WILD SCENES AT WAIHI.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1596, 13 November 1912, Page 8

WILD SCENES AT WAIHI.

!S-I#iWRATWIST DEBACLE. ■' ;"S ARBIIMT]'OISTS : ..-ON 'WARPATH.'

;■ • .- /•(By.lfelegiiph'.—Special Correspondent.) ' • :V .<; Auckland, November. 12. ;; ; v ' sVThex"Star's" correspondent at Waihi .'.,-. i y telegraphed, -f his. r mb'nnrig"'.as' follows:— • .-,j i .;' l -The»most>tragi6 events since the com-. •: jhencement-of the strike were .. enacted .'.'-'this morning.;. At the.moment' of 'tele-, .'''."'\ : 'BrapMnfe"W : a:'mV)^the' : 'arbitrßtionists.ard' .'...' in complete charge of.the~town, and.are ..-, Engaged in locatingtho',sJTikeirs, win* have , -':liiddeij. ; away.. '.The:'arbitrationists liavp; ■.''■'' 'captured the 'Miners' Union Hall,"dfiving ; v " out the. strikers,' refuge "there to headlong flight'.'^Co'iistobloWdde, .. y pf Wellington, was shot in the stomach, •'•.: ''.• and. a-vworker; was shot-in .the legs.;; The S ':.A J police are-busily engaged-in'.rescuing strik- '•'<'.. ers, l 'whq' i 'liave. I 'takeii l ''refuge''.in : various' i\} ..houses, .rusliih'g.'in'-'and imploringthe in.,"J-- (mates to faye'.tMmi. ■'< j.-/. : ,',1 -.•'..';■,''■ ■;' ,%? v.StartVof 'thVTroublV.r.'. }'>.-•■..■•;'' ~^'\.!V; T £b 'fipub ; VeJ, r starteS;.'..aWut ! a.m I .','' ; ;'■ ■; ; Avhj6ij/i the,-jwbrker>, ; ;: disembarking from yV/'Varib'ns-'brakes'in Bbsemont ,'Eoad,' form- ; :'•'■'. ied enter.ed:the town, -;\- J ■ occupying both sides of the stteet en route ".;'. .to -the mine.;, In the; meantime. a knot - of : ./strikers, and a few women; .had assembled - - \ bntside;tho r ;Miners^"yUmon;i.'Hall."- : ';Not-. ■•' ■withstanding.the.grim lesson'of yesterday ■. : warning' Ay.the Commis- ... jKoneKo.f "j'Pbljce, they fjeer'ed' at the y\. jjngiwbrkbrs;'p^p;,picket l : thenw.. a : ./. : Jsi6nsy.'"lpt.:*.'S!;'.;:'.':.'.r.: ''',«■■ :-•'■- M "•;••'•.'-.-. ..' 1; That"tJrifted!.!toV'mu'ch...for endurance,;, ..'..-'fcnd'a.rnsh' was.immediately, .made'to .the" ■'.'-.■] . office, . '." ■ ~BlamWed; :,;..riaught. of against \ this',; thV'Sdor was 'pulled'a ; little ; '.6pen,; , two shpfe'w^e'iErM'f the '■, slaSiijied^; ; , : ;:.?;J.. !v .'.'.;' w ,;'f'' ■.-. .;;'. Wfita. thfe' smbke^clear.edlaivay,- it.,was ':. thdt;;.at;.young'.fcllbTCVnamed,' John-, fenjhai b¥eii;s(^ckV l bft"the'leg;by'''a. bulr ; y - ■'.• : -' . ■;.'' i; Itiw^only^theriw.ojk:of. a- moment when the door open, 1 i-.. .tarrying, everything 'before them in a mad :"v':)&bi ;: - : ;." ..;■■., : -- : ' ;-. : -y. J '.:•; '.■• ■"- ... |,-.T|e"pblice-'by' : thi9 V! t'iiue wore amongst ;' -.jlhem..,, rr . -~..>."j,i-. ■-;,.■ .;;■;-' - ! ■. ,'•.•■ Two .-nwre'shotswerenred'at'the back: of c ithe,.buildihg,';Gpnstable Wade, of Welling-, ~'. . mth ;a bullet either in fhis.', , gToin,or '. He' was, ihimcdi- ,,'; • ;ately- 'carried' out, and;" .conveyed' to. the ;- ..,./..; ;''.■ ';■■ '.' .... : (■•■ .Meanwhile..pandemonium; reigned su--.'■■.'preme.f\ :The.;.woikers : swarmed -aIL over .;,'.;': jthb^holli'"ahd'-raced/jtjifpugh ' the.'back, •Vchajing the.jfjfieeiiig o strikers.;.>,. Others ■ "-: Npbufed. round the'back in hundreda.vi • ■• ;.:•:*■ *r.-HmW*"-- :■:■■■*■-:' .■-•' '■'■ i V; ■'■■■;, ■'■;-■ /'•;■_',': man'caught,was, a .picketwho, . ;; : ;lt'^*as'Bllbged,;;had !: fired' p, revolver at the inpbbed,; arid . ,inj/tt'.;. stete of.' insensibility '_v'' Jvhen.; rescued .by .tae',police;,aiid' searched.' ..' profdsely';..frohi'.a wound' '. W.t.hVfdce.'and seemed'ibadly -hurt. ."-Ho . ,: hiß.il with' l difficulty., ; ,taken-' away, by : ' the ,'''- Jfolipe. and attended,tp.'.,-'.-.',.,',.' '. '.''!"'.;, ■ ; "r The,Wfl^ker^,by tils.time were swarm-. ■':"; .)ngjall oypr-Hhayadjacent.'sections, and Janother -picket was',.accounted.,for. He, .- ,was';.nlso rr ronghly,',handled,:;and. rescued ''. >ith;;difficulty>;;';y ';•;]',."/' ■:' li'/v.'.'..'. -. |. All, -town .;rusned'..,;band3. '•■- of . -/worfiifsv.'.aiiOTering^tb' -the ;; ory' of ."-Here's one,? ''likerj hounds on-,• the run. . On all v sides it.was said that just-retribution was'. claiming its; own, and-little mercy was ,■-,..; shown.wheii 'any 'well-kridw'h offender was ,'..; run to eaith.. ~..!,,, 'J."' I. One oiTthe latter...was, locrited ,: in : a ■';';. rhouse :on,.the ; :;outskiy.ts,, : with-;a ..revolver ' Jn Jvhis ,:hand.' ~iA.|,-..;,m0b , \qi, .wcrk T E'i, :;;.._ : mad;;_-• with ■-rage,,., .were.; o 'act 'ot: pulling'thb inan,' put-when the. '~) : i ;\,,v ~ I-."i v ''Look Out,; They.'rV.Armed!" • 'TheicryibfJfLbok-out,.;they're armed!" Jcaused the police to act cautiously.. The ■ ifront ; ; door was opened; and Constable ';, -,'Skinner,' with a revolver presented, called ; 7 jiipon'. the striker to come, out ohthe bed- ;.. pebni. where',;he;wa|>in hiding. 'Eyentu-,; fy hei came. ,out,4and :the'angry, workers I aide'made a combined-rush, with the ject of dealingwith'him.v.- The.policed great- difnciijty| iri;.'getting th'e. ; :rcan; ■:'-. .1,/' ; '' ; ' ! '- <•- ' ';', •'."' j. The workers called out: "Your .Wetting- a little.'.of.your,;own;-.back- now ; _ ..:. QTou'vo been piio;o|/the. worst'.".''." /t '.' ;'. ¥ : y ;, ,Vy 'Like a Harc.ol '■■'oi . i! ..,.;, sensational incident...occurred '■_." tehortly after,. A,ypung fejlpw,ihaving the. ■'■. jappearance ofyi/hiirited hare after a pro-: ;.. longed .run, dashed^irito'''a ;v private Tesi-" '. .jdenco and implored a .woman-who was .. jaione fo'save him. .'She, Jocked .the. dooriAlbuti the-;,workers, SaidV Ithey .would 'bufsf the 'door in, 'and'" a ', ..-.'■ [window 1 was broken. Just then a local ' B.P. happenpcl\jß; come, along,-''.'and; the • Woman; tfKhim.to keep..' . khe,.men,bff peace ;; lappealed to they kept; off, [bit waiting ~ all day, if neces'siiryv- minutes later. the police arrived; in ia':motor.-car; entered ,-' ■ tne hoiise, who was in a state-bordering, on ..collapse.. The ;workers:jilleged ,th.at";ho iVas".'.tlie in- . . x dividual who.liSd' thfowh 'a. J plug;of gelig-; nito.out of 'the : 'Unions-Hall' at'-;Waikino- .■■;, : last evening/'SHe'-admitted-'coming fromthat place, but!denied.'having used .gelig- : 'jrnte. ,'. ■ "■ ,' En route to -the station several attempts ';''"•' \weio made ■to?get'..at|tEo!,man, "bijt the. ■• "jiolice kept, the'assailaib'off. .i-l ..'■.'. i:h Avtn'e;Unipn'i;l<all." J V; ' \: , .Meanwhile-other, incidents ! were taking ■ ■ Slaoe in the vicinity of the Union Hall. | Mr. Kudd (president of the new union) taounted thftstep3:;.of.;the.Seddon Memor- '.'" Oial and jvprkers.;, ;He;'said they had'now' taken .'possession of'the itJnion Hall and were going to stick to it. ■. "' He held the keyn'.'.of the ; building in his tand. Legal polsessioKhad--been-, taken y those workers.who-were-finaiicial memmembers of the old union. .;v: ■-:■ • An outburst of cheering greeted this an-nouncement/andsth'e-ceremony, of • running up the Union Jack" to the truck of the flagpole was then'* performed, amidst fur- '. ther applause, Latervon a Ted ensign was also hoisted. *'.■■'. ... ; . The Eev. Mr. Cleary (the vicar, of St. John's) also spoke, and urged the men, as law-abiding citizens, not to resort*toiviolence, nor to adopt anything inthe nature of tho I.W.W. tactics, which had been so ' freely advocated in this.town. One of tho workers mounted a, ladder and pulled ' idown a calico sign with the words ' Parry -..■' and his mates must be released." •■'. Mr. Eudd announced that permission [had' boon obtained to lay the Waihi mine kdlaioi!-tha.t.dßy»jJid A : wm ffieatiwii)!

■the new unionwould be held-inthe afternoon in the hall jjjt taken possession i«f. • • A hostile crowd- gathered outside the fire brigade station. Some of its members Icing weU-known Federationists, the workers after entering the ground floor retired. ;The doors were then closed. ' The whole town was now in a state of : . great, excitement. The police were here, therVand every where,' keeping in touch with tho- hunting bands of Arbitrationis'ts>'.;;-; "■' ■''■■■ •■:-■'. 7; "Good, Old Red, White, andßlue."' '''■ The "glorious conclusion of the fight," as mentioned by Mr.'Semple has.resolved : itself! into a debacle. The Arbitrationists : have won every position, and shortly the red flag will be an unknown quantity in Waihi. ■';.". ~.,-. Tie following notice now appears outside the Union Hall: "No red dances here any'more. -' Good old red, white, and' blue!" , Undue LeniencyT • Eeferring to' the sensational • develop.ments at Waihi . the "Star" says:—The deplorable disturbances .reported -from Waihi to-day, involving the shooting of .a policeman and. a jvorker. are,. we fear, the natural outcsome'of undue leniency on ..the'part of the-authorities' in tolerating public disorder., There has been an indisposition on. .the., part of tho police to : pro- , ceed to, extremes in the case of" many of the men and women'who have systematic- , ally hurled insults in the public streets at the engine-drivers arid other men who have exercised their'right'.to take'work ' '.atjhe,Waihi. mine. .These men have had. ' to be escorted, to.their homes, and even ' when there the peace of themselves and \ their families has been disturbed. It has' • :been. impossible for. them to go out •at ] night.':' The' cumulative -result is an in- '] tense'bitterness and irritation. ,Life was ' made/almost,intolerable, and .-the- pre- ' : ;dbmiuaht; strikers have assumed from the' ' immunity from punishment' which they ' have enjoyed that' they we're beyond the ( law. It would not' have been 1 surprising < if-.some ..worker,', goaded to desperation by. f persistent, persecution, had used a weapon ' in defence of his. home and liberty; but .'• it has. been left-for the extreme section of ' the faction'which has so long terrorised < "Waihi to employ firearms when the tables ( were being turned on them by-the growing body of workers. It remains to" be seen .whether, the .Government is , capable of ' dealing-with the situation, and of .reestablishing law and order on the eoldfields. ' , •■ ..... • :. •