“THE RED TERROR AND THE STRIKE".

Greymouth Evening Star, 5 December 1911, Page 2

“THE RED TERROR AND THE STRIKE".

(to the JBOiroK.J

(Published by AxrUngettioftt.)

Sir, —Notwithstanding the vapottrings of Mr. R. Semple, the apostle of the Socialistic clique who dominate the Federation of Labour,_ and notwithstanding, his lurid denials and denunciations on the street comer, I wish to inform you that the article from the “Voice of Labollr’ ’ ih Saturday’s Star is based upoh fact. Otie of the unity workers there referred to who was set upon by the Socialistic crowd outside the Auckland Opera House was my own brother, who sent me the paper and has also written to inform me of the outrage and he contrasts the methods of the Socialistic Labour crowd with those of the true Labour party of New Zealand who are endeavouring with the help of Professor Mills to get unity among labour so that the demands of labour shall be enforced in a constitutional manner. My brother is a peaceable man who believes in the unity scheme and many on the Coast, arid Denniston particuilai’ly, will remember him well. He is a devoted unionist and stood out the terrible Denniston strike for a long seven months. This strike was the hardest the miners have gone through in New Zealand and my brother had hardly pulled himself together after that strike when the Maritime strike occurred when all the unions in New Zealand joined. This*' strike could not hold out because the transport of food into and through the country was stopped. Famine stalked the country, Typhoid fever broke out in Denniston and my brother’s wife was carried off, his home broken up, and lie himself, his health broken, removed to Auckland where he has with a great effort established a home and maintained and brought up his family. Now this tottering white-haired devoted old Unionist simply because lie will not change his opinions on Unionism to accord with the view of Mr. Semple and his Socialistic, friends, believing as he does that the strike weapon is only a boomerang that rebounds and injures the workers who use it, was set upon after Mr Semple’s meeting by the revolutionary anarchist Socialists of Auckland and nearly mobbed to death while he was quietly going about with his other unity scheme friend distributing literature bearing on the question of the unity scheme as opposed to the Strike and Maiming Scheme of the Revolutionary Anarchist Socialists. My brother was cruelly beaten and no doubt his young children whom he is now bringing up had to suffer by his decreased earning power following the effects of the base and cowardly assault. Yes, Sir, I say that notwithstanding Mr. Semple and his lurid! ty that the article from “The Voice of Labour as appearing in the Star, is based on fact, and I advise all workers to get that paper and read the article for themselves. The article contains a still further interesting article bearing on the methods of Mr. Semple which will do much towards disabusing the minds of the worker as to the efficiency of thg* Strike as a weapon to be used to obtain his ends. Yours etc., C. WESLEY.

Greymouth, December 4th, 1911.