News-Notes From the Front.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 15, 16 June 1911, Page 12

News-Notes From the Front.

Dunedin Doings.

CONSCRIPTION AND THE ELEC-

TIONS

Aucldand's comic press is rough on Dunedin because, like Peter Pan, it will not grow up. The ''Social Democrat" will not bark because Scott Bennett preaches to hundreds and Frank Freeman to fifties. The Socialist Partybore is producing earth tremors to prepare themselves for the shock later. A comrade sold 126 and 97 Maouiland Workers on two Saturday nights. But ho had helped to sell "Justice" .more than a score years way back in Fleet Street. Will the elderly gracious woman who said "Three copies, please, citizen," make herself known ?

Then there were three sailors from, a French vessel. May bo tho red covers attracted them. Anyhow, the comrade tried to twist his lollicker to their patter. Kesuit—nearly as bad as a broken football scrum. 'Twas a second edition of the prodigal son's return—except the kissing business. Long live tho Social Revolution! Would we drink to it in good red wine? Tut! Tut! There was Comrade McManus a hundred yards up the street putting the Socialist View ot .Prohibiti-oii, and these three jolly matelote crying aloud for red wine!

Well, the red wine shall come later on if the raco has not lost the taste for the blood of Bacchus. This is the day of commercial siipremacy, science reigning and liberty triumphant. In piam prose, methyiatod spirit and burnt sugar tor brown brandy, logwood extract and fermented moiasses tor wine, and saccharine solutions with a bitter flavour for beer. Never worry! Our drench comrades bought three Wokkkhs, came to i'reeraan's lecture on the '•Yellow Peril," dropped their just dues in the collection place, protended to understand every word of his address and never applauded at the wrong time. This is comradeship.

Freeman is putting in work here that must tell. The lecture on the leiiow .Peril was never intended to be an oratorical etrort. One© or twice he drove a point home with his accustomed earnestness, and slowlyrismg burning eloquence which rivets one's attention with a wish for it oftener. Facts shot out every few moments. Some, as Hyndman would say. : 'iu. all their nideous nakedness." Otners, especially where women and children were concerned, came like a crooning song of the Uonnemora peasant or a woman goatnerd of the Basque province. ''Vr'hy can you Socialists always plead so convincingly for women and children!'"' once asJsod a sordid civy shark.

Then there are the '•'meetings at the fountain." Sometimes the crowd have '•'marked time" to -prevent their boots bein" frozen to Dunedin mud. The laUor "takes the whustle." (Trust no Scot will quarter the scribe for quoting or missquoting Burns.) Freeman gives a good ten minutes about the past liistory of the Worker, usually concluding '"We support the other fellows paper six times a week, then to save yourself eternal disgrace support your own press once a week." Correspondence has been very strong in the local press ro comrmlsory training. Opponents to our side are few. This brings forth 4.7 discharges from the editorial chairs. The leading articles say: "Surely Mr. Freeman does or does not mean, etc.. etc." And then Frank tells them what the Socialist does mean — especially at the Fountain. The local branch of the Socialist Party purchased 1000 copies of the "►Social .Democrat" special number. Local comrades are working well. If we had been only able to have done au the introductory stages of the -Bill as well a<3 we are now doing, Joseph would have had another patch in his coat of many colours. But the future looks cheery. JNext election will b© pretty lively- even from those we may not have* captured by the time it comes. Dunedin wishes Auckland well with its dusky little Savage. Greetings to comrades Cooke and Howard, of Christchurch, and trust skirmishing has oommoncod. The fight in tho South Ward should suit Ted. To him Fill has no fears, and being an old .service man, Yvhite(ii)ing may remind him of lOa. Dunedin must have Munro out against Miliar. Jim is a clean fagntcr, hitter, and tho Scotch dourness all burnt out by the New Zealand climate. Employer as he now is, you find the workers seeking his help in tho Trades Union world. Many of them know the successful fight he and his partner, Comrade Neilson, put up against the Flour and Bread King in Dunedin. The local Labor Party is playing at tho game of resurrection.

Three years since TVluhro was amongst them. To-day he looks from a clearer and loftier height. Dunedin has opportunity with such a candidate to make poor old Millar more testy than Moirty made him at Wellington the other week. The Socialist never loses at an election —votes or no votes. He just gives the other fellow qualms of conscience, or what is left of his conscience, and shines as a light to lighten the gentiles.

Some of you may be reading this who are outside the Socialist I'arty. Well get inside". Don't think your part is well played by buying the Maobiland Worker, contributing to the collection, and generally standing round. Read over the article by "Dogmatist" on Revolution once more. Things arc moving rapidly in New Zealand as elsewhere. Human society is the only r>art of the cosmos that evolves with a conscious intelligence .behind it. The more powerful that intelligence the quicker the evolution. Evolution is but the putting in order of human affairs for the revolution. Revolutions in the past have arrived for the benefit of a section of a nation or the race. Each can play his or her part for the next to be tiio first for all the nation and the whole of the race. "Tis a real live struggle to be in. It makes the eyes sparlile, tho life blood course anew through the veins, the merry laughter as musical as the yoidel of a Swiss mountaineer. 'Tis a mad world outside, my masters, but inside there's the magic of the ages past and yet to be. —YIN ROUGE.