Timaru Tidings.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 74, 9 August 1912, Page 5

Timaru Tidings.

VISIT OF HOWARD AND SEMPLE

Tiniaru has just been favored with a visit from Ted Howard and Bob Somple. During their brief stay they did much to give the lie to tho, press both in respect to theinsehos and the organisation which they represent. Ted mounted tho soapbox on the street corner on Saturday night, July 20, and in his best style deal: nut some home truths to the crowd which had assembled to hear hiiii. He drew some very vivid pictures of the class-struggle as it exists in society to-day, and by comparisons showed his hearers the overwhelming advantages of sound industrial organisation as against the capitalistic institution known as tho Arbitration Court. In the course of his remarks, the sidetracking tactics of W. T. Mills came in for sonve strong criticism, the result of which w-is a number of questions from a man in the crowd, prominently connected with the local Labor Party. Anyhow, Ted got in the "knock-out." and his interrogator received wme information which I trust will prove not altogether unprofitable to him., and which, at. any rate, was not wasted so far as the cr,owd was concerned. Gn Sunday evening, July 21, Bob Semple delivered an address before a large audience ill the Assembly Rooms on the strike at \Vaihi and the lock-out at Reefton. A. M. Hall, who was in the. chair, briefly introduced Semple and Howard. Ted, of course, was not a stranger in Timaru, but the chairman considered it necessary to reassure tho audience in respect to Semple. He had been writ-ton up in the capitalist press as such a monster of iniquity that some of i>ho ladies might be feeling uneasy regarding him, but he gave them his assurance that ho onild vouch for Bob as a rational and a civilised human being. Howard spoko for a few minutes, after which "Bob Semple rose. From tho very onset he nailed the attention of his audience to the question with which ho 1 was dealing, and for .over an hour tho meeting listened in rapt attention to a review of the events which led up to the strike and lock-out. Bob marshalled his -facts in such a manner and so eloquently -put the case of the miners thp,t there was no doubt left in the minds of the four or five hundred people present as to the correctness of the revolt of the miners against tho conspiracy of the mine-owners to drag them back to the enslavement of the Arbitration Court. Ho. explained the working of the "popper" and the effect which t.ho dust in the mine had upon the minor. He also explained the terms of tho award under which the Reefton men wero working, and how the mineowners had broken the award and been backed up by the absurd interpretation of the clause of the Act by the Crown Law Office. Bob proved up to the hilt tho existence of the organised conspiracy amongst the employing class to crush the workers, by breaking up the Federation of Labor, and ho reiterated in language which rang out clear and distinct his determination, with that of every true man and woman, to stand firm and unflinching in the struggle. When question time came it was found that Bob had dealt with his subject so convincingly that there was no need for questions. Thereupon Mr. D. Mills moved, and Mr. A. J. King seconded the following resolution: "That in the opinion of this meeting of citizens ,of Tiniaru, the interpretation placed upon clause (1$) of the C. and A. Act was altogether contrary to the spirit of the legislature, and they express their approval of the action of the miners of Waihi and Reefton." The chairman called for any amendment, but there was none forthcoming. Mr. R. Gould spoke fb the resolution, and a show of hands was asked for. A forest of hands went up for the resolution, the "noes" being represented by one solitary hand. This closed one of the most successful meetings ever held in under the auspices of the Federation of Labor! Capitalist papers, please note.—A. M. HALL.