LOOKING BACK.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1989, 20 February 1914, Page 5

LOOKING BACK.

STRIKE TIME LN AUCKLAND. (By ftehiirapli,—Press Association.! . Auckland, February 18. In the course of his presidential address at -..the annual meeting of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce , today Mr. S. J, Nathan referred tp the recent strike, The trouble, he "said, had been tactfully dealt with-by the Mayor, the cliairman of the Harbour Board, and tho Citizens' Defence .Com" inittee-j supported by the splendid assistance of the- special constables, both from tlie city and country districts. "Tire services so freely and generously rendered by the special constables, and so ably performed," said Mr. Nathan, "are gratefully recognised by this city, and will never be forgotten by thosw who witnessed.the.fine discipline and forbearance of the. men unSer. trying circumstances. Indeed,. oar country friends, .with their horses, saved • the situation,-and we now know tliat should any similar trouble arise the farmers will be ready to come again, and help us, and in increased numbers should bucli be required." Capital and Labour, atlrlel Mr. Nathan, were interdependent and a mutual agreement based on this understanding would do much to obviate a recurrence of such labour disputes.

Tho Mayor (Mr. C. J. Parr) said that, in the recent strike, there had only been. one. course to take, and he had taken it fearlessly. Ho did not think that there would be another general strike for a long while, but the industrial millenium had not coino yet. The revolutionary , Socialist wns, "scotched" but not dead. The strikers had learned that, in a- general strike, they made no progress, but in reality, only leeway ail tho time. Still, the employers should not be lulled into any sense of false security., and his advice to • them was to always be ready for any contingency that might arise.