REVOLUTIONARY SPEECHES.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9538, 9 July 1909, Page 5

REVOLUTIONARY SPEECHES.

MEETING OF CHRISTCHURCH UNEMPLOYED. By Telegraph—t'ress Association. CHRISTCHURCH, July 8. A meeting of unemployed convened by the Trades and Labour Council unemployed committee was characterised by revolutionary remarks°by some of the speakers, who are also members, of the Socialist party. One speaker referred to the mob that* Mr John Burns and others had incited to pillage shops in the West End of London, and said that if the Christchurch City Coucnil refused to stir any quicker than it was doing, it was likely to have greater responsibilities in the way of providing policemen and soldiers. There were some present, he added, who came from the' Old Land—a number of Scotsmen, as well as a few Yorkshiremen, and Lancashiremen, and if the old chums were not likely to strike he could assure them that the new chums would. (Applause). If the men who wera starving could not light for themselves he was prepared to do a little fighting in order to have their rights asserted. Another speaker said:—"lf I were in the position of the men out of work 1 would be looking about for dynamite." The. meeting respived: "That the Minister for Labour be informed that the position of the unemployed is still acute, and that in the opinion of this meeting the authorities have not taken adequate steps to relieve the distress.' 1

It was also decided to protest against the City Council's action in using a donation tor the relief of the -unemployed to benefit the ratepayers by violating the minimum wage principle; also that the local members of Parliament be asked to <.onfer with the unemployed on the question of the introduction of a Right to Work Bill.