TWO OF THE LEADERS

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14857, 24 December 1913, Page 10

TWO OF THE LEADERS

(feom our own correspondent.)

SYDNEY, December 15. The principal reason lor the New Zealand strike, according to Melbourne "Punch" has been the presence in the Dominion of two of the most distinguished strike revolutionaries that Australia has known. Concerning them "Punch" says: —"These men are Harry Holland and Scott Bennett. Holland has a record in New South Wales as a strike promoter which it would be hard to beat, but it is doubtful if he could promote even a meeting.in the Sydney Domain now. The Sydney workman knows him, and will have none of-him. In New South Wales he is bracketed with that other princo of revolutionaries Peter Bowling—a gentleman whoso presence in New Zealand is .all that is needed to complete the leadership of the strike. The other leader of the strike—Scott Bennett —is a Victorian product. Holland is a talker, as indeed are all these men. He has the gift of stringing together violent words, breathing into them a fierce fire of exalted enthusiasm, and so long as his methods and his talk are new' to the crowd, of swaying the multitude in a remarkable fashion. Holland is, however, weak in executive ability. Ho is not an organiser. He has been obsessed with a desire to enter Parliament—not that he ever hopes to gain anything by legislation, but merely that he might tell Parliament what he thouglrt of it. Scott Bennett is a plotter, widely read, possessed of ability, able to organise, able to convince because he has the knack of convincing himself—and'■ on these accounts more dangerous than Holland. Scott Bennett hns done less as a strike promoter than Holland, and is on that account tho more enthusiastic, the luore eager for success, having yet to learn all tho beauties, of failure."