavouring to create a reigil of terror at the mining township where the trouble has occurred. The wild and inflammatory language of; some of the leaders of the, I/abatumovement may be treated with ridi-oulo-and contempt by. thinking ple, but it no doubt has influenced the_ misguided men .who have placedtheir confidence in these blatant demagogues to their own cost.. The happenings at V/ailii on Monday and Tuesday last are the outcome of the reckless endeayours.-of certain of the leaders.of the Labour inovement to maintain fceling_ .attrong ,the 'strikers'at fever heat in order to. serve their own purposes and.save their ownJaceß. 'They : krio>yn , for, weeks pa3t that they were beaten iii tliis struggle, but they havo persisted., : in continuing the fight, with callous r.ihdiffo'rcnce to theSvblfaire of the men • they lead, and to the public interest. These bravo talkers will iii all probability escape scot free from any trouble so far as the law is concerned—they no donbfc. haw taken good care of that—but their dupes who are now in gaol, and the men and wonion who have suffered, and. are .still snfferiilg,' for. the blind folly of placing their trust in such evil connsellorsv have paid, arid .in many cases will' continue to pay; a. heavy cost, So fai* as the actual shooting is concerned, the reports to hand at the "time of writing are somewhat confusing, and in any case we have rio desire, to comment on what must come < before the criminal'courts for investigation. It is only right, however, that we should take this opportunity to again com-mend-thfc police f cor the admirable manner in which they have dealt with a_ very difficult situation. Thfc attitude taken tip by the Minister for Justice, the, Hon. A. L. HEfißman, on behalf of the Government, in connection with the trouble at Waihi will also, wo are sure, meet with the .unanimous approval of everyone possessed of any real sense of responsibility. The, Minister has shown a firmness and-'determination to uphold the law which has disclosed itself through the police on the. spot, and has plainly acted as a deterrent on the strikers, who, but for . this, would have got out; of-hand _iong ago. Yesterday's shooting episode shows the franie of mind both sides to the strike trouble had been worked up to, and the difficult; nature of the task the police have had to contend 'with. It also, indicates_the wisdom of the Government's action in sending a strong force of police to'Waihi. But for their presence it would have fared ill with many of the strikers, and the men Who have organised and incited the strikers would probably have had to carry the responsibility for a tragedy, beside t which yesterday's happenings, serious as they were, would have snnk into Comparative insigniflcan.ee. .