On the Spot at Waihi.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 75, 16 August 1912, Page 4

On the Spot at Waihi.

iy "THE VAC."

Poor Waihi! I always thought jt was a prohibition town, but after read* ing tihe Conciliation Commissioners' re* ports, I have my doubts.

I myself have seen snakes and some very curious animals in places where those things never were, but I have never been so bad that I saw guns and bloodthirsty men prowling round looking for someone's "gore."

Poor Waihi, it's in an awful plight. The dear capitalist that finds the workers work and pays the workers wages is howling because the workers don't want his work at his conditions; and in spite of the fact that tihis country would be ruined if Capital leaves the country, these workers don't seem to care a hang about the country,

When bhe worker stops Working, poor Mr. Capitalist has his dividends stopped—but that doesn't trouble him; all lie's concerned about is that the poor worker isn't working.

Our Conciliation (nice word) Commissioners are impartial gentdemen who were sent to Waihi to tell an impartial Government all about the trouble at Waihi.

They went, they saw, and apparently they reported some strange things they saw. On the one hand, they saw a lot of peaceable, law-abiding citizens walking about in pairs, armed with, guns and a scared look on their faces; on the other hand, they 6aw a lot of bloodthirsty individuals learning and practising that dangerous game knows as quoits V

Distress and poverty are rampant, in spite of the fact that the Charitable Aid Board in April (previous to the strike) was paying out £4 17s. per week, and that now in the depth of winter it is only paying £7 10s. per week.

The hospital was full of poor people who had been brought to death's door through these bloodthirsty men who don't carry guns refusing to dig gold so that the employers can pay the workers wages—the Commissioners saw this and know it is true, and the man who keeps the record at the hospital is one who cannot be trusted, and whose figures have been made to lie! Those figures say tihat duffing/ May there were 52 in hospital (before the strike); in July there were 40 (during the strike).

Bub the Commissioners know these V figures are wrong. They saw a lot more "noughts." And even the children of these bloodthirsty men who don't carry guns but who quietly play quoits, are also becoming dangerous, and perhaps in the near future the children of the peaceable citizens who carry guns and go will arm their «eilildso they can protect themselveWßaniSfc those desperadoes.

Yes, Waihi is a fearfully dangerous place! This Vagabond strolled in the other evening, didn't tell anyone he was coming, for fear those desperate men who arm themselves with quoits might do some injury to him. Hβ wandered around to see some of the misery that was pinching the faces of the poor people around Waihi —strolled into a big hall filled with a crowd of meri, wdmeii and children, most of them dancing.

But they couldn't deceive mc. I knew they were suffering the pangs of hunger, and so I watched closely. I knew I should catch them directly and find oub thei naked truth. Had not the Commissioners seen these things? I watched these men's waist-belts. I knew they took in a hole for dinner and another for tea; they couldn't deceive mc or the Corilmisskmers—but, strange things arc happening in poor "Waihi. These awful men who don't carry guns are putting on weight, by going through these hard times. Ii almost makes our friends the Capitalists and the Commissioners cry. These men are actually improving their health by Jiot going down the mines to produce gold so that the employers can pay the workers wages to enable them to live and reproduce their kind. Well, this Vag. has been deceived at Waihi. The only miserable-looking individual he could find was % poor landlord who wasn't getting his rent. The only wild-eyed revolutionary-lookiiig gentleman he caw someone told him was a policeman.

This Vagabond has been had. Never mind, the nest time I go to Waihi I am going with a Commissioner.