THE GREAT STRIKE

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 3, 3 July 1926, Page 9

THE GREAT STRIKE

NEW ZEALANDERS HELP

HOW THEY DID SO

(From Our Own Correspondent)

| „.'. LONDON, JBth May. I Mr. and* Mrs. Bernard Tripp (TimI aru) arrjyed in London from Brussels ;j three day?, before the general strike | began, and Mr. Tripp at pnee offered | his services and car to the Bed Cross. | As all tfyc, taxi and bus men were out 5 on strike,; the out-patients—all poor I p-'ople-^were ..unable' to get to the hogs' pitals, awd this transport had to bo j- done by voluntary workers. After the (third day of ■ the strike the Red Cross was able to got plenty of help, so Mr. [ . Tripp offered his services ..as a special ij constable. Ho first tried to get in the f mounted.■ constables,•:.'b'nt was turned p down as*being too old. He then tried £ other police stations, and after going 'i to live, reducing his age each time, i he was at Jast passed by Scotland Yard ( —by which time he was considerably i younger-! - His section ;of special con- ; stable! wer«. given the beat from Elephant a.nd r . Castle to AVaterloo Station, ■which is. supposed to be a rather bad part of „London. The strikers had burnt Vims in this, locality a few days ' before,'but Mr. Tripp did not see any serious .ttduble, and he speaks: very highly j6£slie wonderful order kept by tho strikers. After having many chats with them when he was on his 'beat," Mr. Tripp-canie to the conclusion they % were a-very fine lot of men who only ■1 had beeii badly led, and he was very .j sorry for'all among them who would :j bo tKrcfwn: out of work by tho illegal ']■ action of their leaders. '»] VOLUNTEER HELPERS FROM ;j CAMBRIDGE. y During tho strike st members of ■4 the Heitiki Club, Cambridge—they ar» "3 all New*-'Zealanders —wen engaged in „■/ service .to help the Government, either ?i as special, constables, dispatch riders. ,j . dock workers, or as bus drivers. Three •1 at least of them were attracted by the 'A opportunity: to drive London buses, i,| • 3iamely,;Mt. N. M. Louisson, Mr. J. E, -J Elliot (both of Auckland); and Mr. J. :1 N. Peart (Eaglan), who put in five day? "■ fi . driving buses oh tho ordinary routes, 'M and they had a wonderful experience- '■% Practically every member of the. club i\ was doing something. ; •;■■-.■ <;§ Now the men have: examinations in '3 view, after a fortnight's postponement. .£t However ?: in view of the dolay in ro•)i starting.; Agential services, the Viee.s!' Chancellor of Cambridge University ;.|i gives to undergraduates engaged on Ji| emergency work the assurance that 2fi their interests :will be further and fully ;|ij considered, and that they are not ex3jj pected to return to Cambridge- while: ,ji,. their services are urgently needed else'!■s where.,.. .; '..'.'"■ /« Mr. G.rrJ. .."Wray was at the headIs quarters ■■■ of the. London Underground II Bailway Gompany for the fortnight, /$ where much organisation was necessary. H Mr. Gv Edgar, grandson of the late |5 Mrs. Ba.k^r ("Alien"), who is in LonJ| don gaining experience preparatory to, a being a sVudent of surveying, was drafts ja ed as liftman and ticket collector at Sj Piccadilly ;Tube Station. , , "if There^ were several. New Zealand W girls, with' motor-cars, who undertook S$ various -much-needed duties with, their,. H cars, and '.one' of: them travelled in ;-j charge it the mail to Ipswich. I EARL, AS FbRTER. f| With 1000 passengers, including. 800 \t settlers -proceeding to Canada, the $j| "White Star-liner-Baltic.loft. Liverpool «[ on Saturday. Loading two lorries at "|>i Lime Street Station ,on Friday with. baggage for the Baltic, the baggage men were surprised to receive an offer ."« to help -'£i,<Sm the Earl of Lathom, who f-4 started..hpifrtily.to work, and the two «$ conveyances were loaded up in. forty ;;sj minutes.'■ -Lord Lathom liad driven in ;»j liis car'to the station, about 1,30, and, 'Vs finding that he had two:or three hours v-a to wait' IbT?: the London train on which , J'| he expecse,d friends, he decided to give ,]:"& a hand,w,ith the loading. ■'■„'• 'Til "Westminster underground station wag in chargeiof volunteers who were ti~'i members, of. Parliament. . • . fA PRECIOUS APPLES - '• V«: -A- meafc. convoy from Dockland to V,4 Smithfieftr, consisting of over 130 lor-7-/>i; lies, brought three lorries packed with *;"-J cases of ■■New Zealand apples, the red--V-3 fruit design on the boxes providing a /£.] splash of colour to cheer up the sombre {;»! khaki and the tin hats of the-military .'•.i^J on their long trekVto the terminus. $':]' DRIVER OF 78. . .... ";.:| The Australian and New Zealand pas- ,">■} sengers by*, the Comorin had a fine run "j\v up to London from Plymouth, whero £»,' they had been ordered to disembark. j?:^ .They came through, with only two stops i'>; in only thirty minutes more than tho K'j best non-stop record for this journey. t'.-rf The driver 'was. formerly one of tho '"V- "crack" men of the Great Western, '*«{ who retired long ago on the score of j I.; a ße- How.ever, despite his 78 years, hie ;/•.*? volunteered for' the footplate in the' *-^1 emergeneVj and :the passengers had' a ■V; splendid journey. To show their api\X\ preciatidh»'the hat was passed round, '■it-% and the,popular veteran driver received "jt%a. "tip <!„w.drth having.'.. ■' ?.!i HUMOROUS INSCRIPTIONS ON !}vj ••■;, the buses: ■' ' '■ ' iv.l The "Morning Post." has gathered a ;,'t- '•■] collection* ■of - inscriptions scrawled in f~'J*t chalk on ' the .side of General buses V.i-j driven fry volunteers during the strike. ■,fA !A few of them.are serious, but many of *(c"\ j them ard'commonplace; but spme gleatn ;, : ?i)vwith siy";hum6ur. : . v'fJ One bus bore a large wreath, hung v ( : y, over the-number-plate, composed of .;;-j,Ted, white, and blue flowers, with the iv.:' inscription in the middle, "Emperor &"■ j Cook; while yet another bore a .; '■;;'! \vreath of scni turnips, draped ■V"] with blackifcrepe:, and bearing the words f:.">,i in the centre,'' T.tT.C—ln Memoriam.'.' ;ip One bus.announced, that it "Bun'."j »ing by, of the Union-Jack"; ;;-j while another florid conveyance apolof-'■';/. gised for hue by stating that it was ;;•'/"Bed—-laut All British!" Moscow and i'-/j its inhabitants are pilloried in many >:•■'■] forms; w.hile one genius produced tho )' ; .j following:—- ; ■ *-:-j;-; 'T.—Tried. -•'•■•• 'Md U.—Usejess. A? i\- .0. —Copped it. •'■'■•■: ' ; ■■';'-.[? FOR WOMEN. ' :.j ' Many and varied were the inscrip>l j? tions designed to attract women 011 ';■■! board. " Flappers Preferred" was i' 4 one of them; while one conductor beam;"'t cd over the k^'lly notice, "Young Lad">:j ies May Sit in Front", Another noti--1;i fied the world, in its modest way, that '\j "Only the- Brave Deserve ■ the (3d) *'-] Fa(i)re."- -A third, which nad had its Jj windows'."smashed) announced: "We ]t'j have no^panes, dear mother, now." -;j;\ In anoth.er case, where glass no loiigli;} er remained, the boarding across said -,'i "No entrance; exit only." Vj There <was a ring of war days in i: l "We Dbii't.W'ant to Leave You, But ■^j We Think.We'li Have to Go," dis;,'»l played during the last days; while an■;'.>j other announced that it was calling at r j "Wypers,-Mons, and Hyde Park Cor- ,;'■,[' ner." .And, of course, no volunteer '/ '-'I convoy would, be complete without its i-'j "Better'^Ole."

*-j Pathetic-was the last-day text of-ono ■ .L'"^'driver, chalked on the bonnet, "A Sol '■'A dier's Farewell." . One only hopes that [;'■■') he has been given a permanent job. "\1 "Abandon Hope, All Ye Who Inter;'j fere," suggests that the driver had i"'M once read his Dante; while the pathetic :'.j appeal, "Don't Shoot the Driver—^He is ►■; f)pmg His Be;t 4 -! was reminiscent of

many Wild West films. Another asked pedestrians to.'' Join the Expedition to the Wild, Uncharted Regions of the Eiver Crickle." The stage was ransacked for humour. One bus announced that it was "positively its last appearance," while another stated that it was going "The Only Way." Another asked for its "White Cargo." 85, Fleet street. ■