THE SAFE-CONDUCT PASS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1922, 3 December 1913, Page 6

THE SAFE-CONDUCT PASS.

Some extraordinary facts were brought to light during the hearing or the case at Dunodin,' in which six members of the Strike Committee were bound over to keep the peace. It is difficult to imagine that such things, could happen in the Twentieth Century, and in a British community, Mr. Eraser, who appeared for the prosecution, told a weird story of how a man who had dared to exorcise the right to work on the,wharves found himself in a battered and bruised condition on the floor of a cellar. How he eot there was a mystery. He subsequently _ obtained from defendants (all strike leaders) a guarantee of immunity from assault if bo si.encd a paper promising to do no more wharf work. Another man, named Imiitsox, had a still more extraordinary experience, Le also had worked on the wharves, and had been a special constable. On beinjr brought before the committee of strike bosses he was asked to reveal the name of the person who had persuaded him to act as r>. "special." The report of what followed pives such an interesting insight into the methods by which Hie strike is being maintained that it is well worth repeating:—

Ho Mused lo give (lie name, ami then Mil lev sain, in a menacing (one; "I suggest you need not leave this room iiittil you do!' Ibbitson replied : "You are fry. nifr lo intimidate me," anil Jiiilpr repliod• 'Do not start binding." A jiaper wes put before !u"m, find he was asked to sis" it. He refused at first, but ultimately ajrreetf to ska, and I hen asked for ■the usual safe-conduct paw Against violence, which was siren. They prepared a document, headed: ".Dunediii Waterside ■Workers' Industrial Uiiion of 'Workers' Good Fnith Aurcoinejit." What limitson signed was flint he would not return to work curried on by "scab" labour, and that ho would pajvatade others not (o <Io so. The document added: "Should !he bearer be attack-id or assaulted by any ncrwin or thinking him lo be a free labonrcl'l-.-ki'idly refrain from so doinj on production of I his agreement."

Ik it any wocdor that the people, of New Zealand have resolved to put an end to tills sort of thing once for all i Fo worker worthy of Ilia name ought to submit for an instant to 'such an impudent tyranny, and if it, is not broken down unionists will soon find that they dare not call their souls their own. Tfc is an organised attcmnt to deprive the rank and file of the unions of every shred of liberty of thought, snecch. and action. Anv man who has the temerity to have an oninion of his- own must be-pre-pared to answer for it to the Federation boss. One of the latest victims is Mn. Tom Kikg, treasurer of the 'old Wellington Waterside Workers' Union, who recently made -> sneech at an open-air meet-inn; which did not nlcase the strike leaders. Tt is stated that he has been called to account, and, as a result, it, is understood that he lias handed in his resignation. It is astonishincr that a considerable section - of British working men should allow themselves to be reduced to the position of serfs by _ a clique of revolutionary Socialists.