SEDITION CASES

Evening Post, Volume XCIII, Issue 99, 26 April 1917, Page 7

SEDITION CASES

AN UNOFFICIAL GUIDE

SENTIMENTS EXPRESSED BY

LETTER.

<M TVJWBAFH.—SPECIHi TQ THZ POST.) AUCKLAND, This Day.

Evidence given to date in the conspiracy charge against John Jones, pre- - sident of tho Federated Coalniiners' Aesqciation, l^as consisted of the reading j of documents addressed to Jones which wero seized at the time of his arrest. Most of ■ the documents are from other officials of the Federation, and make reference to the institution of the restriction policy. But two .or three of them are letters from an elderly miner - of' Huntly, John Wesley, who," though not an official of th.c federatiqn, appears to have constituted himself an unofficial guide, philosopher, and friend to Jones and the miners generally.

Writing to Jones, in February, Wesley, who signs himself " Your true comrade in the, fight," says : " According to the coal kings, we miners are exploiting the putyic. That upsets- Karl Mar* on Economics. What about Palinerston North, 6s a bag; .New Plymouth, 7s a bag for s]ack; Pukekohe, 9s, a ba.g ? That is just three places. Say twelye bags to the tor, at 6a, £3 12s per ton; 7s, £4 4a; os, £5 Bs. The miners get 2s 7d per ton, Pukemiro 2a 3d per ton, Waipa, 2s. 4d per ton, the Cqast 2s 4d per ton, and find tools, powde,r, etc. .Where are the exploiters'" In the same month, when the mineowners and men had thair lengthy abortive conference' in Wellington, \Vesley: ; writes in a more philosophic mood. He. says.- " Sure you are having a. very interesting time with the delegates from, ' here. Am sore all of you will be getting on amicably and in gqod fellowship. I should say true comradeship to business to bring about better conditions for our clafes. Not that the systeqi is any good, only a ple^ring road to go through the sama 'old grouse. Ask ' more wages; then if you get 17i per cent, there is just 25 per cent. put. on commodities or necessaries of ' life. So that it is only in the end to the interest of the capitalist. The system makes it harder to fight them. One time, and not so long ago, comrade, beforo Capital '■ formed itself into big trusts and combines, and cut each, other's i.hroa-ts for to trade with tftio public one againsfc , tho .other, they fought to cut/prices and put wages, but to-day th,oy say ' pass it 1 on to the consiiraers then.' For we co;i: sumars and- wage slaves are in the same i place. It means the exploiters of meat, tread, butter, and all other commodi- ' ties of life -will all be held by great. international trusts. Then'tHey can say,.' ' Yes, we will gIYP you more wages, anct~. pass it on to the public, aijd we ' will make larger profits. MoieTrnrdern.j machinery, more workers thrown into* the ranks of the unemployed. This is ' what is going on in our struggle every ', day. We must organise to sliorten thehours of lahour. When, we out, or start to cut, into six hours, then we will start' to win. No other course is open. Just look at the millions now used in this ■ war. What will -it mea-nT Only shorter ■ hours will meet the balance of supply. and demand of latour. Once lire turn! • the surplus into one of scar-city—that is,' an international scarcity of. labot.r—that, is the only way to cause the end ofj Capitalism.**' Wesley concludes his • epistle in more stirring fashion. He > says; "I hope the federation will nofc, cut the feeF from under the coal kings who are using the Military Service. Board , to gain their ends. It is a, disgrace to | humanity to think tha.t we must ask foi^ nothing. May you men stand, and fight'them. Let thorn try and gaol about 150' men out of each mine. That will soon;' bring things up. My God! if you men ! let this slip, as the Semple case, then I down to hell we go' like slaves, of old. i . , . Tell all true comrades <o go with 1, ■ a big heart to fight, win or die, but; never cry lost, for this is tho fight of' yonr lives, and do not forget 'it. i wish ] I was with you all. However, if not in.body, will be in spirit." It was the discovery of tfcese lettsraj that resultS! in Wesley's arrest on ai charge of publishing seditious -utterance*, j