MASS MEETING YESTERDAY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1896, 3 November 1913, Page 8

MASS MEETING YESTERDAY.

VIOLENT SPEECHES! "WILU WIN, NO MATTER HOW>" MUTINY PREACHED. A mass meeting of strikers and sympathisers was held in Newtown Park yesterday afternoon, iii heavy rain, bat the crowd saw tho Droceedings through, A procession, headed by tho Watersidera Band, two mounted pickets, and the banner bearers left Post Office Square shortly after two o'clock, and marched to Newtown Park, via Jcrvojs Quay, Lower Cuba SOreet, Manners Street, Cambridge Terrace, and so om Before . they staffed out Mr. Bailey appealed to them not to go up in a crowd, but to inarch bb soldiers would, so bb not to interrupt tho traffic. Tho assemblage at tho Park numbered between 200.0 and 3000. There were nine speakers. A resolution against tho special constable# was carried! Mr. Glover opened. Ho eavo as reason for tho now notorious stop-work meeting that thero was an urgent matter to consider, and tho members of the union lived in districts a good deal apart—lsland Bay, Karori, and so on. If tho true position was pui' to the special constables there were not five per cent of them who would not uphold tho waterside rs' action. Ths Hallway Men. Mr. U. G. Farland declared that the newspapers, with tho exception j)f two weeklies, had turned the strikers case down. I' tho special constablos knew the true position they would demand their train fare back. The Government know that the regular forces would not baton the strikers, and so they imported tho specials to do it, the men who attended the stop-work meotnit! were supplanted, tho speaker and Mr. Curtieo went to one of the heads of tiro other side, who met them with, tho observation: "Thero is ;«ing to be a light in this country, and f or —. - 6ako lot us liavo it. Now, till tho watersiders got peace with honour, not a man would step over tho waterfront aiid do tiro work waiting'there. Did they mean to tell him that in the twentieth century the men had to be forced back to work at the point of tho bayonet, the blud« ceon, and the baton? Those were not tho days of Cromwell.; and wo wore not living in Mexico. If the people paid less attention to'the "Post" and infi Dominion they would say that tho wateisiders were in tho right. The railway men were prepared to open negotiations With tho Strike Committee (tho com-.; mitteo lmd had word to that effect).. Tho railway workers wefo prepared to tell Mr. Massoy that while the special men had got into the city they might (unless tho strike was settled) find some difficulty in getting to their homes again. A prominent man had told him on Saturday night that uiilobs tho watersiders got peace with honour "not a throttle would turn." *1 hope it is settled with peace■ 1 My—l do 1 "Remember," ho concluded, this covin, trv is not now in the.hands of the people, but in the hands of the shipping companies and the farming niono.jjolj. (Ap.plauso.) • Catling Cun Story. "Anybody who interfered with tha duties of tlio permanent policeis helpiiiß to defeat the waterside "orkoM, said Mr. Bailey. "Tho permanent police only " he added, and the crowd laughed, The'special men from Masterton were ignorant of the true poßiUon. Thcie ' wero three Maoris down hero from a ! certain district, and the people of that ' district were demanding their return. Olio of the three (the speaker gave a name) "scabbed" on tho slaughtermen. He would like the women in particular to deal with four special men. whoso ■ unmcs and addresses ho gavo. 1 havo cot it that to-morrow if thero is any the Riot Act from he Post Office steps, from the top of tho Post Office building will used a Gat,ling gun on the public." He saw several navals in tho crowd and he asked them to induce their comrades to roj fuse to use their batons or bayonets. (Applause.)

Mutiny Preached to Pol lea and Bluejackets. Mr. Holland, tho noxt speaker, roused tbo drenched audience a good deal. Ho commenced by saying that Yiollmgtou had seen what was unique 111 Australasia. "You havo a Gatling gun on tbo wharf to-day, and there is one oil the turret of tho Post Office, they toll Its When Massey's Cossacks como down upon us—l was going to say 'men,' but I don't want to be guilty of libel ." Tbo 2000 men offering m tho Waiknto were heroes, because they would come fully armed, provided Jlr. Massey gavo them full protection. (Laughter.) If f'reo labourers woro put 011, they would work with a revolver in their belts and a bludgeon alongside, them, aild anyono who attempted to interfere. with them could bo snot by them. Ho advised'the nnvals present to, whon they -wore ordered to shoot, remember whore their clftss interests lay, and point their guns accordingly. The railwaynien should not carry treo ; labourers. Let tho trains rot and rust. Tbo strike wns hot mado by the working classes, but by tho master classes, who were pouring their armed hundreds into uot in tho daylight, but likes thieves in the iiigl.it, coining utterly ashamed of tho work llicy were undertaking. They sneaked in in the midnight hours, but old groyliairnl women came out 011 the balconies to jeer them as they passed. The railwayman had said that thoy wore prepared to stop tbo trains. 'Tho drivers could stop the carts, and tho seamen the ships. Tho uniform polico could deal, a staggering blow by tearing off

their uniforms, and standing with tho watersiders. "We are going to win, and, by , we are going to do it no matter what means we aro going to use." Workers to Own and Control Wharves - and Ships. . Mr. W. T. Mills, announced that ho was not goiug to permit tho Press to misleadpeoplo as to the issues, 'l'hero were being brought into this eity mon Who were misinformed, deliberately misinformed, for it was the policy of this Government to fill thorn with a thirst before they brought them hero, a thirst for our blood. The other side had promised a crisis on the. morrow, and ho hopo'd tho workers would not bo responsible', for it. Tho trouble was that the workers were denied the right to have their own. organisation. The employers were all in one organisation, but they refused that right to tho workers. The seaiuen, drivers, marine engineers, and railwaymfcn wore in sympathy with tho Btrikors, so transport could be com- • pletoly held up. Mr Allen said that this was not. the end of the fight, but one of the first' ■ skirmishes in a battle,' wliioh would continue till the workers owned and con-, trolled tho wharves, ships, etc. , ■ Clergyman Speaks. Then the Rev. Mr. Brainsby was introduced, and it was statod that ho would move a resolution. He thanked those in cliargc of the gathering for courtesy extended^ o him, and expressed admiration : of the, sobrioty and Btead-: fastness of the mem" Ho had requested permission to speak, and'to his surprise he'had been .asked to proposo a resolution, and, - further, to slightly alter it, so that he could conscientiously move it. The motion was: "That this meeting of Wellington citizens, protests against the unnecessary invasion of our city by armed men while the workers aro still ready: to return to . work, and I before peaceful methods of settlement liave been exhausted." People commented adversely on the language the strikers used, and said that they made threats; but the.othor side also made threats. Until every peaceful means was exhausted, neither the Government nor anyone else should invokethe aid of the military. "Surely your lives are as valuable a property as all the buildings which were ever erected. (Cheers.) Lot it be recorded before high Heaven that the men did not strike' the first blow, and were peaceablv. inclined to the vory end, and were willing to employ all peaceful methods in this dispute." The resolution was carried.

Talk of Settlement. Mr. W. T. Young said that since tho procession left the city developments had taken place, which entirely changed tho position, and before many hourß elapsed settlement might. be effected. More he would say at the Opera House in the evening. / ' . , < . Mr. P. C. Wobb, M.P., congratulated the waterside'rs on their "magnificent fight." Such solidarity had never beon manifested in Australasia before. The trouble was the private ownership of the shipping services. Parliament was powerless to deal with thiß; : and was governed by the monopolies.