CHRISTCHURCH COMMENTS.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 36, 10 November 1911, Page 13

CHRISTCHURCH COMMENTS.

Labor Picnic. —Exhibition Fad.

The City of Churches has had a real good week's ''proper ganda" that will help on the "coining change." It has been written that all roads lead to "Socialism." Well, we can safely say all roads pursued by the Labor elements .during- the last week will lead many to "Socialism" as the only hope. On Monday we had the Labor picnic handed oyer to a private firm to run, and the "pure and simple" Trades Unionist looking about .for the "leaders" to ask where were the children's toys and their bags of lollies, and where was the £40 surplus from past picnics? And they are still inquiring.

On Tuesday we had one of the Labor leaders offering himself as a candidate against another Labor (not Socialist) candidate as a strong bare majority (liquor question) man, anti-compulsory military training, and anti-Socialist candidate,- and being nominated by the (so-called) Labor party unity schemers. This gentleman is an "acrobat" of the first watei*. At the great .Dreadnought meeting in this city he seconded a resolution condemning the Baronet for giving away a man-o'-war. A few months after, at the Labor Conference, " knowing he was out of order, he submitted a resolution' congratulating "Siirjoe" on his naval policy. As majority man,'the Labor party wiped-it out of their programme and he's ruled by them. Anti-military training is another vote-catching tumble. And the workers remember this-

On Thursday we had the opening of the Workers' Exhibition for the purpose of advertising their master's goods.. The "Lyttelton Times" says: "The function concluded in a very pleasant manner with the singing of the 'Old Hundredth,' Mr. J. A. Frostick playing the accompaniment." Ain't that grand? Rejoice, O ye wageslaves! This is tlie unity scheme fulfilled! The chieif slave-driver with a deadhead ticket and the Labor leaders on deadiiead tickets, feasting and making merry, singing "Praise God," meaning all the time, Praise the fool worker, who will have'to toil and moil, loaded with a hundredweight of bricks on his back up and down a ladder, or sweating on the inside of a boiler, or get lead-poisoned with paint, and have to pay, and the sorrow of it, will willingly, pay for these parasites' free feed. And the feed!. Just read the' list of guests:—The.. Mayor, tlie .-.Town. Clerk, Mayor of Sumner, Mayor of New Brighton, Mayor of Lyttelton, President of Employers'- Association, Prof. -W. T. Mills, Rev. Dr. Erwin., President of .the Industrial. Association, Chairman "of 'the' Hoathcote Cotiivty Council; .Brigadier of Salvation Army, Rev.- I. Berstein, Chairman Board of .Governors Canterbury. College, mem; berSiof the;' City Council' and other local bodies'/-'Mr; -Whiting in :.the. chair, and the workers kept;: on working- of course, all '.we >want. Ip • right to work;■ i'The '■■, workejts^, .tlie -above .masters. : gav;e_ perihtssfon tliy;Vhio.wirig) ;a ; : whistle; - went- -home > seiragemi of »ia«ck«f mutton and clieer-

fully went along and paid for th© bosses' free feed. After the toast of "The.King" had been honoured, Mr. Sullivan toasted the "Parliament of 'Gorsown' Country!" The Parliament that had done nothing for the workers! The Parliament that the Labor party has condemned to death 1 This surely is a. joke—to propose the health of the fellow you are going to hang! Chairman, of the Tramway Board, who has been also condemned to death on account of tlie demerit system, said r the object of the workers should be to do their best for the country at large. And the workers kept on working. The Chairman, who was loudly applauded, said the object of the Exhibition was ito give further employment to N.Z. workers. They had with them that day representatives of all classes of the community, besides members of the churches, and other officials. The gathering was evidence of the harmony and Unity which those engaged iii industry had striven for, concord: and unity;; And Mills of Milwaukee, the compiler of "The Struggle • for Existence," the" Revolutionary Socialist, sat it out without ,a wink : and the workers—where were they? -Working! On Saturday we had the BennettMills debate. Oh, such a show! Mills apologising " for the reactionaries, preaching (after he had gauged his ! audience), '; straight-otit Revolutionary Socialism; Scott Bennett emphasising Socialism, but po in ting out that the unity scheme did - hot advocate Socialism. And so the workers are being educated and the revolution is coming. —THE VAG.