WAIHI TROUBLE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1606, 25 November 1912, Page 4

WAIHI TROUBLE.

NEW UNION'S MANIFESTO. RECENT EVENTS REVIEWED. "HIDEOUS NIGHTMARE" AND ITS SEQUEL. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) Waihi, November 23. Tho' following' is a condensed summary of a manifesto just issuwl by the officials of tho new union:— "Tho 6h'ike, which began on May, 13 with faroe, continued its burlesque for weary months, and reached, its stage of tragedy on November 12. Never in industrial history have such despicable methods been used, and these, too, to fight an unclean cause, for the whole regrettable affair has been merely a protest against the desire of a section of men who wished to work under the Arbitration Act. These men, the engine drivers,. tried tho Federation of Labour, and found it incapable, unbalanced, and hysterical. They found it fighting political and religious, fights, and proved that its system,, was unsound, and its tents unreliable. They cut adrift and registered under the Arbitration Act, hence the absurd strike to coerco theso men back, and an ultimatum to the compariies that they must not employ these men. No conditions of wage were at issue, but merely a point of tyranny by the domineering, so-called federation, who themselves admit that Waihi provided the highest wages and best conditions in the whole world. Scores of men made from ,£1 to M a week, and ,Eome contractors drew .£IOO a month. But tho die was cast. The lead-. firs saw their error, and failed to retreat manfully, and tho strike, dragged wearily on for weeks. Workers' houses were surrounded by strikers, their vivos, and even their children, hurling filthy in-' suits, yelling and hooting, and behaving like wild animals. For weeks the, reckless boycotting of tradespeople, tho intimidating of sympathisers, and the wildest system of lies were perpetrated. Many cases of violence occurred, but the presence of police, specially picked for their tact, discretion, and goid conduct, kfpt the irresponsible mobs .-ouio.vhat in .:hwk. At last gelignite was iise-J, u plug villi lighted fuse being deliberately thrown at a group of arbitrationiste, whose escape from the resulting explosion was nothing short of marvellous. On Monday, .No? vomber 11, the insulting aggressors drew upon themselves an , attack by tfieir victims, but the loathsome language to the workers, tlieir wivee and their children continued, and open threats of violence to life and property were.indiscriminately hurled at them. On Tuesday, November 12, a gang of workmen, on passing, the Miners' Union Hall, were greeted with base and, wholly un-called-for insults,, followed by a pistol shot. The infuriated men rushed the hall and more shots greeted them, luckily badly aimed.. Only two of the phots found marks; an arbjtrationist fell, and a por liceman received- a bullet in the abdomen, Before falling, the constable struck down his attempted murderer with his baton, and the would-be assassin died in. tho hospital. The crackling of pistol, shots released the restraint of the workers, who rushed at the strikers, and in a brief timo revenged the hideous nightmnre to which they and their families. had for six months been treated. The policc strove to restrain the workers, but they were only partially, successful. Man to man had to account for many a long score of bullying women, children, and isolated men. The defeat was sudden, dramatic, and complete. The tyranny of. months was concluded in a few hours. Tho national flag was flown and women hidden for months behind their closed doors cams forth in the streets without fear of molestation. And now began, perhaps, the foulest play of the whole affair: tlio issuing of>'-''nianifestoes!i-,and.i statements so grossly untrue as to be ludicrous, if not so, damnable, ■- Instead of taking a beating like men, every possible. lie has been concocted about, the workers, the police and the citizens. ■Even the matron of the hospital (who sat up all night with Evans) was grossly maligned. Since the rage caused by. the shooting subsided, not an angry word has been spoken, not a blow has been struck.' The arbitration supporters carried the. day with deter-, mination, and upheld their victory with dignity and decorum. Strikers are now leaving by dozens (at Parry's bidding); and declare they are driven forth.; that murder, persecution, pillage, and arson, etc.. are rife. As a matter of fact, not a single instance of retribution by nrbi-', trationists has been recorded. Those men and women whose mouths were foulest and their threats loudest may walk the streets of Waihi as they would of Auckland. Truly the Waihi strike will fos remombered as the most absurd on record, its weapons as the foulest and most cowardly (for women, and even children, were put to the front). On the other hand, neutral citizens, the police, engine-drivers, and arbitrationists have come out cleanhanded and unstained and no man point at', them, the finger of reproach. CONSTABLE WADE IMPROVING. (By Telegraph—Presa Association.) Waihi, November 23. In referenoo to the reply of the Minister for Justice to the request for an inquiry into tho disturbances at Waihi, , Mr. Nowth, Mayor of Waihi, has telegraphed to the Minister as follows:— Congratulate you on decision in reference _to tion's request for an inquiry into Waihi affairs. I feel assured that such inquiry is unnecessary,' as tho statements made in urging it were outrageous misrepresentations, and that the issue referred to will bo settled in the Court of Justice. I fed convinced that these views arc endorsed by.every impartial person in Waihi. Constable Wade, w)io was shot on NoTember 12, is improving.

I ALL quiet at huntly. I Auckland, November 24. ( The Huntly correspondent of an Auc& land paper telegraphed on Saturday as fellows:—' yesterday was pay day at the mines, and to-day is a holiday. Everything is quiet. Applications for enrolment in the new union are coming in steadily. The secretary proceeds to Auckland on Monday to confer with the company's directors. ' A MASS MEETING. STRIKERS WILL RETURN TO THEIE . HOMES. A mass meeting was held in the Em' press Theatre last evening, under the auspices of the Federation ot Labour. The building was comfortably filled. Mr. J. Dowgray presided, and struck the ktjnota of the subsequent proceedings when he alleged that an appalling injuetire had been douo to fedea'ationists at Wnihi and demanded that a public inquiry into therecent rioting at the mining to>vn 6hould be instituted. Several speakers elaborated those points, and made a series of charges against the police,' orbitratir.nists, ana other actors in tho late '.roubles at Waihi, most of which have already appeared ill print. A majority of those present voted in favour of a resolution stating that tho most atrocious and lawless ects had been committed at Waihi by pie-arrangement on the part of responsible people, and that the police were acccssory to these oc» currencies. Tho resolution further demand-, ed that Commissioner Cullen should, bo suspended, that a public inquiry should be instituted, that the coroner at uaihi should be removed, And that criminal pro. ceedings should bo taken agni'ist those v&> sponsible for the rioting. There was no audible dissent, and the resolution was. declared oarried unanimously. Mr. Parry and other speakers suid that the sttikers and their wives who had left the place were not going to abandon their hemes, but would shortly rotum.