AND NOW?

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1940, 24 December 1913, Page 6

AND NOW?

THIS TIME TWELVE MONTHS. GyHO.] 'X'V : It'' was; bccbinlier.'.'iOj'':. 1913 —the' last day of the'/strike^rand.'it'-rained.''. Tho pour eanm dosni- -.steadily,.; pitilessly, hard. Strikers, held ift kbrero,;,i'.rider a verandalr su ■■■~'Tory. Street' near.: tho ...bar-' racks. Theso,' JI ' reflected; woro tho men who- had pushed £200,0G0 per. annum oii.toj-t-W cost* of.-.living; during the last .two 1 years.- • These, also, were. tho men whosn f the"'int<:rinediato classes in tho cities-will-have to watch-at", tho-ballot-box this -time twelve months "if _ they do not wish to bo weighted witlr. another £200,000 per annum.': .'■ Tlieso (so they say-themselves) aro to'bo. tho governing class. - J. listened io tho governing class for some minutes.Vi-Thoy were neither warliko nor witty'. .'They were merely inconsequent,' wonderfully uLable to pursue one distinct idea, over as much as .two sentences."; Let' tho "governing class" speak for itself:— Solomonfo lumper: Now wot-1 eed all along of this strike wa-3 —— ■ Ungrammatical lumper: - No, . 'you novc-r, Ted I You never said nothing Assertivo lumper: - You're only a couple of swabs and I'm a coalie. Listen Ungrammatical lumpers-.. You was a coalie, you mean! You - ain't bow. Ycu'vo clo.'lo your job ill! . ■ Reminiscent lumper: An Irishman's wife told me. Learned lumper (in detached conversation with another) :'Tho vowels in tho alphabet is "hav;" "he,";'-"hi," "ho," "you"

Assertive lumper: Mora jobs'n mine's done in. Where's Fariand's job now? ! Igh as Bloiideriil 1 Reminiscent one: An Irishman's wife told —-- Learned lumper's listener: What is vowels ? Tlio Assertivo one: And bo's Bruce's job done in General pause. -'\ Reflective lumper: ; Tommy .' Young ain't done his job in.Further general pause. ■ ■ , - Myself: Whiit does Young get -a week ? - > Chorus of lumpers: 'Oo are you? Further strained pause. (Writer eventually told to "hook it.") Reminiscent party: What tho Irishmail's wife sod was ' ' Thirsty lumper: What-,about a levy fjr drinks? Ba.bel of lumpers: I sed from tho beginning about this strike.you never sed nothing . , . . . Farland*. . . . , six pound a- week , #'.'. .An Irishman's wife . . . Inside the Mount Cook Barracks the coals were glowing brightly under tho salamander ov-ens that cook for 500 at a sitting. Tho v'hite cloths on tho dining tables wero neatly tucked up over tho cruets. The Goddess of Good Fortune, to whom wo ail must bow, throw me up against a Martinborough man standing over 6ft., deep-chested, soldierly, and straight as a dart. On tho dais ike _ piano was , belching out ragtime. _On , the floor some of tho in-lying squadron were sleeping tho sleep "of tho just. In reply to questions tho Martinborough "special" admitted that strike duty had been trying. They had had to bear a good deal, and had never been properly let loose on their tormentors. One genuine kncc-to-knso charge on the chief rioters was all they had wanted. If tho Minister of Justice wanted a contingent to unlock Red Runanga, or any other wild' and woolly place on tho West Coast, ho could get every Man in tho barracks at a minute's notice; Tho strike mob hero couldn't fight a parcel of hens, and, what was more, every man in tho regular and special constabulary knew it. , ..

Self: But surely you know what one or two of tho strike bosses wore thirsting for ?

He (laughing): Oh, yes; martyrs. I: Coffins laid,out on trestles at tho Basin Reserve.

He: They tried very hard for it. They seriously thought of organising rioters' processions ltd by women wheeling children in perambulators.

I: That would have been awkward. He: Oh, no! Wo were prepared whichever way they pushed it at us. I: The Minister of Justice

He: Is a great man, and so is the Prime Minister; wo all think that. In a way wo are glad that it all ended bloodless. Tho Minister of Justice is really responsible for that. Ido not think that any man in the country except him could have dono it. I: But they mw talk of revenge at the ballot-box.

TlioMartinborough stalwart burst out laughing. "You don't mean," 110 said, "that the whole country is going to lie down and lot TiiA'r govern it."

Ho indicated that with a sweep of liis hand towards tho verandah whero tho lumpers' debating society was still in session. Whether some, leader cotild : mako as much as £10 a week war. then, under review, but philology and vowels still played their part, the levy for liquor was 110 further forward, awl.the celebrated "Irishman's wife" was still in statu quo." Thtt "governing class" was talking. And now? Wlmt are we—the intermediate class in the cities—going to do with our votes when tho "governing class" musters at tho ' ballot-box this time twelve, months? Ours is a big class of genuine workers—farmers, shopkeepers, clerks, accountants, teachers, police, warehousemen, best of tho artisans, journalists, railwaymen, slwi> assistants, hairdressers, doctors; all the professions,' engineers, ships' officers, clergymen, : settlers, chemists, dairymen, orehardMs, printers, the whole mass of Civil Servants.<.'iWHAT ARE WK CiOi.VG TO DO? „ • .'