THE WEEK-END WAR CRY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1908, 17 November 1913, Page 8

THE WEEK-END WAR CRY.

BY STRIKE ORATORS;

THE MEETING AT NEWTOWN PARK. AN ASTONISHING STORY. Another demonstration organised tho strikers wits held yesterday afternoon at Newtown Park. A procession of members of tho Striking unions* and ■Sympathisers was formed at Post Office Square at 2 p.m. The following unions' banners were carried:—Wellington Waterside Workers', Wellington Branch o'f the New Zealand .Fe.dfir-ated Seamen's Union, Carpenters' and joiners, and Shipwrights'.' The Wellington l 3 ipo Baud headed the procession, and the Wellington Watersiders' Baiid was placed about halfway down the line. The official return put the number of persons in the procession as USOQ. Thousands of other people were waiting round the platform a'iid on the ' hillsides. The speakers, were practically tho same- as at previous meetings, with alio Or two additions, and went ; orer tho same n'ld ground. The old word, "solidarity"—the. blessed "Mesopotamia" of the strikers—'Was well aired, and the. statement ■ that the hot- ■' torn has not fallen out of the strike was repeated many times. ' _M.r. G, G. 1 ,- arlar.d, secretary of the ; Watersiders' tMon, saitj that after fif- . tec.ii years' experience of the Arbitration Court, tho union had decidcd. itwould never again have anything more, to do with Arbitration, and that reSso- : lution they would stick to. They could not get justice from tho Court. . It. took three months to bring a ea:so before the Court, and they knew what it

was to sit for week after frock oil a stringer, with no work to do. His appealed to tho citizens of Wellington Renorally to force the hand of the Gov-

ernment, frith a viefr t<< a settlement. The.y should follow the example of the people of Petone. Auckland as the Strike Bosses Paint It. Mr. T. Bloodwo: th, a member of' the Auckland. Strike Goinmitteo, denied the stiitemeiit that any of tho members of tho 14 unions which had gono out : in Auckland had returned to work. Not t'lio of tho unions which had struck 5 in Auckland had done> so because it had. any particular grievance of its own, but simpiy to show their sympathy with tho strikers of Wellington, ilo asserted t that many Auckland ■employers were driving darts piled with empty cases about tho Auckland' Wharves, in order

to create the impression that Work was going on. Tho men now working 011 the wharves had taken ,50 cases of iron out of a ship in tho time that regular jyatersiders would take to unload 3QO, and tho employers had said that they were very satisfied with tha -work: If they were satisfied frith this, tfio strikers should work at this rate when they resumed.

Astonishing Story of a Blank Cheque, Mr. V. Ilickoy, secietary of tire Federation of Labour, returned to thecharge that Jio had" made 011 'i'hursday evening ig'bout mounted spoeials iitiing round Brooklyn. Uoionel Nowall said that this charge was untruo, but ho (tlio speaker) gave this denial a flat contradiction. So weiit on to gay that tho strikers could not become nicnibcsr.s : ,o£i Jtjie-, hot®-, union .if tbey wanted toj as oho of the rules required; every now member to ' sign a declaration that ho was loyal to the. ■ Arbitration Act, and if it was suspected that ho was not, lio could bo balloted out at a meeting of members called for that purpose, Under tJiia rule every man who bad been prominent in the, strike would bo rigidly excluded. The speaker repeated his assertion that Cargo leaded by Arbitrationist labour would bo considered as barred in Australia, and would not bo unloaded there. U« read the following, which lie stated to be a cablegram from West Australia:—."The 'Australian i,aboftr Federation. expresses its approval of the magnificent 'fight which _Nett Zealand workers are making against oppression, ana hopes for its ultimate success." ' If an appeal were mado to Australia for funds, tlmy would .get thousands and thousands of pounds.. That appeal had not. yet been made, but it might go forth in the next few days. Already. thei.r comrades in. Australia were pr<> • ■paring for it. , The officers of the shipping companies at Lvttelton, tlie speaker continued, had gone' to tjio Strike Committeo there 0110 day last week, and had offered them a blank (signed) The committeo was: at liberty to fill m the cheque .for any amount it liW, on condition that tlio strike should be called off. The com- { ■mittee | declined ttift. The shipping i companies must have been very desperate- whoii they' made s:uch an otter. | "I dare say," continued the speaker, ''that, we could make & good deal of money this way, but wo don't want it. • Wo will not be bribed by money." . ■ Mr. \Y, T. Mills referred to the action of the employers in making arrangements for a. supply of coat from Japan. Thoy acknowledged tllat tjboy ware beaten if they luu'l to rely oil the Australasian. coal supply. The navies and i armies of the world were maintained. Dot for iiitfi-rnationai straggles,' bilt to ■ aid tho employers in their efforts to crush tho workers. The employers would give them an increase of a shilling a flay all round their wages, if iiliey frould go back to work oil tlie employers' terms; but- onco tboy Were back tliey Would lose that sliillhig and nearly everything else. All that tho workers 'wanted was the right to fun their own c-tgariisaiion in their own way, under, their own rules,

-" rv on Defacing Windows,

| Mr. M, J. SavagO, a member of tho ■ Auckland Strike Committee, alleged \hat the people of Wellington wero not-, getting anything like a truo account o.f tho happenings' in Auckland Not a siiiglo member of afty of tho 18 unions, put on gtrilyO tliero (including tho Esbibition .workers.) had returned to work. Some peo.plo could not seo tho connection between outside unions and tiro Btriko; hut if tho carters . removed "scab" cargo .from tho wharves, atid ■artisans used it in their trades, surely they were all helping to break tho strike.

Mr. Kair, an es-membor of tho Shearers' Union, said that ho had resigned froin that body, because tho exocul ivo had refused to allow them to make dammoil ciiuso with the watorsklers. Ho alleged that 110 had a. message froin ■the workers of tho Wairar&pa that they realised that tli.o watersidei'ii' fight Was their fight. Tho district had sent .men to baton tho workers of Wellington, hut thoy all belonged to tho employing class. An undertaker in, Masterto.n had accepted an order for the turning of batons, hut he Was Sorry for it now. lie had had three beautiful 10 x ]2'plateglass windows, but they wero beautiful 110 longer. Somemio had a .diamond and knew how to use it.

An !.W.\V. Man. Mr. T, Barker, who is now on bail flu a charge of sedition, .said that tko authorities hod always! tried to cnicify Lakrtir 'by_ taking aivay tlreir leadore. Theso tfieties iievor succeeded, but the employers iiovijr learned by experience. They had failed at Waihi, where they gaoled fifty iiiten; .if ttasy iimstod. 8000 in Wellington, the fight would still ro on. They could gaol men, but thoy loowd not gaol igcaar. Ho stood for

revolutionary afttion; this was- no time for Parliamentary palliatives. .Addresses wen> also delivered .by Messrs. Dowgray arid Raglan,