THE WAIHI MINE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 1000, 24 September 1912, Page 3

THE WAIHI MINE.

TO RESTART ON OCTOBER 2ND.

Waihi, September 23,

An important announcement is made by the Waihi Company in to-day’s Daily Telegraph. The company gives special notice to each and every contractor whose contracts with the company on and above the thousand feet level are still subsisting and uncompleted, that the mine will be opened for ordinary work on Wednesday, October 2nd, at 8 a.m., and that they are required, at such time and place, to continue work under their contract, tailing which the company will not wait any longer tor the performance of the work, and the contract will be cancelled so that other men may be employed to carry on the work of the mine.

The advertisement is signed by Mr Barry, superintendent.

A determined MAGISTRATE-

In connection with the charge against certain strikers at Waihi, who elected to go to gaol in preference to finding sureties to keep the place, the Magistrate, in giving his decision, said that these cases were more serious tuan those which had preceded them. In fact, the offences were contumacious and tended to override law and order, whereas in the earlier informations it might reasonably be assumed that the offences had been committed in ignorance. He was always prepared to act leniently where men had acted in ignorance, or had rashly acceded to the requests ol persons having some authority over them, but when it was found that men had set out to deliberately break and defy the law the position was entirely different. The men would find that they were up against a snag in him when they so acted. They had absolutely no excuse for their actions, and each would be bound over to keep the peace for twelve mouths in a recognisance of ana mu; surety of £s°> 01 two sure Iks w each. The men staicu that they would not attempt to find sureties, auu. intended going to gaol. The Magistrate, addressing the strikers in the body of the Court, drew attention to the increased bonds of the last four men, and intimated that if any further cases came under his notice he would raise the individual recognisances to and go on raising them thereafter. These offences m ust be stopped, and it would be well that they should recognise that it was useless to go on kicking against the law, as the law always won. It must be understood tint he was absolutely determined that the district under his jurisdiction should be law-abiding and orderly. He was sorry that the strike had occurred, and to note the suffering which the strikers had had to put up with in consequence; and he was sorry, also, that a number of people who had not been parties to the disputes should have suffered. He sincerely hoped that the strike would be brought to a speedy and honourable settlement, and he would be only too pleased to do anything he could to bring about its termination. This he would do willingly and ungrudgingly, and without consideration for the time expended. In concluding, Mr Fraser said that no doubt some of the men present were under the impression that the informations in which they would be involved were yet to be dealt with, but such was not the case. He had talked the matter over with Mi Mays and the police authorities, and it bad been decided that anything that happened up to the present juncture should not be made the subject of a charge. They should start with a clean slate from to-day, and he hoped they would keep it clean. This decision would show that there was no desire on the part of the police to deal harshly with them.