ON THE RAND

Hokitika Guardian, 15 December 1922, Page 3

ON THE RAND

A VISITOR’S VIEWS. WELLINGTON. Dec 13. Some sidelights upon the Rand labour trouble sin March last were given to a “New Zealand Times” representative yesterday by Mr 11. Walker, who arrived by the R.M.S. Tonic, and who is visiting New Zealand on a pleasure trip. Mr Walker -was in Johannesburg immediately prior to the commencement of the trouble, and though lie left before the- situation had developed to its subsequent dimensions. lit* sa.w quite enough to impress him with the determined manner in which the South African Labour unions wage war once tlicv commence. HK.'HLY ORGANISED. “They are very highly organised over there,” he said. “There line been a strike of tramwavmen and minors beforehand, as you know, which afterwards barn me general. The deter initiation to make llie strike general was reached soon after my arrival. At a meeting held in the Trades Hall, the men forced it- upon the so-called leaders at the pistol’s point. The rough element was predominant immediately. The general secretary of the Associated unions had been on the water on his way back from Genieva, when the trouble had started, and from the hall they sent an emissary to find him. He could not be discovered, and I believe that they would have lynched him could they have tracked him to his hiding-place, because lie had opposed the general strike. “COULD DO NOTHING.”

“Smuts could do nothing for some time, as ho had to assemble and organise his forces, and his recruits came mainly from the country. '! he strikers took charge at once. At the hotel where 1 was staying the guests had to wait upon themselves, while the head waiter, who had in his time controlled a restaurant on the Strand, took over the position of chef. 'Hie following day the strikers sent round to the various shops, and ordered them to close, which they did promptly, as the shopkeepers knew that any refusal would result in their premises being wrecked. I spoke to one or two men, who resented tin.' strike being forc'd upon them, bui they were all afraid to work. “They’d kill me if I did,” said one Hollander to me, when 1 asked hint why he did not ignore the strikers’ mandate. It was a reign ol terror, and an earnest of wlmt was to come. Mounted hands of strikers, armed with rifles and fixed bayonets, used to patrol the streets, ostensibly to keep order, and, at a distance, they would he. followed-by a posse of mounted police. just to see that they kept order and nothing more.” MORE STRIKE METHODS. “There were some lorries, which were employe dto run passengers into the city because of the lack of eflrs. These were stopped by the strikers one dry .and if their drivers would not undertake to cease the practice, were calmly wrecked.” At the earnest solicitations <-l h'* friends ,Mr Walker left Johannesburg; three days after the trouble started, as everyone was certain that a. hittci struggle would ensue. Ills final glimpse of the city gave him only another proof of the strikers’ determination. At tilt! platform from winch Ins train pulled out for Durban, was a. train for Capetown. This train, he learned afterwards, proceeded only a lew mijos out of the city when it waswrecked bv the strikers, who had tom up the rails. By the time of . Din subsequent Rand riots, Mr Malkd was on bis way to the Old Country.