THE BAKERS' DISPUTE

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 241, 4 July 1908, Page 5

THE BAKERS' DISPUTE

MEN STILL ON STRIKE.

MEETING AT THE QUEEN'S STATUE.

EXTENSION OF THE TROUBLE, THREATENED.

Mr. Tom Mann, a banner, and twentythree members of tha Opcrativo • Bakers' Union strode down Willis Street in tho plashing rain between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. yesterday. : It was a straggling procession, no order in its make up, no ono. attempting to keep step, and everyone rather wet and most of them looking miserable. Splashing through tho mud of Customhouse Qnay, they reached tho Queen's Statuo, and, propping the bakers' banner against the granite pedestal, members of the Union began to harangue the crowd which had gathered.

Mr. Thomas Hogg was first oalled upon to address the crowd. Ho asked: "Are the public going to see us knocked down, or are they going to uphold tho true principles of Unionism?" and ho requested sympathy for the strikers in "their little trouble." .

Mr. Flatt, who -was-' next introduced, handled his subject without mittens. "If this strike is not settled soon," said ho, "you will find that tbero will be a general strike, for we have the sympathy, moral and financial, of all the other Unions, who are determined to back us up." Ho went on to say that what .appeared in the. Press from Mr. Allon was quite incorrect. Nothing was right that had been said. "They say they can get plenty of men, and they've had to actually get an old man, 70 years old, out of , the Old Men's Homo to bake for them— an old ' man in ' his '''declining years, with ono foot in the gravo, and the other aftei it. Plenty of mon, they say, yet they've got to got, a master baker from Wanganui to help them, and there's going to be a strike at Wanganui becauso ho camo down to bake. They could not bake themselves," said the speaker with increasing hoot. "Thoy wore drivers, who had set up for themselves. That's why they were making; a failure of it." '' " ■■

Tho speaker went to to say: "The papers have said that we struck without warning. That's not right. We wanted it settled by. tho Conciliation Board, but they said ' No I We'll have the brute force of arbitration where wo can hold a pistol at their heads.' " ■ The next speaker was- Mr. Tom Mann, who started in with savage enorgy. "You've heard what tho' operative baker has had to say, and it's for you, tho public, to assist these men in thoir struggle for justice. In thoso matters, I toll you, you're behind the Old World. Yes, hero in New Zealand, which is supposed to be tho pioneer country, of the world. You have been struggling for fifty years for an eight-hour day, -l 5 hours a week, and/what do tlioy give you? Fifty-one hours. .And what-hours they arc! They get up at 3 o'clock,. as;my friend saysv or perhaps even fl o'clock; when all the world ; is slumbering, and slave for/seven- oreighl hours on o'nd: Why, in Italy, 'they; have got. the. eight hours day, and right through the wholo of that country thay only work thoso hours. If you Now Zoalandors don't support the mon, I'm ashamed of you.- The master, oh, the master (this witn ironical humour), he goes to champagne dinners, and comes home at 1- o'clook, and gets to bed half an hour later. Does he work? No. He goes to sleep, whilo the, men start in to slog for him. t'beliovo in law and; order so long as it agrees with the ; reasoning of tho'intelligent mind; . when ;it doesn't, to, li -1, with law and order 1 Now, boys, tho chorus; are, you ready"•• ■ With tho worker at the top of the tree, ~ And: the loafer lying down , below, below, ....• ' below; • ' • „.And,the loafer lying belowl doesn't enjoy a'sing-song in the rain? Como on, laas, toe the line."' And .so the bedraggled procession went forth, wetter'hut no wiser, into tho mud and drizzle of tho winter's day. CO-OPERATIVE BAKERIES. - During his speech at 'tho Queen's Statue yostcrday, Mr. Tom Mann stated that it was decided,, failing'an early settlement.of the strike trouble, to set up co-operative bakeries in 'Wellington. 1 '; "The > Melbourne .bakers now had a factory that cost £17,000," said he! " "That is how tbey 'able to • beat Hhe'-masters, arid that'-'is:'how they will beat them here."-.1 INQUIRIES IN DUNEDIN. (BI T2LEQRA.ru,. —SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.) : Ounedln, July 3. The "Star" hears that an effort has been made ■ to get bakers from Dunedin to proceed to Wellington to fill the places of.tnoso on strike, but that it has been unsuccessful. As a matter of fact, there* are very few, ii any, bakers out of employment here. '