MEETING IN VICTORIA SQUARE.

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14822, 13 November 1913, Page 11

MEETING IN VICTORIA SQUARE.

A public meeting, called by the Strike Committee, which business men were especially invited to attend, was held in Victoria square last night. The crowd at first was only moderately large, but increased during the course of the meeting. Mr F. Lurch presided.

Mr D. G. Sullivan, in the course ot a lengthy speech, remarked that the Government, in gaoling the strike leaders, had just about played its last. card. He cited instances from tho report of the Cost of Living Commission to support his contention that the Merchants' Association's boycotted and victimised the small traders who did not sell at the prices fixed. He had had a conversation with Mrs T. E. Taylor yesterday, and she had given him the following message, to deliver to the workers of Christchurch:—"l wish to send a word of sympathy to those workers engaged in the present great struggle. I hope that they will not give in to a struggle that means the crushing and humiliating of the workers of New Zealand for many years to come." (Applause.) Continuing, Mr Sullivan said that if Thomas Edward Taylor had been alive he would have forced the Government of tho country to take up a reasonable attitude in regard to the present crisis. The Liberals in the House at present, who professed to hold the same social and political beliefs tnat Mr Taylor held, were sitting like dumb dogs.

Mr E. J. Howard said that they had to fight the fight in Cnnstchurch without violence. They had gaoled Semple and loung and the others, and it had been done by the same gang that ciucibed Christ years ago. If it were not for the timber ring tney would crucify Semple—but timber was too dear, it they could send the women and children and the men to the seaside they could win the tight. So long as they kept their arms lolded they could win, Tho Rev. J. L. Mortimer, who was received with continued applause, said that he stood before them as a Christian man, because he believed in justice, because he believed in liberty. (Hoar, hear). As a sportsman he believed in fair play. Hho had not been previously sympathetic with the labour movement the events of tho past fortnight would have converted him, heart and soul. (Hear, hear). The peoplo amongst whom he moved read the newspapers and got their jcjeaa._ crvstalised, and their general impres_i sion was that it was all the workers' fault. It was said that the men had broken an agreement, but the strike started becauso tho employers broke an agreement. (Hear, hear). The speaker then gave his version of tho origin of the trouble, alleging that the Union •Company had refused to pay tho shipwright's pay for time lost in getting to their work. The amount saved by the company would be about £50 per annum. Was it to economise to that extent that the company had refused to pay ? , A voice: "It was the" thin edge of tho wedge." Another voice: "It was to cause a rupture." # . Mr Mortimer: You aro quite right I A-voice: "To hell with contracts!' Mr Mortimer: "No; don't let the workers ever say that. When, tho workers give their word, let the workers stick to it whatever the others do." Continuing, Mr Mortimer referred to the stop-work meeting, and said that at Lyttelton such meetings had been held constantly during the past three years, and not a word had been said about them. What got on his nerves was that the workers wero blamed, and blamed and blamed, again.. Where was the _ justice of it? It was absolutely unjust. Since the men discovered their mistake they had offered to go back on the old terms, but they were not allowed to. It was not a strike—„t Home they called it a lock-out. The workers had done everything in their power to make peace. There was only ono class to be blamed— the employers. Because a man like Semple, in tho heat of the moment, made use of words like Semple used, he was put in gaol. \ That was not m accordance with British ideas of liberty of speech and action. "You are asked, you people, to allow this country to be plunged into misery and poverty, and perhaps , violence, for an indefinite period, just becauso the biggest monopoly in Australasia wants to get labour on its own terms —that is the crux of the matter." In further remarks, Mr Mortimer said that if the authorities intended by "the importation of irregular troops" into "Wellington to narrow the strike to that city, they had been simply foolish; if they did not mean to do that they wero criminal." Mr J. Thorn then spoke, and dealt first with the statement that the imprisoned leaders were "foreigners," and contended that if they were properly so described, then almost every member of tho Ministry was a "foreigner." MrMassey and the farmers who supported him were responsible for flooding the country with people who had been inj duced by lying statements displayed at every railway station in Great Britain to come to New Zealand. They had cow discovered that they had been tricked and swindled and had lined up with the colonial-born to make New Zealand tho country they were told it was, but which they discovered it absolutely was not. He contended that repressive methods had not killed the movement for religious liberty and for political rights in Great Britain, and would not prove successful in dealing with the _ present trouble. Tho Chairman said that as fair as tho men at Lyttelton were concerned they were going to remain passive and_quiet. He believed there was a firm in the town manufacturing 2000 clubs, and when they came down to Lyttelton he did not know what was going to happen. However, the trouble was not coming from the waterside workers. Mr Thorn announced that another meeting was to be held on Saturday night, and would be preceded by a procession from the railway station. This was to show the public authorities that a huge body of public opinion was violently opposed to the use of special constables. A motion would be moved--* —

-Voices: Move It now. Mr Thorn then moved:— _ '-That this meeting of Christchurch citizens opposes absolutely the introduction of special police into Chnstr church on the grounds that there is absolutely no necessity for them, seeing that the strikers at Lyttelton have behaved themselves in a most orderly Sever_l in the audience seconded the motion. , . ~ A great number of hands were held up" in favour of the motion and none against it. and it was declared "carried unanimously."