ATTITUDE OF THE MEN.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 240, 3 July 1908, Page 8

ATTITUDE OF THE MEN.

MEETINC AT THE QUEEN'S STATUE. ADDRESS BY MR. TOM MANN; During the lunch hour yesterday afternoon, a crowd'of between five and six hundred ; labourers gathered round the Queen's Statue to listen to discourses by Messrs. Tom Mann and Andrew Collins.' 1 The audience was of a very mixed nature, but tho speakers received a fairly good hearing. Tho interjections w'cro mostly of a kind intended to encourago. "Aro we down'earted?" "No," camo from many throats. , ' Mr. Mann said that it had been stated on maiiy side's that 1 tho men had no grievances sufficiently great-to justify them in tho action t-hey had taken, but lie would show that the reverse was -the case, and he referred to> the great cost, of living and the high rents obtaining. The work, was particularly hard; the operatives had to come down at all sorts of unreasonable hours, and they had to work fifty-ono hours, per 'week. " Aiid this,'-' he -added, - "in what everybody called until lately,' God's.own country." He took strong _ exception. to the representations made in . England to, emigrants. Some of these people came hero possessed of £1000 or more, but some had been unable to get any regular employment. " Referring to the. strike, Mr. Mann said: "Under.-the circumstances, the men have done what they .ought to havo dono after giving due notice to their employors, and after having '/used every endeavour to reach a settlement. ' They have done right in refusing to. comply with tho slavery imposed by the Award of the Court, and I therefore "stand with' them. Should we havo awards made by. the plutocrats? (Voices: "No, No.") Thoso who are favourable to 1 the action'of the bakers —as I certainly endorse their action—hold ;up their hands." Many hands wero held skyward, and cheers were given. The baking machine mentioned in the cable to Mr. Kellow, as; published yesterday, nextcalled Mr; Mann's attention;

"We know all about that,'.'. he said. "They could not.got it hero inside of three months, 'aud if; thoy- did, tin first effect it Would have would be to clear out ninetonths of the master bakers. • When tho Melbourne bakers' strike was on, a co-opera-tive bakery Was -' started, and. it ran/the bosses off their ffeet, arid so I say arrangements aro no\v : being made to start a similar bakery here.",' ,

The speaker congratulated them heartily oil tho fact that thero were no blacklegs at work, and. lie was certain , that the men wero bound to win, for tho employers, absolutely could not get, meii. • He asked tho wharf not;to handlo flour, for,tho master bakers! . . . , MR. COLLINS SPEAKS. , ! • Mr. Andrew Collins, Secretary of the Bakers' Operatives' Union,' was ' the next speaker. Referring to tho Conciliation Board, Mr. Collins said that when tho demands were' filed; the employers refused to go beforo the Board; but the men were prepared to accept its 'recommendations in toto. Thq men wero willing' to conciliate, but the employers preferred tho "brute force of arbitration, "and thoreforo they-went to the Arbitration Court,' and the meii fought thom to the best! of their ability.- , - ■ "We liaye been organised since 1888," he .continued, "and we have had awards from time to time, but where aro wo'now? (A Voice: Nowhere.) It is up to us to take up the same tactics_ as our comrades did in Melbourne."' Pointing , t-o the Union's banner behind him, lie said, -"This is the flag of a holy, war. I 1 have sacrificed much for these men, and I arin' proud of them, for tho stand they have tekeii., It cannot be said that Tom Mann or any other Socialist worked U3 up. . He .was not. here."

. At this stage, somebody camo along with a' hand-cart,' which was pushed right into tho crowd. It then inonopolised the attention of tho- fathering, and the speaker's voice was. lost in the din that followed.' Some of the nien... turned on the hand-cart, man, and triul. tp keep him off, but lie persisted, and eventually,tho .vehicle was turned over on its side. Roars of laughter greeted this act, but -tho man with the cart'.!came -on again with iuliko result. Somp' of those present characterised tho .disturbance as an attempt to break up the meeting. ; "CAN; STARVE THE COMMUNITY." ' "We in this position," continued Mr. Colliris, as soon as ho could be heard, "we havo shoivn that we can practically starve the; community. They .forcid' us, into this 1 position. Wo did not seek it. ! If, we are <|oing to be licked—but we're not going to ho, as we're,on top,—where will you be ?" Tho meeting broke 'up, as one - o'clock struck, and the men then went'off again in a procession up the street, headed by Mr. Mann. , THAT JIAMEIINE. Mr. Marin's remarks ffliout the Australian machine wero brought under the notice of Mr. Allen, Secretary of the Master Bakers' Union. Ho laughed. "How ridiculous," he exclaimed. "Tho machinery is,awaiting shipment, and on! receipt of a cable from us, it would be hero very quickly. I have cabled to the Sydney Master Bakers' Association, thanking them for! their sympathy, arid kind offer, and stating that the masters were holding their own, but if it was found necessary, I would cable for the machinery." ,

_! '.'The only baker not doing business," continued Mr. Allen, "is determined to keep his bakery shut until he is able to turn out the necessary amount of bread by hands who are willing to-receive.the award wages."

POSSIBLE EXTENSION OF THE STRIKE. Speaking'to a reporter, Mr. Andrew,Collin's, secretary of the Operatives' Union, said that some of the employers were offering more wages than the 'Union was asking. " The Master Bakers' Union?" queried the reporter.!, ~ " Some individual members in tho Union." " Have you accepted?" ! " No," said Mr. Collins. •>, " Why not?" " Because' they refused to sign our agreement.-. We, say that unless that is signed, wo,don't go back." Asked as to the possible extension of the stjike, Mr! Collins said: "Wo want to narrow it down'to the bakers, and not to extend it unless it! becomes necessary. We are prepared to. fight tho battle ourselves.!' • " Well .attended and enthusiastic meetings are being held," 110 continued. "We call the roll every night, and if anyono is missing, questions are asked, and ho gots 110 show of returning to work. It is : moral suasion, all tho time. If wo givo in, tlion all I can is, God help any other organisation doing the, same." ■ Tho reporter mentioned that Mr. Allen complained of a man being prevented from working by five individuals. "Nothing has been brought under my notice," replied Mr. Collins, "and, so far as I know, there lias been nothing of that sort." "There have been no backsiidors," he concluded. "and the Union is solid as can be."