CHRISTCHURCH COMMENTS.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 3, Issue 58, 19 April 1912, Page 10

CHRISTCHURCH COMMENTS.

Crowded Meeting— Codley as a Socialist Propagandist—The Backbone of the Country—Trades CouncilRoyal Commission. The other Sunday evening I remained in tlie Square a little after 8 discussing with a gentleman who is a "bit of 5 Socialist" that most interesting question, "Who would do the dirty work under Socialism?" and in consequence I was a bit lato for the meeting. When I arrived at tho hall I wondered wftiat tho trouble was all about. The door was blocked, men squeezing in, looking orar ono another's shoulders; tho windows were all full too, and I felt certain that the editor of the Labor Column must have suddenly pounced down on the "Red 9," and that we wero in for a jolly time. Being a vagabond, I knew the way in the back of tho hall, and wanting to sco tho fun I wont in. To say that hall was packed is using a mild term —it waß literally crammed. Now, what was the great attraction? There was our Freddy Cooke talking away to this vast audience, just telling 'em what a good man Sir Jojo is for giving us this Conscription Act! There never has been such a rush to Socialism before. Mr. tho employers' agitator, says we have four highly-paid organisers working for tho Revolutionary Socialists. Why, we have Kot dozens! General Godloy is about the best of the bunch. He's making Socialists by the hundred for us. The party in this village will have to get a bigger hall, and we are thinking of buying one of the many theatres in this city. If they jail many more of our boys all Christchurch will become Socialist. 'The authorities little dream what they aro doin# by the jailing of our lads. A few years ago, nay, months, it was considered a disgrace to go to jail, and now it's considered a disgrace if you haven't been to jail! Every time they send one of our boys to jail they are helping to popularise these institutions, and I shall feel sorry for tho owning class when the next unemployed trouble comes on, because instead of half-starvine, we'll just go down to ono of George Wettin's boarding-houses until they provido us with work. Yes, I hope they will keep up this compulsory training pantomime. Do you know, Mr. Editor, that tho backbone of the country is getting a wriggle on? One of them was recently reported as having been guilty of liigh treason, bigamy, manslaughter or something that one is guilty of who dares to say anything about the King's soldiers. He said they had taken his boy into camp, and that that kid was worth a pound a day to him. He had to do tho blooming ploughing himself now, and every time he turned his team round lie cursed our only Baronet. 1 have road, somewhere something nhout "uneasy rests the head that wears half-n-erown." I hope "Boitownets" don't have to wear that kind of trade union bad^e. Things aro fairly lively in union circles just now. The Trades Council is under review. Its leading man says Ei at, in spite of the attacks of the 'Red Revolutionary Socialists, the Council is just as good to-day as ever. Tlie ruddy Revolutionary Socialists havo never afctackid tlie Council— Ihov have simply left il. This "Vug." lias always had a. opiiikcn of the Council. I have lvpcnE'lly F.Ed it was one of the best debating classes in N«w Zealand. The deln.;ntr.s on the Council are all good speakers kkey do riolhing else. But slill, it's rcEier significant that since Mm "Reds" 1. ft tlv (Evncil the only thing it took in hand (the exhibition) has been a frost. Never in the history of the Council has it had such a poor year as this otic, ft started with a pcniKiiKtit tee rotary, who had to bo abolished. It v, as unable to held rogu-

lar meetings after the "Reds" withdrew. It then changed its night of mooting from Saturday to Thursday, and although tho attendance has been a little more regular, yet many meetings have been counted out for want of a quorum. Now the Council has got a proposition before it to reduce the number required to form a quorum, and in the "Times" lately appeared a letter from Mr. Springer, a gentleman who is not a Revolutionary Socialist of any color, in which he gave the following list of unions, with their membership, that have left tho Council:—General Laborors' Union, 120(1; Carpenters' Union, 3<16; Amalgamated Carpenters' Union, 286; Tailors' Union, 413; Hotel and Restaurant Employees' Union, 389; Bricklayers' Union., 115; Stonemasons' Union, 30; Metal Workers' Assistants' Union, 147; Tailorcssos' and Pressers' Union, 2(39; Brick makers' Union, 12G; Freezers' Union, 230; and goodness knows how many more, in addition to the hundreds who aro not organised. Also there is tlio Waterside Workers' Union of four or five hundred, tho Casual Wharf Lumpers' Union, 100, and other unions who have given tho necessary notice of withdrawal. And tho pity is that this is all being caused by the"professionals/ who will not allow a progressive change in the methods to be adopted. W'oll, in a huaidreA years it will bo all right, so we need not worry. Our friends of the Chamber of Commerce are just beginning to discover that there is industrial unrest, and they have solemnly passed a resolution in favor of a Royal Commission being set up to try and discover the cause I .;E»st fancy, Mr. Editor man, they want to know the cause I Just put this down for them (they all take "Tho Worker") :— A young married man received a note from King George, or someone who represents him, to attend tho camp at Easter, and to bring, in addition to other things, tihreo blankets. Now, this man and wife only had two blankets to their name, and if the hubby took both of them to camp, will it take a Royal Commission to discover tihe causo of the industrial unrest in that family? There aro hundreds of cases like this in Christchurch, and tho owning class know this by tho number of applicants every winter for tho Mayor's blankets. Our Labor loaders (?) say a Royal Commission would be all right were they allowed to select their own representatives. This would bo a costly picnic, and so I make this offer to our friends of the Chamber of Commercethat wo Red Revolutionary Socialists will guarantee to tell them the cause, and show them a cure, and it shan't cost thorn five bob or take up more than 20 minutes of their time. (Aceeptanco of this offer to lie sent to "Worker" office) Tho Church has also discovered that tboro are Socialists in New Zealand, and we had the novelty of witnessing the Celestial Guessers of tlio Cathedral or Church of England out on tho candle box on a recent Sunday afternoon. It killed our meeting; our boys were not going to miss a good thing like that, and they all went over and had a good time. "He hath put down tho mighty from their seats, and hath exalteth the humble and meek; He hath filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he hath sent empty away," quoted tho preacher. And the boys laughed wheu they thought of the hot time that our worthy Bishop was in for later on.— THE VAG.