MINERS IN COURT

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3057, 19 April 1917, Page 6

MINERS IN COURT

ALLEGED SEDITIOUS UTTERANCES

AMAZING EXAMPLES FROM LETTERS -

GENERAL STRIKE FREELY

DISCUSSED

J By Telegraph—Press Association. ! • Auckland, April 18. I . Six Miners' Union officials, who were " arrested at Huntly, together with three from the AVest Coast, were [ cli'arged to-day in connection with the , alleged seditions, strike, and further , remanded till Monday. There are 42 informations against-tlie nine men, and , 55 Waikato (Huntly) miners liave been 1 summoned to appear on charges of being parties to a seditious strike. » ( One of the charges against J. Jones, t of publishing a. seditious utterance in ii telegram to 'tile secretary of the ; Federation at Runanga: "You should wire all unions to act 'upon our ar- ; rangonjents for immediately bringing ; pressure to bear upon employers to grant a conference. The issue is being delayed by .you not entrusting some of the work to executive members. Write particulars to Kaitangata district. _ Forward references to employers immediately at Huntly, Teand Pukemn-o, acting effectively. Meeting held to-night. Wire urKenfc what you are; going to do." "Dear Comrade." John. Winnard, president .of the pennistoh Miners'' Union, is charged, inter alia, , that on M£rch 15 he encouraged the continuance V. of a seditious Vstrike by sending John Arbuckle a letter containing the following words: — "Dear comrade —Enclosed you will 'find £4 10s., money,you lent ine. Our meeting went off all right, very nearly .the whole of the members being present, and the voting being unanimously against the owners' proposals. I flogged some of our men here who did not pay their money into the union. Of course you cannot get it, but you have to do something to make them think. The last fortnight this mine was'Mery near two thousand tons sLort. We have a great spirit here at. present. Of course there is an unforeseen hand at work, and they are doing their best to'shift me. They have a big job on. : The election of officers takes place ncxD week, so the resists are being discussed. ' I suppose you sent & report of some' kind to Puponga., If not' you would do well to do' so. i'l would if you don't. I went to Blackball on last Sunday in place of stopping at Greymouth. The whole cause of the trouble seems to 'be through the chair. That is what I heard, anyhow. . Say. yon' had a great joke over my coach ticket. I will get you through. 'We are fightire for our very existence now, so yoji wfit b©_wiso to! keep in touch with every union, and if there is' the least sign of ' weakness we want to have a representative sent there." f I The "Go-Slow'.' Men. 1 Thomas-Nelson, secretary of the Denniston Union, is charged that lie encpuraged the .continuance of a seditious strike by using certain words at a special meeting of the Miners' Union on March 6: "The'secretary brought up the question of the money earned by miners in excess of the 13s. 2d. per day previously agreed upon, and' explained that he had some difficulty in collecting most of. it. The general opinion among the miners was ..that "they were to have 13s. 2d, clear after stores, doctor, check-weight, home coal,, and other stoppages had been j kept o!ff. The secretary said hei had' acted | upon these lines. Ho also'told the men who aad been penalised in. this way that if their earnings were under the agreed wage next pay then they Vould be made up with their own'money that they had paid in this way. _ The secretary ex-' plained that he did not think it was the object of the union to make money out of this proposition, and by promising to make it up to these men-in i this manner it was encouraging them : to restrict their output below tile : 13s. 2d., next pay. It was restriction i of output that was wanted. He-"also reported that there was only one man who declined to comply with the union's resolution on this question."

» "A General Strike." John Arbuckle, secretary of the federation, was' charged that on November 21, 1916, he' published matter likely to interfere with the effective operations of the present war in the following letter:—"Dear Comrade,—You will please find enclosed a copy of .the resolution moved by the Denniston Miners' IJnion. Kindly place the same before a meeting of your union, and .let me known their deliberations at your earliest convenience} "Resolution: 'As the first ballot under the provisions of the Military Service Act will be taken any day now.' this union is resolved that, if any of its members are conscripted against their wish a general strike will he immediately declared.' "P.S.—I have been instructed to notify you of our intention, and ask you to circularise all other affiliated unions on the matter, and ask them to fall into line., We- firmlv believe that by consolidated action the miners of New Zealand can control their own .destinies' in 'this direction, whereas if we permit the -machinery of this'damnable Act to become ooerativo among our members victimisation will become rampant." • , Hysterical Outbursts. A tenth miner, John Wesley, senior, of Hiiintly; lias been arrested and charged with seditious utterance in the following words in a letter: "Then the new Government' War Regulations.—So soon as we ask for a few pence more to get bread and butter, the War Gods say we will save the exploiters by passing war regulations to demand by any way 'or means sedition or treason. Are you leaders going to kneel to it? Are the rank and file going to kneel to it? I \say no! Tlie Welsh miners say No!' So we must fill the gaols, damn them! Yes! Damn the gaols! Start the. ball, and go ill, one hundred to five hundred', at a hit in gaol. Let them take one hundred and fifty _ out of each mine in the New Zealand mines. How long will it last? What an .insult! To ask for bread is sedition! Capital has run the last lap. -They go slow. We must fight for less hours, not wages. All great economists say short hours. Get to six, then they will have it —then the boot will start to pinch them. Get to E. W. Alison-and W. J. Ralph. You all have to hit Alison down. The whole mob wants to get to him in a fair way. Good'day, best regards from Mrs. Wesley and all' at home. Fight I Fight! You b si Fight! My back is on the mend this two days. _ I don't' see where Jones and Cummings, of Beddon, 1 left for the conference, but see the top of this page. . What price being of the exploiter class? Amen. Best wishes to all comrades. —Your comrade iu fight."