Christchurch Carnival

Maoriland Worker, Volume 3, Issue 87, 15 November 1912, Page 7

Christchurch Carnival

MILITARISTS IN EVIDENCE.

HOLLAND'S GOOD WORK

PASSIVE RESISTERS AND

SOCIALISTS

Every year the City of Churches goes in for one long week of fun and races. Visitors from all parts flock in, smiling and happy, confident they can show the Flat City a thing or two ; but most of them leave with a different look on their faces and some of them get the opinion that our village is the home of the forty thieves.

We like Carnival Week because it brings so many of our country cousins to town. This past week has been no exception to the rule. At the Clock Tower on Saturday was an immense crowd listening to the boys condemning the Conscription Act, and although some of our superior college boys were there with their senseless interjections, yet we are sure many a point was carried away that will help to kill that Act. General Godley's would-be "boss" is trying to collect money to get prizes to try and bribe the boys into joining, but it will take some big gifts to blind our boys to the truth of this Act.

On Sunday evening the King's Theatre was packed to listen to the same subject, and when young Denton rose to speak the whole of tho vast audience • rose and cheered him, he being the latest to return from prison. He told his story of how tho jail at Lyttelton was full to overflowing, how men were serving in solitary confinement for siding with the boys, and he said : "Twice I have been to jail; they can send mc again; they can put mc in detention barracks; but they will never make mc drill." An old "vet." like this Vagabond cannot help but feel proud of these boys. A few months ago not one of them could address a roomful of people, and now to see them face these large audiences —Saturday night audiences especially, when you get a few of those patriots who would drink all the beer in the. world to save their country —these boys face them, argue with them, never lose their "block," and slowly but surely they are convincing the people of the righteousness of their cause.

The Socialist Party ts holding its usual big meetings. Last Sunday we had Harry Holland with us,' and his story of the two conspiracies—his story of the Western Miners' Federation and the Waihi conspiracy—was something to remember and to make one feel glad that Holland is a comrade. Our friends begin to term us fanatics; they even suggest that Red Socialism is a disease. They cannot understand our enthusiasm—they do not realise we are fighting for a world.

Sunday evening witnessed another large audience in the Square to listen to Holland, and well were they repaid. Holland is an artist —a painter of word pictures—not perhaps of so vivid a character as our Ben Tillett, yet listening to his story of the fight of the Western miners and the Waihi miners one is almost moved to hate some of those traitors who have got into the Labor movement and who are acting as spies for the master-class. One old chap, after listening to Holland, although he is anti-Socialist, stepped to the front and said: "Tell us what we can do to help these men; show us how we can move." But it seems almost hopeless with such men as Walter Thomas Mills and the writers of the labor columns fighting and betraying us.

Some of the local trades councillors are beginning to realise the cowardliness of the writers of labor columns in their constant attack on the Federation. Even those who don't agree with us in our methods agree that we are fighting the common enemy and that there can be no question of our "smoodging" to the master-class—and yet the writer of the local column has been, and is, our most bitter enemy, and we have got more misrepresentation from him than from any local editor —and "he" was once a prominent member of the Socialist Party 1

This week there is an All Nations' Bazaar running in this city, and a real live Governor is going to honor it with a visit, and—whisper it low—it's being run by the Labor Party, although the "ads." don't say so. The funds are to be used to pay off their debts, and this is the sum and substance of all that immense propaganda work our funds were going to do I Jumble tales and bazaars, with the only meetings held being meetings to condemn the Waihi strike, and the only organising that is being done the organising of scab unions to beat the Federation of Labor. -THE VAG.