THE RED FLAG.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1601, 19 November 1912, Page 7

THE RED FLAG.

THE POSITION AT HUNTLY. MORE POLICE. AGGRESSIVE FEDERATIONISTS AT CHRISTCHURCH. STATEMENT BY MR. HERDMAN, (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) Auckland, November 18. Huntly is remarkably quiet, though the opinion is expressed that but for the. ■ increased force of police in the town there would have been some hostile demonstration by fcho fedorationists. At present there is no indication of anything to cause uneasiness. The police force is forty-two strong, including fourteen from Auckland and twenty-eight from Wellington and Wanganui. Eleven more arrive from Napier this afternoon, It is almost impossible to obtain accommodation Owing to the influx of federationists and their families from Waihi. Many of the police are camped on the floor of the Courthouso. Lnst night, "while a prominent leader of the.-Wain! Engine-drivers' Union.was working in the engine-room of Ralph's mine, a stone crashed: through the window. Later. All the Waihi federationists have departed for Auckland. Napier, November 18. Eight police constables from different parts of the Gisborne and Hawke's Bay districts left by the afternoon train for Huntly. LAW MUST PREVAIL, "NATALITY OF BUMPING AGAINST THE WILL OP THE PEOPLE." Auckland, November 18. Interviewed on the position of industrial matters at Huntly and the recent happenings at Waihi, Mr. W. J. Ralph said that tho good old times when man and master could confer together if any difference of opinion arose had for the time being disappeared. "I have been in close touch," he said, "with Huntly miners for the last twentyfive years, and during that time have assisted and succeeded. in maintaining peace. The Huntly Coal Miners' Union executive and the miners thought and acted for themselves during that period, and were always willing to meet us halfway when a knotty problem arose, and in all such difficulties to strictly abide by law and order, but I am sorry to say that the situation has changed,'and over since the advent of tha Federation of Labour the good feeling that formerly existed between us has been gradually undermined until it has become conspicuous by its absence." ' : Have yon any 1 suggestion to mako of a remedial nature to the. present crisis? "Yes, I have given very careful consideration to the whole position, and I am satisfied that the only answer to that query is that law must prevail, and the sooner those who are responsible for the present distressing situation admit the futility of bumping against the will of the people the better. I am on the side of industrial unionism all the time, and am anxious to help tho.worker, but have the utmost contempt for the waster and agitator. If any.section of people in this Dominion imagine that they are suffering any social wrong they have the remedy. in their own hands by appealing to tho people from public platform, and endeavouring through the proper constitutional channel, to get their grievances Tedressed.' The machinery is at their disposal, for every adult person enjoys the inestimable privilege to record his or her vote for tho veturn to Parliament of those who are to mould tho Dominion's legislation, and which once passed must govern tho people as a whole. Direct action is a delusion and a snare, for the laws of a country must be made and obeyed by the whole people, and no one section of tho community should expect preference." ■ You are largely interested in Huntly, are.you not? "Yes, the freehold of Ralph's Taupiri mines belong to mo and my family, tho property being under kase to the Taupiri Coal Mines, Ltd., of which lain director." RIGHTS OF BRITISH SUBJECTS. ARBITRATIONISTS ON THE PLATFORM. Thames, November 18. The Rev. P. Cleary (vicar of St. George's, Waihi), Mr. Rudd (president of the newly-formed Miners' Union> of Waihi), and Mr. Foster, . speaking. as a delegation from the arbitrationists. of Waihi, addressed a large public meeting at the Miners' Union Hall to-night. . The object of. the.delegation was to refute incorrect statements made by the federation leaders, supporters, and women as to the condition of affairs at Waihi. They detailed the incidents leading up to tho determined action of workers in claiming the rights of British subjects to work and to proceed to work without molestation and without police protection, which had suggested to them that they were being treated as prisoners. They merely determined to assert their rights as British subjects, and it was the insults to which many men and women had been subjected to for.months that caused them to take the measures they did. No insults wero offered to women by the arbitrationists. The streets of Waihi were now free to all, and a much happier 6tate of things existed than under the system of organised insult and terrorism exercised by tho Red Federation. The stories of burning houses, assaults on-men and women,, and sensational statements made as to maltreatment were emphatically denied by the speakers. Mr. Rudd aroused great enthusiasm by stating that Waihi was. now free of the pernicious anarchistic tenets of the federation, and the workers wero determined it would remain so. A collection •was taken up to defray the delegates' expenses. The federationistshcld an openair meeting in close proximity to the hall. STRIKE PAY. DISTRIBUTED TO WAIHI FEDERATIONISTS. Auckland, November 18. Strike pay was distributed to the federationists from Waihi in Auckland today. Mr. Fraser, member of the Federation Exeoutive, stated that strike pay would bo paid until the strike was over. Ho was reticent as to the amount of funds the federation had in hand, but increased contributions had been Teceivcd lately. ADDRESS BY MR. SEMPLE. A PERSONAL EXPLANATION. Christchurch, November 18. In the course of his address last night, Mr. Simple dwelt upon the hardness of his lot as organiser for the Federation of Labour, saying that he got much' trouble and fow thanks. / A voice interjected: "Ten pounds a week!" : Mr. Semple silenced him with the curt remark: "You're a liar." At the conclusion of tho meeting ho roso to mako a personal explanation. He received M a week, he said, and for the first sixteen weeks of' the Waihi strike his pay had gone to others. He had not touched it.'' Out of the £i he paid the ten per cent, levy like the rest of them. Ho had a wife and five children to keep. For two years before ho took up tho position of organiser he hod averaged in the tunnel works beyond Springfield more than £o per week. The federation, he added, would give him more than £i per week, but he was content with that. j SIX YOUTHS And a howling MOB. A CHRISTCHURCH STREET SCENE. (By Telegraph.—Special Correspondent) Christchurch, November 18. During Mr. Sera pie's meeting in tho King's Theatre last night, nearly a dozen young men had sat together about the middle of the hall. None of them inter-, jectcd'at all, they eay, and all the talk came from some person beyond them. All they did was to vote against the motions put to tho meeting. For that theyiroro hnntfld and booed at and called

"•'f' 1 ' K • ""S "scabs," When, the mooting was over the actual interjector jot away, tindiscbv- . : ered. Outsido the building a little knot of men. gathored around tlio. eix young I men who had sat together. Sooa a howl- ; ing mob, not of youths, but of growu \ mon. fell in behind them. At first it was just a calling of "scabs" and booing ■ and hooting. Cheers were given for "Bob" i Semple and for the strikers. Then 0110 ' man called "To the river I" and others i cried "Put in the boot!" "Kick Iho scabs!" "Get them on the run!" "Ilead for the river!" The six young men.walked away quietly. By the time they got to . the corner of Colombo Street they, wero being hustled j badly, struck at, and kicked from behind. One had his cheek out by a slash from.' a walking stick. Tho crowd jostled the ' ' young men on tlieir way across the Square. , When about twenty yards from tho United Service Hotel it was seen that "■! thero was a polioeman there, and that ' 1 the liconsee (Mr. Grigsby) and the - manager (Mr. Constanco) were at the ! door. Nearly worn out, the victims broko for it, the crowd practically with them. ; ,Kvo got iuside, but the sixth collapsed on . ' .Itho doorstep. A constable kept the crowd back while the young man was dragged in;-.- ' and afterwards helped Messrs. Grigsby ' ; and Constance to hold the doors. • "Steady now, steady!" said tho con-. . stable. "Remember you'ro all Britishers." . ! The answer came back quick: "Don't call us Britishers!" .. . / The constable was trying hard to pacify the crowd, but his remarks were lost in cheers for "Bob" Semple and tlio Waihj miners. Inside the hotel tho victims were given an opportunity to , pull themselves together. They were highly indignant over ; the unfairness of tho larrikmism. They . had done nothing,, they deolared, < except vote against the motions submitted. ! None of the young inon wero staying at ' the hotel, 'ana Mr. Grigsby 'explained ' ' their presence to the sergeant of • police, : : who agreed that tho best thing to be dona : would be to keep them there until the ' 1 crowd had gone. He would not approve of their going out as things wero. ! After about half an hour's delay they : were taken down tho backstairs and let - out quietly by the back way. So far as ' could bo seen, their departure passed un- i noticed. Tho crowd hung about, the doorway for some time and then quietly dispersed. • . • POSITION AT REEFTON. : ■ STRIKE PAT CEASES. i (By Telegraph.—Press Association,). - Reef ton, November 8. ' A Miners'Union'meeting declared'that strike pay was to cease from to-day, and : .passed resolutions espressihg' sympathy with Evans aud calling on the Government to protect life and' property at Waihi. The consolidated group of mines ia inviting tenders for works in the Encrgetio and Progress mines. It is expected that Thursday : will , see a number of men at' work. Battery hands, etc., most probably • will be a week or a fortnight t delayed, 1 All-contract work is on the co-operativo principle, proprietary, contract, being ' barrea. " ■-■■■r- .