PAINFUL AFFAIR AT WAIHI.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1648, 15 January 1913, Page 9

PAINFUL AFFAIR AT WAIHI.

FUNERAL & AFTER. 'CRIES OF'"SCAB!" AND "MONGREL!" ;•■; !; THE "REDS" ONCE MOHE. i'.'lßy TclegTaph.—Special OorrcspoEdcnt.) ■\.-:' '■'■■". Auckland, January 11. ,• An echo of the Waihi strike.is reported in tho "Star;" The. Atailii correspondent of. that paper writes that a number of "scarlet-runners" (who'became so notorious during .the recont strike demonstrations) nsseriiblcd at :tho" railway station■yesterday in anticipation'of tho arrival of Walter, Edmuml: Harvey by tho 5 o'clock'-.train,'' but they wero aoomed to "disappointment, as Harvey did. not put in an appearance. Harvey is the man who : 'has been brought'back from Sydney on a perjury;.char'ge.- , :■/ '■■'.' . ;. One of the • Waihi • Companies', brakes. happened lo pass by with some arbitrationists aboard,"and 'these greeted the "runnel's" with ironical cheers. ■ Tho latter responded with old-time yells of "scab! iajid ■ "dirty mongrels!'' fit .these gatherings are -permitted to 'take, place further -trouble is likely^.to ensue. •■ '"-', Three-members'of the .Waihi Catholic Club'and one Thanics mail, who had been, attending the funeral of the late Wm. Sullivan,■'.who .w-as killed at. Ponsonby, complained of certain treatment at the hands of a mob of Tedcrationists at tho Auckland Railway.'Statioirycsterday morning. '.Previous to boarding the tram a ■striker'(.i' member-of 'the committee of. "(lieold union),/accompanied by. 30 or 40 comp.anioris, accosted oho of the party, who is a member of the union; shook his ■fist, and referred to .him as a-"scab' and ■Vhiongrel,"- also making- sneering relerence to tlib' fact of -his coming ilo.wn to attend the; funeral: of tbs party ' also called oiitt "scab," .etc. .The police wove sent for, but When'they arrived.the, chief 'offender had vanished. It is understood that tha police have the matter in hand. Two officials of the Federation of Labour were on the platform at the time. .'■'' Referring to . the above, tho ■'Star! says: , ,','Tho message iscnt from \\ aim gives a ,vorv: fair'idea. of what /actually happened' a"tl the' Auckland '.Railway. StaJ tion; but it leaves an impression that, tne : 40 or'so men \jho.showed hostility hod assembled oii the" station, for that purpose. As a' matter of fact, the mild outburst of feeling'on the railway station'.was.duo to:the-effect of keen disappointment'on the partibf'meuwh'o do not.habitually "practice■' self-restraint: eithe'r in ..thought ■or' in speech:. The party. of -10 or 00 men we're; (or t'bfl most;part, members of the ■Waterside .Workers' Union,' who had gone up to the railway,-station,to witness,'Oie .'departure of Harvey for. Waihi by the Thames'express./ As.a matter- of fact; Harvey was at that-time appearing atthe, Auckland Police -Court, .and, was subse'quently 1 remanded' to appear at Waihi in about'a'week's time. These people,,who proposed td givo him a 'send : off, concluded that the police had hatched sonle special scheme to spirit him'away quietly.>lt is/intetcs'tirig! to note .here, that the ■ same •"meriVw'ere'.qiiito satisfied that ,no:.wireless me*s'u'ge'wasTeceived to announce tho probable, time of .arrival:of the Maheno.on Sunday- simply to keep, them in the .dark as 'to the :time that Harvey would arrive. ' They I lake themselves very seriously, _ and ■they :Wm' to'bo' ihcauable,.of, realising ■that."'not' ono/,person ih; a' thousand, in: Aiicklandiknew-.or cared who Harvey was or.'.for.the matter qf that, v;hether,he wa S goin^to'Waihi or to W.aipukurau. When, the tinie of the departure of the Thames train 'drew'near,-the '.waiting -friends. Jof -Harvey allowed their, feelings .-to get the,, better ofrthem,; animosity'Oh''the::first''obiect-that offertd- : a :reasonable :excuse, -viz.,^Messrs^.l. > J. Martin (vice-president)', and, J., Ritchie, who' had come. 'o:s.':reDrcEDntatives'.lrDin iho Waihi .Catholic-Club to-attend tho funeral of the IftW WfJliaiiit&MllijanAjrjio.had '.iboen As «- matter of fact. Messrs. Martin:and Rife 'chie had 'acted as nail-bearers at .the ; nt'whfch;f;als^')here;-was. | a ; :re-^ •Vn'esehtative-'kathenn'g of 'abnut-.300/:ex-'%aihi workers and -'miners. yiielativ«s of the ■' lat'e>WMiam ,'"SulUyah were, also,, oil - •the' railway "station- as, Urn Thames .train. •mas .ready to go -out.'.-: All these • things, ■we're foiiotten'.h'owe'ver.v and nothing was .reniftmbsrcrl 'for -'the except. tVt Martin"-.wm an antirPederatiomst; ailtr that;Ritchie's fnthef and brothers 'were' aW to some extent They worn ieered and .en lieu ' 'seabo '■■'arid''tKe- federation sympothisers actuallv.'so. far> : themselves as to . • taunt -these-comrades-, of; .the dead /man with ,Wng;'a ; nicc.:'pair! of .mongrels to come from,Waihi to bury, a roan. 1'? situationwasuninful m the extreme, with the .VadWs>?!aHves..as ?*?"**s■* it; MctsT'-Pairv-.- M'Lennjn. and Cnhhwu were on the platform a.t tho time. b«t in ronmoh with finite p. number of otitis. ■t«oic-no part whatever in, the demonstration." ;,,;,;; :■' ;. /^- : -' ' -'' : .'..