LEADERS NOT UNITED

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 73, 17 June 1927, Page 9

LEADERS NOT UNITED

Half the Strike Executive Said to be Dalmatians GOVERNMENT MAY INTERVENE (.THE SUES Special Reporter.l PENDING to morrow’s meeting 1 of Arapuni strikers no f urther developments in the situation are likely. It is possible that there may he Government intervention in the event of an agreement not being reached soon. The work at Arapuni must progress and Government pressure may have to be brought to bear on the position. Mr. P. Hally, Conciliation Commissioner, left for Arapuni last evening

ARAPUNI, To-day. 'JHERE is no alteration in the strike poistion, and all the workers remain idle. A serious development is the ceswest wing of the dam. The cast cut sation of pumping in the- east cut and is a deep narrow excavation, later to be filled with concrete, abutting on to the main dam, while the west wing is; the uncompleted western section of the dam Itself. Here the concrete is not yet high enough to prevent seepage. The effect, in both cases, will be the inundation of the workings, necessitating complete pumping out when work resumes.

PICKETS ACTIVE GUARDING THE WORKS Two men who attempted to enter the working area cm Thursday morning were prevented by the union pickets. The text of the telegram received by Mr. L. Lake, branch secretary, on Wednesday night, is as follows: National Executive, New Zealand Workers’ Union orders you as branch secretary to instruct men , resume work. Union wiil accept no responsibility for strike if mien persist in disobeying. On Thursday "orning two informal meetings; were I f '.d. That in No. 1! camp was ad., jsjed by Messrs. L. Lake, branch secretary, Schell, assis-tant-secretary, and T. Ducker, and that in No. 1 camp by the president, Mr. J. Kelly, Mr. D. Lindsay, engineers’ delegate, and a number of representatives on the executive. A good deal of personal feeling ing entered into the discussions that took place, and there were some noisy interjections. “ Stand Fast” The telegram from Mr. Cook, addressed to Mr. Lake, branch secretary, New Zea.land Workers’ Union, Arapuui, was read, and the latter, addressing the meeting, exhorted them to stand where they were, and take no notice of the posters put up by the company, which lad doubtless taken a “kindly interest' ’in them. “Stand fast and we d well will win,” was the injunction uttered by the speaker. An interjection was made by Mr. T. Byers, vice-president, who asked Mr. Lake if Mr. Williams had been allowed to make a statement before the Strike Committee or take part in the discussion. » There were loud murmurs of disapproval from the crowd. Mr.' Lake: Yes, but lie lias gone to Wellington on his own initiative, and see what. he’s done for you. That’s the support he’s given you. We are now determined to deal with the bosses directly. A Voice: What about the workers’ agreement? HiO Time to “ Barney” Mr. Torn Ducker then got up and harangued the crowd, saying that the executive had not been idle in their interests. He told them it was no time to “barney.” They could not turn back on themselves and would not accept an “armchair” settlement in Wellington, “We workers have not been treated well and our future conditions will be governed by this action. We cannot, .as a militant union, accept defeat. We gx> on to win,” he concluded, and was rewarded for this outburst with a round of (dapping. Mnch aimless discussion ensued until it was decided to support the Strike Committee in its present action, to

ignore the telegram received from Mr. Cook, and to ask him and Mr. Williams to return to Arapuni from Y/ellington. y “THE DEVIL’S DEN” INTERVIEW WITH MR. KELLY The words, “Heap Out—Devil's Den,” written on the door of one of the shacks evidently betokened something of importance for a SUN representative, who, ventured within, encountered Mr. J. Kelly (president of the strike executive) and was cordially received. Credit at Cookhouse In making a statement on the position, Mr. Kelly referred to the outcome of the meetings held on Thursday morning and stated that there was a suggestion to invite Mr. M. J. Savage, Auckland Labour M.P., to come to Arapuni. though no reason was specified. He said that the cooperative cookhouse men had arranged to extend credit to the idle men for a fortnight. Referring to the message received from Mr. Cock on Wednesday night, the president said: “We regarded it as a bombshell, but caught it before it exploded and threw it back. We must fight in the open and will not stab in the back.” Telegrams had been dispatched to Messrs. Cook and Williams at Wellington, asking them to attend a mass meeting which would be held at Arapuni at 11 a.m. on Saturday. ‘‘We will allow Mr. Cook to put the case before the men,” said Mr. Kelly. Kelly’s Labour of Love “My attitude was one of surprise, mingled with disgust, when we received last night’s telegram addressed to Lake,” he proceeded. “The wire was well-timed to arrive at 6.30 p.m. It is unprecedented for a union secretary to declare a strike off. The branch secretary (Lake) could not have called a meeting without the sanction of the president. I don’t receive one penny in any shape or form in remuneration as president. It is a labour of love,” he continued. “The press will not be admitted to Saturday’s meeting, for obvious reasons,” added Mr. Kelly. Admission would be only by union member’s ticket. Some illuminating sidelights in the dispute were given a SUN representative by Mr. T. Byers, vice-president of the strike executive, who stated that the strike had not been called in a legal manner. Half Dalmatians “Our attitude from the jump was based on principles of our own, but we have had to adhere to the principles of tlie majority. I think the matter could have been settled by arbitration,” he commented, “but once the strike is declared we canont retrace our steps.” It was the speaker's firm conviction that the company sent a telegram to Wellington expressing its willingness to conduct negotiations with Mr. Cook or Mr. Williams, preferring to negotiate with responsible officials and not the strike executive at Arapuni. Mr. Williams probably went to Wellington because he could do nothing at Arapuni. The vice-president stated that he and another had refused to attend the strike executive meetings. Further remarks by Mr. Byers were to the effect that half the strike executive were Dalmatians, who were influenced by their leaders.