UPHILL EFFORT.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1919, 29 November 1913, Page 12

UPHILL EFFORT.

AT AN UPHILL SPOT.

Residents of Brooklyn' were advised by public announcement yesterday that if they assembled at tho tram terminus at 8 p.m., they would hear "tlie true side of the question" us expounded by members of tho Federation of Labour. Eight o'clock saw a small crowd at tho appointed spot, these consisting of about twenty adults, half'a scoro, of uuall boys, and one policeman. Tho minutes dragged wearily by, but none of tho orriiom made their .appearance. Tho tension was momentarily relieved by the appearance of the chairman, who on finding that he hsul 110 speakers, mado hasto to unearth a telephone, and thereby get into- touch with headquarters. This, however, availed him nothing. Headquarters were equally at a loss to account for the dearth of speakers and the chairman had to report them missing.

As each ear toiled complainiugly up tho heights, a gleam of hope lit the eye of the anxious chairman, but tho speakers camo not. liy this time it was past tSie half hour, and the numbers'of tlm small gathering were presently further lessened by the departure of the -small-boy element. Two more cars camo remorselessly by without disgorging tho missing ones, but just when all hopo seemed abandoned another appeared over tho hill brow, and this time there camo two speakers. After a hasty consultation with tho new tho chairman called tho remnants 01* the crowd to tho soap-box and a start was made. Ho first apologised for the lion-appeiiraiico of Mr. Dowgray. Mr. Dowgrav, who was busy writing a manifesto, begged to be excused. He therefore called 011 Mr. M'Cleland id speak. Oratory was clearly not Mr. M'Clelsjid's i'orie, but ho made shift to respond to the chairman's imitation. -He coinbatted statements in the Press ill regard to the strike being broken. The men, ho thought, vrero as solid and strong as ever.

Mr, Allen, of tlio "Mnoriktnd Worker," was the next speaker. Ho Warned the Union Stcnm Ship Company for causing tho strike. They had de- | tcrmjnod to make war, mid tlio fact that tlioy had hulks in tlio harbour waiting filled with coal, allowed that they had n;ado tlioir preparations. Tlio amendments which Mr. Jlassev wanted t>> make in tlio industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act, would, if passed, make tlio position of the workere nothing less than surfs. In speaking of what lie considered tlio consequences of this Act., tko speaker began to make some rather strong statements, but pulled himself lip, remarking that,"he riid not want to got gaol for sedition; ho considered ho was of more use outside." He alleged that there was -dissatisfaction in tfio ranks of the Arbitrationists on the wharves, nnd said that he would not, he surprised if they held a "stop-work" meeting ami struck before the _ week-end. I-le urged his hearers to join tlio Federation of Labo ill-, They (the Federation) wei'o revolutionaries, because what they »roposed to do was to bring about :i revolution in Society. At 9.15 p.m. the chairman mounted 11io box to make a few closing remarks. He referred to the members of the old Waterside Workers' Union who had gone back to work as "crawlers, and crawlers of tlio worst description," but far worse than thc-y were the railwaymen who had brought down tho spoeial constables and "scabs" from the country. The meeting then closed after lasting a bare lluce-quarters of an hour.