STRIKE PRISONERS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2211, 25 July 1914, Page 7

STRIKE PRISONERS.

Sir, —I wish, to refer tp the report in your paper of to-day; with'reference to the deputation to 'the Hon', ; A'. L. Herdman, Minister of Justice. : I, as a farmer, do hope that tlio Government will stand firm ontho decision . of the Judgo with reference to: the acii- ■ tences passed on the -striko leaders. Personally, I think the Government were too lenient—out of the four agitators threo of them are: importations, and when they werp found guilty of conspiracy thero should have been added to their sentence deportation out' of this country as undesirables. Thoir agitation, to us ns.a people; has cost the country, I understand, something like £100,000, to be found ill hard cash to combat their wrongdoing; and how any sane being can conic forward and .ask the Government to remit any portion of their sentence is beyond !j»y comprehension, As a farmer, the Government owe a great debt to lis for our timely need and N assistance in 'an' upheaval that promised: to -threaten. the.

i whole export trade of our And should the Government now remit' any portion of tho sentence passed on. theso undesirables it would to a great oxtent break faith witb those who toil early and late in tho country to produce the commodities that go to make up our export, and gives employment to tho, whole of tlioso who maiko their living on tho waterfront, and theso aro tlio inon who liavo been led astray by these imported agitators from outside our Dominion. AVitli reference to tho case of the wool merchant that : Mr. Moriarty referred to; it is altogether outside the position of theso strike leaders, and not in any one way should be taken as a precedent of what has been done or what should be done with strike agita-, tors. And I do hope that before the present Parliament dissolves a clause will be added to such law -on Labour that ma.y be brought .in that strike leaders convicted of conspiracy should ha.ve added to their seutence deportation out of, this Dominion on their release. But what is "to bo done to men belonging to us as a people I would leave longer ,heads than, mine to frame a law.—l am, etc., FARMER.