THE WAIHI STRIKE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 103, 17 September 1912, Page 5

THE WAIHI STRIKE.

A PUBLIC MEETING. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Waihi, Monday. At the mass public meeting held last night, addresses were delivered by Mr. Parry (president), Mr. McLennan (vicepresident) and others. Mr. Parry contended that they had not received justice at the Court, as the word of the policemen was taken before that of honest miners. The Federation had a trump card up its sleeve which it would play in due season. A woman also addressed the meeting, upholding the principle of going to gaol, and calling those who had gone heroes. O'Neil, one of those convicted of assault on Saturday, produced sureties this morning. Doll and Patrick Schollard declined on principle to find sureties. The Magistrate again pleaded with defendants to reconsider their decision. FURTHER CASES. Waihi, Last Night. The hearing of the charges of following up and annoying free laborers against W. E. Parry (the president of the Union), \V. McLennon (vice-president), J. Melhose and Chas. Opie, were continued to-day, the time of the Court being occupied by exhaustive cross-exam-ination of the police. The defendants at different stages intimated to the Bench that they had abundant evidence which they would call later to prove that the police statements were absolutely incorrect. The hearing of the remaining police evidence will be continued to-night. A MASS MEETING. Auckland, Monday. A meeting of the Waikato Miners' Union, held at Huntly, was attended by three hundred, who passed; a stronglyworded resolution -denouncing the meth ods adopted by the authorities in penalising members of the Waihi Union and calling on the Government to revoke the sentences passed on eleven strikers and liberate them from gaol. The meeting unanimously pledged its adherence to any decision re concerted action that the executive of the Federation of Labor may decide on. ' A QUESTION OF PERJURY. Waihi, Monday. It is understood that the authorities are considering the advisability of instituting prosecutions for perjury in connection with some of the evidence given at the hearing of the strike cases. A PROTEST FROM WESTPORT. Westport, Last Night. The Westport General Laborers' and the Watersiders' ITnions have telegraphed the Prime Minister, protesting against the gaoling of the AVaihi strikers on the first offence; and also protesting against the Government encouraging the j introduction of free labor to AVaihi. THE GAOLED STRIKERS. Auckland, Last Night. About a dozen ex-Waihi miners visited Mount Eden Gaol this morning and asked for admittance to see their comrades. Only four of them were allowed inside the prison walls. The strikers were then in the exercise yard, and the visitors had to be content with conversing with them through iron bars. The prisoners, who were clad in prison garb, appeared to be quite cheerful, and it is stated that their demeanour seemed to indicate that they intended to '"take out" their full term of imprisonment rather than find sureties. Any , man, of course, may regain his freedom immediately he finds a surety of £lO. The alternative is twelve months in Mount Eden Gaol. Enquiries at the institution to-dav elicited the information that none of the sureties had been forthcoming. When Mr. Parry's statement at Waihi that the country would he shaken from end to end on account of the imprisonment of the strikers was made known this morning to the officials of the various unions in Auckland associated with the Federation of Labor, it was found that it came as something of a surprise to them. In the case of the tramwaymen, the general laborers, and the waterside workers it was ascertained that no communication had been received from the party. At the same time, however, it was not suggested that the president of the Waihi Miners' L T ni«n did not know what he was talking about. The General Laborers' Union have decided to submit the following resolutions to a referendu.n of members: "(1) That this union adopts the principle of the 1.W.W.: (2) that- this union registers j under the Arbitration Act."