A MEETING CALLED

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 106, 31 October 1913, Page 8

A MEETING CALLED

MEN URGED TO BE CALM. !As soon, ast the- injured men had been Kken away, Mi. P. H. ffickey came into Jib Square, and mounting a box adjfceessed the crowd. , He asked all mem!»ers of the "Waterside'rs' Union to adpnrn for a meeting to the waiting-room. He made a brief reference to incitements tor lawlessness, and urged all present, especially- the strikers, not to -lose their feeads, but to keep cool. „ Mr. W. T. Young, president of theUnited Federation of Labour, and secre-tary-of the seamen's Union, then spoke, sod was- zecerved with some show of disfJcvouT. He siad that there was a prospect of the early settlement of the trouble, and he asked the strikers not k>wio anything which Would militate igainst this. They had now the prospect of settling the strike by the morning ; certain things had happened which made this ' possible. (Cries of "Tie up the Maori I" *' ' "Why don't you cadi the seamen out ; that -would settle it?") He had purposely refrained from speaking at meetings in the' Square in order to keep his Ehanda^deani to negotiate. ("Why don't |you iSe xtp all the boats?") He knew (Jihat tber& was an incitement to riot in jthe mounted men riding through the streets- .aa they had done, but he asked Vhem ix> tolerate that for a little while, fllhey were there to prawent "scab^" (from working, "■ by moral suasion if possible. If those means failed, then others coidd be resorted to; but he isked them to refrain from violence for i while. There had been bloodshed r already — unnecessary bloodshed — and they •did" not want any more. One man had •been shot down, and they did not want rbo gee anything more of that kind of ithing.' , A. ';member*of the Waterside Workers' SJnion, Mr. Seeling, called on strikers ■and the general public to treat the dis'^pJays by the mounted men wrth conftempt, and to keep their heads. It was very necessary that they should cool, and that all the union, mem'jbers should attend the meeting. Mr. W. E. Parry said it was very toecessary that all members should atttend ihe meeting in order, if for no pther reason, that they might organise jfcheir forces. Ifc had been intended to ' [call a meeting; of the union, bat ciicnmBtances had now arisen which rendered ftbe earlier meeting necessary. He jafeo urged the need for coolness. He lifaad no doubt that strikers and citizens igpnetally felt very much excited at that - moment,; bnt there was no need ica it. ftlbey had seen that kind of thing haptpan in New Zealand before. ■The meeting had been called for 5630 pan., and, it being close on that *nne now, the great body of the strikers commenced' to move towards the waitingloom. • Before they went Mr< Bruce, assistant secretary of the Watersiders' Union, announced that he had received /an assurance*" from the Inspector of PoKc© that there would be no further mounted parades that night. [A f discussion in Parliament on last night's charge in the Square is reported pD page-, S of this- issue.]