THE STRIKE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 1174, 20 November 1913, Page 4

THE STRIKE.

The following open letter to the Waterside.s by “ One of the Workers,” appeared in Monday’s Evening Post: — "Fellow workers, —You have now been ou strike over three weeks. Result, enormous loss of wages ; scores of wives and children on the verge of starvation ; city flooded with armed police and rioting; ycur leaders arrested, and others taking your places and earning good wages. Now, men, just have a quiet think to yourselves, and ask yourselves if the game is really worth the candle. It is not as if you were out for a matter uf wages and hours ; if you win, where do you stand ? Why, just where you were before you came out, with the right to strike again if you choose. Now, men, are you content to stand idly by while your wives aud children starve, aud thousands of other workers rendered idle aud the country laid desolate, for the sake of a few well paid Socialist agitators, whose very existence depends upon their creating strife and discontent. Remember Waihi ; you surely do not want history to repeat itself, which it surely will if not slopped in time. Take the advice of one who has been through strikes iu the Old Country —tire worker is the loser every lime. Another word- ou your leaders. How much strike fund had they at the back of them when they called you out ? It is about the same as a general entering into a battle with no ammunition. Reason with yourselves, aud take a secret ballot, aud I have no fear of the result. I ask your indulgence, Mr Editor, to publish this.”

NOTES

Comment has been occasioned by the fact that although Mr Webb, M.P., is a leading member of the Federation of Labour and is actively engaged in advocating the strike, he made no bones about taking passage in the s.s. Pateeua with a so called “scab” crew to Lyttelton last week. If it is right to boycott “scab” goods, where d es the exemption come in—or is it a matter of convenience, not piiuciple, all the time. Another echo of the strike. A Maori youth—one ot the special constables from up country—was walking .along a Wellington thoroughfare when some choice language was hurled at him by a strike sympathiser. “800, yer dirty black scab,” yelled the strike sympathiser. The Maori’s answer was very effective. He merely’ doffed his bat and bowed politely to the pakeha hurler of the expletive, aud, with a smile, passed on. In this case the grandson ol a savage gave his while brother who inherited over a thousand years of civilisation a lesson in good breeding. An old workman (or one firm of Auckland tanners, who had been in its employ for the last thirty years, was called out by a strike picket this week. After filling various positions, he had at last become engineer, and as he went he said to his old boss : “We have come to the parting of the ways, sir.” The picket remarked to the employer : “Don’t you victimise him because he has been called out.” The employer laid his hands kiudly on the old man’s shoulder, aud said : “Get it over as soon as you can, Archie, and your billet will be awaiting for you when you come back.” “Wbal will you do without him” was asked by the picket. “Oh,” was the calm response, “the other fifty men employed here are not goiug to be thrown out; my sou has au engineer’s certificate, so he will keep the billet open.” Those words are still in operation.