BLACKBALL TROUBLE

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 172, 14 April 1908, Page 8

BLACKBALL TROUBLE

INTERESTING LETTERS.

£ON. J. A. MILLAR REFUSES AN INTERVIEW. SEVERE COMMENTS BY MR. , PRITCHARD. . (BY TELEGRAPH.—srECI.-.t. CORRESPONDENT.) ' - Creymouth, April 13. The amount paid out .by tho Blackball Onion to tho strikers was £182 10s., about £1 14s. per head, i . Mr. Watchman, President of the Brunner .'Union, writes .to the "Star" as follows "Please .allow mo ( space to' contradict ; a rumour that the Brunner workers havo ; * ceased to support the wives and families of the Blackball miners. . I-want to inform those, parties, who are saying; this that such is not tho ..case. ~ The position. ■. :is -that at a .meeting of. the , tJriion — ■: '■v;which.wasnot'a representative one, only fifty-seven out of one-hundred and forty members being present—it was resolved that the Blackball miners had. not. taken advantage of the offers made to them for j. a settlement of their,dispute,! and that tho compulsory .levy, of five per : cent, r ho cancelled. : Thirty-four: voted for the: resolution; and twenty-six _ against, -so ■ you see, Mr. Editor, there is still about one-half' against the resolution, and a meeting-, is <bemg called, when it is , expected that the whole, of tho members ■ willbo present to : test : the matter. If < the former resolution is upheld the subscription will bo made a - voluntary one, and- the'collectors will still collect each day from those who may'have.any sy'm-• •pathy for>the wives and families : of our' comrades at Blackball. If tho latter I ■- course has to be taken, I am certain j that the subscriptions' from the Brunner | , ;i Union will be as largo as- other unions'- i ■ iri proportion to its membership:; In con- " ; elusion, I .would' like ,to ? say to tho workers of this district to waken up and havo tho Arbitration Act amended so : that such a case as tho Blackball affair cannot occur again; " Be not like dumb, driven cattle, but v be forward in tho strife." ', v MR, PRITCHARD AND MR. MILLAR.

Mr. Pritchard publishes "a.;long "-letter/to- . 'day, in wjiich- he states thatiMr. '-Millarrefused tovseohim when in Wellington. ,i. " I.went," ho writes,' " with, Mir. Tre-■ gear on Friday. morning at, half-past ten, and I was not long,kept insuspense, ' for in' about three' minutes Mr. Tregear returned and informed inei that tho Mini- ' sfer .would not receive me. as'a privatei. V individual.. Questioned by' me as 1 to his reasons for such hostility,' 'Mr. .Tregear '..'informed me that the..Minister said I " had said some hard things about him, and he would'not receive me as a private individual until I publicly withdrew and publicly apologised for saying the same. : , .1, replied,-;'. If-Mr; Millar will "not ''receive . me-until.. I'retract publicly .or privately one ■ word, of what I .have littered concorning' him you may tell him that we ! " -will never meet.' /By. this'action of bis'l, • fe el doubly justified, in everything that. I / have said concerning'him and his parlia- ; 'mentary' conduct. Thanking ■ Mr. Tregear ■ ' for-his honest arid conscientious ehdea- ' • .'.vourito further, through mc, the possiblo . . chance 1 ! of7a settlement-being' arrived.' at; : I'Jeft; the building in a manner! which, I fear, did not'disguise'mycontempt .for ■ Ministerial, autocracy. I may hero state • .that .my solo aim in : attempting - to: gain . ' v. an ~intemew..was, to obtain. by letter' of > introduction -. or. Ministerial influence an ■ , .interview..') with. . Mr. : Stead,:.-of. 'Christohurchj concerning. the strike. Sir, allow:.'! me hero to publicly, thank Mr. Lomas and Mr. Tregear they put forth on my behalf: .In justification of what■ ■ I said concerning -Mr. . Jlillar, I. will' re- ' : [ iterate the following two instances. -In . a public letter to the* Press I said: 'How. ' : can "wo hail Mr. Millar as'an,.emissary of; . peaceP' etc.j 'and I ask .the same questibh' . ' to-day .--If this_ statement does not exactly coincide with-his action towards mo to-day + as an individual member of tho • Blackball Miners'- Union, then let ,him . . publicly, justify . this_vmanifest : superfici-: ality- of conduct, . which plainly,vindicates that ho .puts, his private sentiments be--fore the public interests. ./While addressing a meeting in Dunedin I characterised Mr. Millar as an ' autocratic "despot'' .If ■ • • I am wrong, then. I do- not,'<know..what ■ despot-' is.. lam .not acquainted; with tho interpretation, of an.'autocrat.'., Does Mr.-Millar admit that what I said con : . . , corning him is true ? And is. that: why : .. ho has taken' this opportunity; of insult--1 m, through me,' the members of tho ~ Union I havo tho- honour, to. represent, and, indirectly; tho'whole of tho' workers -'"Of 'Dominion ?, .:For what is ..the real - : .significaiico of this act- of ;Mr.Millar?.- ! :. • is this, that if a member of any Union ' dares to suojccu .the Minister,,of Labour ■ to adverse ,■ public'-criticisiri,, arid if that.- ! '.is placed in. a position, similar to . • my own, and. is desirous of reconciling tho contending parties'-to a dispute, and ; v also-desirous of executing his operations without, attracting the', public : gaze oh ' him,; he is going : to bo defeated, and his' • . . Umon snubbed because he dared to speak' h 0 thought was truth, and dared to'adversely cnticise.Ministerial conduct; . >Lpdmtly--truth Scuts', deeper.- than the' ,en ord.,' To. the workers of - New ■ Zealand -. , and -elsewhere I again; reiterate - what I - said from every platform I have'spoken - • from during the present dispute. Trade .Unionists, adopt, the .caucus, system ■ in . your Unions, and turn your: industrial or-' Kanisations'into Political organisations 1 tor. the .purpose of capturing the political j-,;., machinery,, for. then, ahd. not"till- then, obtain direct in •\ . the House,of Parliament, and.'securo' for • ' yourselves what is duo' to .you, namely ' - 1 the .results., of his. labour to 'the lab- .■- ourer. "' > : /- ■ . ■ • - ''

ASSISTANCE FROM VARIOUS UNIONS,

- TELEGEArn.—PRESS ASSOCIATION.) • t . Croymouth, April 13} ,• The "Wharf Labourers' 'Union, at a-mcot-Ing on Sunday, decided, to .continue their support to' the wives and' children of theBlackball, strikers. ■ , The meeting was addressed by Messrs. Rogers and Goldsmith, of Blackball. ' -

A . meeting of Tyncside miners:is called for Friday, to reconsider their' action on Saturday of withdrawing support from the miners at Blackball. One of the strikers, writing to the Grey: River/ "Argus" regarding Saturday's meeting at Blackball, ! states that, the' .miners -were told before the meeting ..that, thoy ivero going to. get 30s. ,a week for each man, 10a. for wife, and os. for each child. - "Tho desire to have money without working was too strong,' and, con-, . Eequontly, tho . opportunity .for a settlement passes, and we are . going to continue to live on the money of others. : The.'meeting passed off nicely, and wo all returned later and received our weekly allowance; some of us up to the tuno of £4 os." . - . .

■ The executive of the. Letterpress Machinists' 'Union issued the following resolution to its 'members for decision - by,.ballot: " That the/svlm of £6 bo 'donated- to tho assistance of the Blackball Miners' Union, snd that a levy ; of'3d: per week bo struck so long as the strike.lasts." • The resolution was lost. . HAWKE'S bay education board. (uv Ti:;.Eoiurn---rni:ss association.) Napier, April 13; : The Hawke's Bay Education Board to-night jonsutored a letter from Mr. S. P-earsoji, and resolved that any school committee wishing ;o do' so 'be granted permission to hang topics ,of the Ten Commandments on school walls. Representations arc to be. made to the Education, Department that a reduction in capitation for' cookery classes will mean a considerable loss-toifeho. Hawke's Bay Education Board.