THE WAR WHOOP AT THE PARK

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1932, 15 December 1913, Page 6

THE WAR WHOOP AT THE PARK

LAW & ORDER DEFIED. WHAT WEST COAST-WILL 1)0. About 1500 persons assembled in Newtown Park yesterday afternoon, when speeches v/ere given by the delegates nt present attending tlio Federation of .Labour Conference in AVellington. Mr. G. G. Farland, who presided, Wirned the idea that the striko was jagging. It was a remarkable condition of affairs to-dav, in the eighth week of the striko, to say that there were 10,000" workers who ' were still 'determined to continue to the bitter .end. (Applause.) The 7iext speaker, Mr. Armstrong, of the AVcst Coast Workers' Union, referred to the conference which was :boing hold, but gavo no indication as to any decision likely to bo arrived at. They had, ho stated, been sitting in committee up till about 2.15 p.m. that ilay, and undoubtedly . all would . bo nnxiqus to know tho conclusion arrived nt. "1 want to say," he continued, "that I am not in a position to divulfo niiythiiig at all, so far, but lean tell you this: The position from tho work-ing-class point of view is being considered very carefully by tho represcn-tativ-os of the workers from olio end of Now Zealand to. the other, and I believe tho recommendation they will give to you, whether acceptable or not, will bo made after serious consideration, and will be what, those delegates beliovo to be in tho best interests of the country and the movement wo are upholding.'' (Applause.) They had heard a lot about the "folded arms" but while tliey had a Government in"powe'r' controlling tho,policeibrco and tho military iind adopting tlio tactics of tho Massey Government, - there could bo no such thing as law and order. AA'hatover was the outcome, of the strike, the Federation of Labour had nothing to bo •ashamed of.

Mr. Canham, president of the Auckland Waterside Workers' Union,; ,was loud in declaiming against "tlioso who had on their fellow workers. Ho aTso took occasion to refer in violent terms to the Magistrates in Now Zealand, or, in fact, anywhere in the world. They (the workers), concluded tlio speaker, l wero going to organise When the bulldog principle of the shotgun was used against thorn ho hoped that thoy would bo in tlio position that Scrapie had advised' them. ' "I won't give those fellows taking notes a chance to write it down, but you know what it is." (Applause.) The Miners' Challenge. A delegate from tlio West Coast, Jtr, Hunter, strongly advocated the prinliplo of "might is right." To-day thoy could say that there had never heeii such a glorious revolution as had just taken place, and never was a revolution., more justified.' Dealing with affairs nu the West Coast, ho declared that tlio men woro determined to control affairs. There was no mistako p.boilt it, it was the big club, and not s, polished club either, that was going

tojieop the port ,of Westport closed. fellows must realise that if von are going to control things properlv ,vou must have might behind you. I '' Vou cannot do it with a box of cigarettes and a mutch." The strikers controlled the Coast, and had set asido all law and order. The men on strike were told by the leaders that they had the freedom of tho city there, and, having it, could do anything they thought fit. .I'here was a Mayor in Westport, hut ho had been sot aside, and everything was controlled by the strikers. Continuing, Mr; Hunter, had something to.say about special police. "They (tho Government) can bring the special's .round to tho Coast," ho declared. {'In. fact, wo givo them a special imitation, and 1 swear tin's,' in the name of the party most concerned, that for every one special they care to put down on the Coast, npto one thousand, we can put ono down beside iiim, just as. good a man, and if this is going to be a contest as to who is going to control, thou wo are prepared to make it a contest. _ More than that, we men know that this Government is shedding blood. Wo had our fellow-workers brutally murdered in Waihi. Thero .is no one instance from tho workers' ranks where wo have caused any bloodshed, iiow if they arc going, to shed our blood why should wo look on at our women and children being clubbed and offer no retaliation? Now, if they want a revolution they can have it. If they force it on us they can have a revolution/'