AUCKLAND ACTIVITIES.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 3, Issue 54, 22 March 1912, Page 10

AUCKLAND ACTIVITIES.

A»yiunr »w\ ) *■'■ £'"•» by, and jtLH iui iolutiou <>' "i'r* 1 * vorvi V trouble Sbe Frtioration i ».i ■.β-ica its hardest to bring r.!x»ut •* air.icai-ie •etrlou.'.i:t but *i' "• vain. ''!"-o ,-iiast«x-chiSa ot Auckland »,•■«• epoiJiug tor a fight— that is, according to Mr. Alison,cinei Iteminary of the Ferry Company, who told this to Messrs. Canhnm and Boardman, at a conference lately. Ot •oum\ Mr. Alison would welcome a ftrike; b<v has a big pile of coal down on Brown's Island, and no doubt ho wants to wl! out at an enormous profit. Bon't you, Mr. Alison? 1 was at the fen«ral laborers' meeting on Wednes day night, 6th in at., and the spirit shown by the knights of the pick and ■hovel was a sight to behold. And withal, cautious, for they left the matter in dispute entirely in the hands ot the parent organisation, which will call the pace when ail arc ready. I am not so "shook" on my own Union. We have quite a nice collection of workers who ought to join that intellectual organisation known as the Municipal Workers' I.XI. of W., registered under the Arbitration Court. They are willing to strike when they are getting everything for themselves, but in caso of a class fight for'their •wn class interests then they are "above" the common or garden pick and shovel wallahs. Anyway, at a meeting of the Union on Friday last, after hearing the Federation representatives, Messrs. Webb ajid Parry, and the General Laborers' President, P Fraser, it was decided to leave the matter in the hands of the Federation Executive, and that the Tramway Union would obey the call when "Down tools" was heard.

The scab union formed by the Town Clerk of Grey Lynn and his illustrious employers hasn't got 100 members yet, in spite of Christopher James's assertion to the contrary. And there are 860 men employed by the City Council and local bodies.

And what a collection of freaks the officers of this Union aro. Some of them are as much as £3 in debt to the General Laborers' Union; others are "ecabs" or "loyal" servants of the worst and most despicable kind. They are fit tools of bush lawyers and mid-dle-class' gramophones who live with the "citizens" on the heights of Uemnera. The "scabs" have got Bd. per day rise from their kind and thoughtful despots, and the tramway laborers got Iβ. a day rise, a free travelling pass, and a week's holiday on full pay at Christmas through the Federation of In the meantime the propaganda for industrial solidarity goes on apace; the other unions axe awakening to the reality of the war of classes. I venture to predict that the present situation in Auckland will do more to concentrate the workers than the last five years have done. Union meetings, mass meetings aJid demonstrations are the rale of the day, Paddy Webb, Scott Bennett, and Harry Fitzgerald addressing thousands at a time. All the smaller fry are busy too. All together, organised workers of Auckland, the laborers' fight is yours. Never let it be said that Auckland is a "scab" city. Quite a number of bosses arc getting weary of waiting for a strike. Contracts are hung up, and money is being lost; a little while longer and the master-class will be squealing amongst themselves. For the class-conscious voters of Auckland, I say, "P.M.G." You know, "i'arr must go." That will be an effective strike, and do good by letting the wind out of a much overrated pea-son, and bringing him down to the cold grey world of working-class opinion. The Socialist Party moves ahead with a vengeance-. Scott Bennett adireased a packed meeting at the Federal Hall on Tuesday night, March 5, and had a very hearty reception. On the following Saturday night, Comrades Adams, Stofcb, Solomon and Darker addressed an enormous crowd in Karangahape road, and had a splendid hearing in spito of t!>o interruptions of an ancient Prohibitionist and election joke, who has got water on his thinking machinery. Scott Bennett addressed a full house at the Opera House on Sunday afternoon,'lOtn inst., on "Unity, True and False," a reply to Walter T. Mills' articles in the capitalist "Star." Ho had an attentive hearing, punctuated with enthusiastic applause, as ho dealt with tho subject in an exhaustive tn.inner. Harry Fitzgerald spoke at nighttime- in the samo theatre, on "Mills, Fowlds, and C 0.," to another_ largo audience, and exposed tho historic Unity Scheme which hns "done" no many workers in Now Zealand. Walter T. Mills spoke to a hrge eudie-noe. of 100 (tho "Star" says !00(» at the King's Theatre, his speech bring chiefly directed against the weapon of the strike. Tho Unity business is about played out, and only awaits decent burial. At tho Methodist Conference the oilier day in our city, tho Rev. Lux ford •aid that tho anti-con scriptionisty and the boys who went to jail are a most undesirable clement of society. It is rather disconcerting to soo a follower of the Redeemer of Men railing at boja who refuse to have their con•citMices interfered with. An apostle of peace, eh? or a flunkey of a class who make wars but do not fight them, who make laws but do not obey them, and who have seiiKxl the power they hold by tho bayonet, by intrigue, and by

the tinplo.vuiont of individuals who instil the dogiiwts ol huurihiitioji into tiw hearts a;id buuis of thy liisuiiiwittd oi ihv earth.

Our autii-militarieis aiv a sturdy lot. and have no fear oi the "boohyhnfrh.." Thoro are 21 boys in Auckland who have Ikhvh liiit'd £2 and costs, and haven't paid. One boy was sackod by his employer, a prominent wowser and giowr, because he would not drill in the bosses' army. What about the courage oi the Territorials P Down at Morrintsville the other day two Socialists were chased by five Territorials with fixed bayonets. Heroes, aren't they ? ; When! Captain Hawkins left the Police Court the other morning, after prosecuting the passive resistersj he had six policemen to escort him. The question is: If it takes six policemen to protect Captain Hawkins from a few boys, how many will it need whon the German s arrive ?—SP AN WIRE.