The Manawatu Herald. Thursday, October 30, 1913. NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 1165, 30 October 1913, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. Thursday, October 30, 1913. NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Mr. W. T. Young, secretary of the Wellington Seamen's Union, and one of the leading lights in the ranks ot the Federation of Da hour, was one of the speakers at the mass meeting of strikers held in the Basin Reserve, Wellington, on Sunday last. It will be remembered that the strikers took possession of the Basin Reserve without consulting Ihe City Council, and gained admission by smashing down the gates —a procedure quite in keeping with the cult of the Red Feds. Anyhow, Mr Young spoke, and opened his inflammatory speech by justifying the smashing down of gates by slating that the strikers were the owners of the Basin Reserve, quite oblivious of the fact that the Federation of Labour represents but an infinitesimal proportion of the Empire City’s population, and to the wall-eyed vision of this c auk the great majority of sensible and peaceloving citizens have no existence. This revolutionary went on to say that if the authorities employed special police or the Permanent Artillery in support of the em ployers, he would undertake to march on Wellington with 10,000 or 15,000 armed men! “If a police constable uses his baton, give it him back —rand make it a double header !” urged Mr Young. “It you’re going down, go down in style. You will very easily have from 10,000 to 15,000 men to support you against the batons ®f the police.” If the authorities, iu order to protect life and properly against acts of lawlesuess and mob rule, dare to touch the sacred personages of those who would defy lawaud order, then the double-headed bashing process is to proceed backed up by this noble general, who would lead an army on the city ! It Is pitiable to think that there are men iu the Labour rauks who applaud such utter balderdash. The strikers have themselves to blame for the present trouble aud when the time comes —as come it must —to use free labour they will bitterly regret being led by firebrands.