THE WAIHI STRIKE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 118, 4 October 1912, Page 8

THE WAIHI STRIKE.

A TRIA~, SPIN. By Telegraph—Press Association. Auckland, Thursday. 'Mr. Canham, member of the Federation of Labor Executive, states that ho explained to a meeting of the Auckland Waterside Workers that the Federation Executive occupied live days in discussing its course of action with regard to the imprisonment of the Waihi strikers, and resolved to call upon affiliated unions and sympathetic unions to suspend work for 24 hours only, to mark disapproval of the imprisonment of the Waihi men. Jt is understood that the day chosen will be about the I end of next week.

COMPARATIVELY PACIFIC. AN UMBRELLA ENCOUNTER. Waihi, Last Night. The position of the men employed by the Waihi Company is vastly improved the introduction of brakes to convey the men to and from their work at the mine. This afternoon, when the day shift came off, there was another large gathering of non-workers and women. Shortly after the whistle sounded the signal for knocking off work a brake driven by a constable and occupied by about twenty workers came down the mine road into the main thoroughfare, which had been cleared by the police, the crowd occupying the pavements. Indiscriminate hooting greeted the appearance of the vehicle, and its occupants responded by cheering. Later a second brake load of workers was conveyed to their homes. The occupants, when passing he crowd, sang ''Rule Britannia." When the' workers who live at the Central Hotel were leaving the conveyance, a number of hostile women, who were-waiting there, indulged in groans and hoots. Suddenly two women, a Red Fedarationist and a loyalist, attacked each other with their umbrellas. The fray was a bitter and fierce one while it lasted. The 'husband of one appeared on the scene, and, with the assistance of the police, the combatants were separated. This was the only incident of violence during the day. It is expected tiiat a number of more men will resume work to-morrow.

The extra men going on to-day were twelve from Waikino.

THE PRESENT POSITION. j FINANCIAL HELP FROM AUSTRALIA Wellington, Last Night. . Explaining the telegram stating that the Federation of Labor proposes a suspension. of work for 24 hours as a protest against tilne imprisonment of the Wailri men, Mr. J. Glover, secretary of the Federation of Labor, said that today the executive did not sit for five days as stated, nor did it make a. call on the affiliated Unions to suspend work for twenty-four hours in order to ihold meetings to protest against the imprison- ; merit of the Waihi men. What was done was to suggest to the Unions that they should suspend work for twentyfour hours in order to demonstrate. This would be done by all workers in the Grey district, miners and all others, on Saturday next. The demonstration of protest will tben be held next Saturday week (12th October). All the Buller workers will stop work for twenty-four hours, and on that day the workers in all the Unions in Christeihurcih, which are affiliated with the Federation, will also suspend work. So far as Wellington, Auckland, Huntley and other places are concerned the dates are yet to be fixed. The following telegram was to-day received from Waihi from Mr. Fraser, the Federation's 'representative at Waihi: - - "Tiho position is the same to-day. A few more have been drafted from Waikino, but no miners. A large crpwd was again following-up last night and to-day. The position yesterday was that forty all told started, over twenty from Waikino, several members of the Engineers' Union and one underground worker. The rest were surface men. Three went below. Three Union men resumed, but I two were unfinancial."

| Mr. Webb, President of the Federation, who returned from Australia yesterday, [said to a reporter to-day, "Australia is I with us to a man. They recognise that this fight is their fight. They have shown their sympathy-in a practical financial way. I have been away ten weeks, and the collections, levies and l financial help, ■we have received for Waihi and Reefton from New Zealand and Australia now amounts to £18,500, In that amount £2OO was received bv cable from Port Adelaide yesterday, is not included. On my tour in Australia I learned tlvat every union and trades council endorsed our appeal. Only in Sydney, by a ma- 1 jority of six, were we turned down."