STRIKE JUSTIFIED

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 222, 13 May 1932, Page 5

STRIKE JUSTIFIED

(Press. Assn.—

UNAMIOUS VIEW OF LABOUR ORGANISATIONS IN WELLINGTON LABOUR. ALLIANCE VIEWS

-By Telegraph — Copyright).

WELLINGTON, Thursday. In a further statement to-day, Mr. J. Cook, president of the Alliance of Labour, said that in his opinion the men had been justified in striking against the 'new; relief scheme. .This view, he said, w'as the unanimous one of the entire organised labour movement in Wellington. Mr. Cook outlined the position with regard to the strikers from the point of view of organised labour. He thought, in the first place that the men had been justified in taking the action they did in going on strike as a protest against the specially/ bad conditions and the starvation rates of pay under the new scheme. With regard to the crowd getting out of hand on Tuesday, when windows were brolcen in Lambton Quay and Willis Street, he honestly believed that the relief workers had not been responsible. Had Mr. Coates given a definite reply to the deputation that could have been taken straight back to the men, Mr. Cook did not think the trouble Would have occurred. On the previous day, (Wednesday) he had been invited to address the strike committee. He did so, and proposed that they should appoint a small coriimitte of six to meet three representatives of the Alliance of Labour and members of the Trades and Labour Council and Mr. P. Fraser, M.P., and foritt a constituted committee to draw up plans for relief workers and allow the Alliance to negotiate for a settlement on their behalf with the Minister. "A few of the leaders of tlie strik-

ers unfortunately swayed the rest of the members against that attitude," Mr. Cook said. "I met a big crowd of men here and strongly advised them not to take part in any meeting outside at the present time as it was suicide to do so. Unfortunately they were led hy a few irresponsibles to helieve that the police had given permission to t hold a meeting in a vacant seetion."