THE RAND STRIKE.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXV, Issue LXV, 1 August 1913, Page 5

THE RAND STRIKE.

PREPARATIONS FOR THE WORST

BY CABLE—PEK3S ASSOCIATION—COPYEIGHT. JOHANNESBURG, July 31. Lhe Government preparations continue. Twenty thousand burghers will be mobilised if necessary. Germiston, which is 'an important railway junction, has been turned into -an arsenal, including heavy ordnance, machine guns and much ammunition.' An important conference of all unions will begin at Johannesburg to-day. Man- railwaymen are beginning to leai- the results of such an extreme action as an illegal strike. The Government railway strikers will forfeit their pensions and seniority. Wouldbe railway strikers are demanding the trades federation to guarantee a fixed condition of any settlement shall be the restoration of railwaymen's privileges forfeited by striking. The railwayinon at Salt river and Touws river have resolved against a general strike without a ballot Some workers are asking Sir G. Askvvith. the British Industrial Commissioner, to arbitrate. Mr Poutsvnan, secretary of the railwaymen's society, states that railwaymen have totally dissociated themselves from the revolutionary propaganda, and consequently have secured" the overthrow -of the secret -committee formed on Sunday with absolute revolutionary powers. The Trades Federation's Executive and railwaymen's executive will conll'ljfc.future negotiations jointly. h«Byiderice at the judicial commission IK enquiry into the riots showed that »_thousand revolvers, many rifles, and eighteen thousand rounds of ammunition were looted from gunsmiths' shops on the night of July 4. The police and troops were subjected to two hours' fusilade, chiefly from hooligans, and also snipers from buildings. The Socialist leaders earlier in the evening incited the mob to' shoot and burn.