The Waihi Fight.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 70, 12 July 1912, Page 7

The Waihi Fight.

A Lesson in Direct Action. By H. E. HOLLAND.

Thc papers have been fpr.to lull 'of suggeM-ious to (ho Waihi minors to take a ballot ro seceding from the Federation oi Labor and registering under the Arbitration Act, and when Mr. Josioph Foster tersUvhilo Seddoniaii candidate and Labor Independent! took Kibe platiorm a couple of Sundays ago lor tin; "Forward Afnvoinent." the church concern: that includes some of the seal,' enginedruors. with a lecture "on Yfcititlvos and Lockouts, it nas openly .BUjigiMK-d that Mr. Fosier was only .stating, wnat the inine-ovineis tiiougiit. indeed. Mr. Foster was asked at thai mooting if it wa* not, a fact that be was concerned, with the editor oi a 'certain' pajicr. in an endeavor to get a Scab-union formed. lie told tlie questioner that ho had been approached, but was 'not doing anything in the matter. ■ At the meet-ing referred to. Mi. AY alter' Thomas Mills' absence was apolofor. and if was said that Mr. Mills "would probably speak in Waihi bhortly! This gave rise to further suspicion that an effort would be made to use--the United Labor Party to wreck the strike.

On the follow ing Thursday, the little To Aroba "News" contained a reprint leading article (said to hay« appeared in other N.Z papers-, in which the chief arguments, were similar to those put forward by Mr. Foster, in his "Forward Movement " addtcss. and one paragraph of which was word ior woid with what Mr. Fcstor bad said. convoying the idea that Mr. Foster* speech and the newspaper articles mi-k----the result oi a kindred inspiration.

The Waihi paper' of the same day c'onla'ine'd an announcement to the effect that Mr. Foster would next evening speak on the local strike and the seah union. The- rooili- was that the Aea-hmy 'I'boatre—which holds '''rem lIOU to SdllO people—was packed lethe doors by 7..'10 on Friday. The star artist -.>as not billed to pel form til! 8. so the strikers whiled away the. tune ivhistling "The, Ited Flag." until just on S: o'clock one, master-mind struck

I'm coming ! -I'm coining ) Mi head is iK'tiding low—

I can hear those angel voices calling

poor eld Joe!" The retrain was taker, r.p ly half the audience, and when ono Jnok< d at that s< a of faces ar.d thought of the "angel voices" that were calling Waihi's doe. i in? was ooiistraim d to lauiih vorv loud and very long,

In due time tbo chairman, appeared, and as m- came on to the platlorm. followed by Mr. Foster, ringing c-heeis were given for tbe Federation. As if to emphasise Mr. Richards' question ot the previous Sunday, bo proved to be Mr.'AValinatt, oi the lucj.l "Daily Tilegraph."

Mr. AVallnutt was not peimitted to speak. He endeavored to assure the audionet that tho views to bo put lei-

A Strike-Wrecking Effort Ends in Disaster.

ward by the speaker *.Onld Hot necessarily bo endorsed by him. iShouts of derision drowned bis protestations, and in despair ho called on the speaker.

Before Mr. Fostcj could say. "Mr. Chairman," tho AVaihi . miners' vicepresident (Mr. McLennan) arose and asked whether a. representative of the union would be permitted, after Mr. Foster's address. U place the union's side of the case.

Mr. AVallnuti. alter .consulting Mr. Foster, replied that questions would be permitted, but that no spocehmaking would he allowed, neither would any resolution be taken.

Thereupon the woiki.ng-clr.sF section ol tho audience arose as one man. gave another groat cheer for, the Federation of Labor, and poured like a mighty living torrent into tho street,, leaving Mr. Foster to deliver hi.s tirade against tlie strikers to a handful of what our friend King woul 1 call cockroach storekeepers, bank managers stockbrokers, aud many other brokers, their wives and children —exactly 142 oi them. The New Zealand "Herald" said 400 people left; the Auckland "Star" said oOO; while the AVaihi "Daily Telegraph" declared that IiOO walked out. As a matter of fact, tho number that left was much nearer 1000.

Tlie miners and th< ir wives pui'-ed into tho Miner,';' Hal!, where a dance was proceeding. and—dancing being called off —brie] addrosws 'wore delivered by King and" the writer to a most enthusiastic meeting of men and women, who were jubilant at tlie answer, of class solidarity that, bad been given to tho attempt to inwlt tlie strike. Tlie miners made it clear that I hey would tolerate, m. strike-smashing tactics, and probably the hsson administered to Mr. Fosiej will be taken to heart. It is freely asf-.'irtod in AVaihi that had Foster be n listened to by any serious section ol tbo iniiKis, .Professor Mills would bate been immediately invited to AVaihi. at tbo company's instigation, in the. Jiopo that bis Labor Party propaganda, might succeed in chloroforming the miners back to tho bondage, of the cjass-eeiit-rolled Arbitration Court.

After tho miners had gone. Mr. Foster delivered bis uddioss te bis sad'i.vdiminisbed and sorrow-stricken audience, with a running lire oi interjections from a few minors v. ho. having failed to get into the Miners' Hall, returned to torture Joseph.

Mr. Foster deciaied that, tin- -kike bad been manoeuvred by Parry, lor no roasoti at all, and wit lion i the knowledge of tbo minors : that the miners didn't care who lowered them : that they wero mot and <allod to a meeting, at which a ballot "was demanded, and which was not granted, simply because the men were excited ; that the strike was declared by a show of bauds, and now all the brains of tho Federation of Labor couldn't undo tho awful wickedness that Lad been done to the town of Waihi. At this stago tho bankers and the stockbrokers; and the storekeepers, who aro also brokers, sad "Hear, hoar.'' very violently. Then Mr. Foster proclaimed flic utter wickedness ol that F.L. man who had said they should break agreements for class reasons. TTo said the miners repudiated the Federation's attitude. Ho cursed Parry with an exceeding loud curse, and said tho men of AVaihi must not sit down calmly like whipped dogs (now, does a whipped dog sit downr) to please a few union leaders Ho al s o proclaimed that no ore had a right to say that «. man should or should not go to work. And the bankers and the brokers and tbo fockroacb.es clipped their hands and stampid t!.< '; feet, aid almost cheered. Mr. Foster next devoted bis attention to tho writer'" speech en the strike that Moses led, but be shied at the sabotage, that Moses practised. Next. tho fierceness of his wrath fell upon Ihe I.AY.AY. and brothei King. The. blackest piece, of iniquity that, was ever introduced was that same I.Vv.AV. Jt was tho most indescribable beast that had ever crawled. Tho man who preached sabotage, was preaching the same, soil cf thing as organised biughay, and the police ought to place the prcache;-.- oi

such wickedness where they would bo safe.

Nino storekeepers, one banker, and one mine superintendent cheered.

AVarining to his work, the lecturer said tho idea of loafing while the boss was away would mean that the wasters would appoint taskmasters to drive tho workers, and, furthermore, the J.A\ T .W. would not last 24 hours, and if it did he was in a position to say that the mines would never open.

And once again tbo bankers and the cockroaches and the brokers said "Hear, hear!" But one doorkeeper said, "What bally rot!"

The shaker's neck swelled out with indignation, and ho assured his audience of bank managers and brokers and storekeepers that a large crowd of men were opposed to the Federation, and that if these could be rallied Ihey could demand a ballot and withdraw from the Federation. He said the Federation was only 1000 strong; that it was beaten and broken; that it was running a. sectional strike, which was no good—implying that it ought to be running a general strike: that ho (Foster) was opposed to a scab union; that they should let tho men work who wanted to work (well, who's stopping thorn?); that ho wasn't going to keep silent ; that they should demand a general strike to fix the Federation; that if the union didn't move in. the direction bo had indicated other men would; that he knew a large number of men who were tired of tho strike: that .1 leading Socialist (be didn't namo him) condemned tlie strike; that four sensible men should be appointed to interview the company and get- an agreement which could be ratified before the At bit ration Court, and which would bind both tho masters and thc men.

Loud applause from thc mine boss and the bankers and the brokers and like storekeepers greeted this pronouncement.

Mr. Foster.eoncbided w itb a clincher. He declared-that tbe. men who came here from Australia agitating were neither game nor capable to better the conditions in their own country, lie instanced Hondigo as a case in poind. He said be was spealong as a worker thrown out of work'by the strike: in* was there to vindicate bis character; and to say that it would be bettor to work under an agreement which ihc workers could not break.

There was great hand-flapping and stamping of feet, and quite a number of "Hear, hears!" as the. speaker concluded. Indeed, fully l.'l men and one woman applauded, and one dog barked.

Then, as if to give further point to Mr. Richards' question of the previous Sunday, Mr. Mellobie (chief boss of the Waihi "D.T.") arose and mo> ed a vole of condolence—no, of sympathy —ne. of thanks to Mr. Foster, and said be iv..- glad Mr. Foster had done what- be had done.

The mot ion was carried recklessly by acclamation, and tbe "meeting brok* up. and a. policeman was told oil' to see- Mr. Foster off the promises, butwhether to protect him or tho miii"is 1 am not in a position to say. The papers are now saying that ibe spirit of solidarity shown by the miners demonstrates that a is some distance oft'; and even the N.Z. "Herald" admits that a secret ballet — that thrice-blessed instrument favored of the bosses —would only result in favor of the "Red Federation."

But. brothers mine, a great lesson in direct action was administered in AVaihi on that historical Friday night. Sui"!