Timaru Tidings.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 3, Issue 83, 11 October 1912, Page 3

Timaru Tidings.

HALL AND COULD BEFORE THE

PUBLIC.

A FINE MEETING AND GOOD

SPEECHES,

A public meeting was held at Caroline Bay (Timaru* K«eudy to protest against the action of the Government in sending polioo to Waihi, and to call upon the Government, in tho interests of justice, to immediately release the men from prison.

Mr. A. M. Hall mounted tho box in the band rotunda, and to an audience of several hundred reviewed the position of the* workers under arbitration, and explained the reason for the inauguration of tbe Federation of Labor. "tie enumerated its successes and advantages over the court, and showed why it was that the employers were conspirirg t<gcther to smash the Federation of Labor, and were being aided and abetted by the Massey Government by raising tho cry of. law and order.- Ho scathingly- -condemned- the partiality shown by tho presiding magistrate at Waihi, and compared it with the action of line magistrate in the Snr.ple v. Thornton ca-se to show how much justice Federationists can expect from a certain ilk of magistrates in the Dominion. He. appealed to the citizens of Timaru to make a vigorous protest for the men of Waihi.

Mr 11. Gould also appealed to the pccple of Timaru to sco -Uiat these men, who were peaceful citizens, should receive justice. If thoy could get it in no lot her way, ©very worker should down tools and force ihe hands of the Government, who posed as champions of law and order while taking sides with the mine owners by sending a large body of police to coerce and fake up charges against peaceful workers, who had in no way committed a breach of the peace and yet were roquired to legiron themSolvos so as to give the ca,pi'falista' polioe a chance of moreeffec-: tually trumping up charges against them.

A motion of protest was moved by A. J. King (president of the New Zealand Shearers and Pastoral Workers' Association). At this juncture permission was asked to move a friendly (?) amendment by Mr. Hardcastle (sub-editor of the Timaru "Herald") as follows: "That this meeting of citizens of Timaru having heard only one side of the trouble at Waihi, they refuse to express any opinion" but as the friendly (?) amendment found no seconder, the motion was put and carried, about half a dozen hands being raised against it.

A. M. Hall and R. Gould both intimated that as the amendment inferred there were facts favoring the other side, if there was anyone present at that meeting or in Timaru who would place those facts before the public, either of them would be pleased to reply to the alleged facts.

The protest was forwarded to the Premier (Mr. Massey).—lN REVOLT.