THE LABOR STRUGGLE.

Mataura Ensign, 16 January 1914, Page 2

THE LABOR STRUGGLE.

DESPERATE SITUATION. BESSEIGEfI) TN A HALL. r i J SjiisOiEtO fELEG&Apa COMMOHT. J PEK UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION. CAPETOWN, Jan. 14. | Two or three hundred men, fully armed, are inside the Trades Hall, and' are determined to resist all attempts to| storm it. The police do not yet intend, raiding it, as those inside are as good as in gaol. The hall is completely lslolated, and light, water, and telephones have been cut off. ' A correspondent, wh'o crawled to the hack of tiie roofs and passed l the strike pickets with a strike permit, found A remarkable scene inside. The inmates were all fully armed, and expressed themselves as being determined! to resist all attempts to storm the hall. All the windows and doors are barricaded with, boxes filled with bricks. Places' have been left for rifles to be fired thro-ugh, and there are boxes full of ammunition. | The defenders are living ohiefly on] fruit, quantities of which were brought in days ago, also some bread, several I days old. Many of the men have only j trousers, boots and shirts. They are j unwashed, and their features are gaunt; and haggard. They muttered that the. hall would not ha taken until all the ■ ammmimition was exhausted, and not; a bar of iron or a stick Jeft to wield! as aI weapon. I At the time of eabling the hoarse j words of command from the officers in the streets, the clatter ancS clang of the mounted men taking up positions, an occasional warning cry to a fleeting pedestrian, who is in the danger zone—all emphasise the grim tragedy of the scene. A detective named Moßride was caught by the strike pickets approaching the entrance to the Trades Hall. He was struck on- the face and' head, and hadi to flee for his life. THE BAYONET USED. CAPETOWN, Jan. 15. At midnight a large and menacing crowd demonstrated in. thef street near the Trades Hall. After stone throwing had been indulged in they were forced back by the police at the point of the bayonet. Two men were bayoneted, but none of the police were injured. A number of arrests were made. The police were reinforced te the number of 200 on the ground floor of the hall, abovef which a red flag continually waves. Bain re-entered the hall and described the condition of himself and bodyguard as being all well. The neighborhood of the hall was clear-1 ed, and a close cordon of police with fixed bayonets prevented anv access to it. " ' Mason and other labor leaders were inside, it being the apparent intention of the police to keep them there quietJy their leisure. All the mines on the West Rand are working. PRESS CENSORSHIP. BLOEMFONTEIN, Jan. 14. _ . Martial law in the Free State is

especially severe. A strict press 'censorship has been established, and in addition to other regulations Colonel Dutoit (the Control Officer) prehibits strikers from leaving their homes. He forbids a display ot the red flag, and prohibits the rendering of any assistance to tho strikers, direct or indirect, either with funds or goods. A FIREMAN'S EXPERIENCE. DURBAN, Jan. 14. Strikers stopped a light engine at Oreyviile, near Durban, yesterday, and maltreated and carried off the fireman. Tho Control Officer ordered the strikers to release the fireman to-day, otherwise stern measures would be taken, and the strikers complied. The Control Officer sentenced the signalman, whose signals first held up the engine to 12 months' hard labor. Hs is tho first railwayman who has been convicted under martial law. A TRUST BETRAYED. CAPETOWN, Jan. 15. At a mass meeting of farmers at Stellenboucli, Mr Merriman urged the Government to stand firm. There must be no more treaties with the Federation, 'and no more interviews with men with revolvers in their pockets to enforce their demands. This relates to the Carlton Hotel compact in Johannesburg in July last, when Bain, and other Labor leaders, met General Botha and General Smuts after the rioting. Sir Thomas Smart, Leader of tho Opposition, said to-day" that it was the duty of the Opposition to 6tand by the Government. The country was not prepared to hand over tlie reins to a selfappointed junto like the. Trades Federation. Enthusiasm is characteristic of similar meetings throughout the Union. POSITION! AT MARITZBURC. j MARITZEURG, Jan. 15. A meeting was held for forming a Committee of Public Safety. The Mayor, adhering to the attitude adopted by him yesterday, considered that a committee was unnecessary. 'Colonel (/lark, Control Officer, said that he had "a. wire from the Minister of Defence that Maritzburg was the only town in the Union where the local authorities declined to help the Government empowered under martial law, and he would have to nominate a committee himself. Ho nominated the Mayor as a member. After discussion. a committee was formed, and the Mayor agreed to serve on it. Numbers of special constables aro enrolling. OFFER TO SURRENDER. JOHANNESBURG, Jan. 15. The Trades' Hall inmates offered to surrender. The Government replied that all the occupants must be arrested, forcibly if necessary. CLASH BETWEEN UNIONS. PER UNIT-ED PRESS ASSOCIATION. '' AUCKLAND, Jan. 15. Mr Dixon (president of the new Hunti l.y Arbitration Union), accompanied by about 15 arbitration : Bts, entered the Coal Miners' Union office at Huntly today and formally took possession of it. Mr Wood Coresident of the old union) and a few ox-strikers were in the office at the time, and a collision between the two forces ■ occurred. A number of exstrikers, who were out-numbered, escaped through a window. One man fell out on to the street, and another was either pushed or, knocked down. The prompt arrival of the police stopped tho I fracas, and although a large and excited crowd quickly gathered there was no further trouble. I Mr Wood refused to leave till ho was given possession of his union's books 'and paoers, when he quietly departed. , The office was built by the old Arbitration Union in 1912 and passed into ( the possession of the late union wliei'i the latter, consisting largely of the Federation element, overwhelmed and \ took possession of tho Arbitration Union. It has now come again under tho control of arbitratiotfists in the persons of the new arbitration unionists. Tho examination of candidates for membership of the new union is now completed, 200 being accepted, 71 rejected and 17 held over. Many of the rejected men are leaving town, and considerable bit- ! terness is being evidenced by those remaining. One mine is almost fully staffed and the other is expected to com- | mence operations about Monday next. | ABUSIVE AND THREATENING. | : AUCKLAND, Jan. 15. ! A case against a Federation wharf ; laborer for abusive language, also threatening language and intention to j create a breach of the peace, was dis- ! missed by the magistrate to-day. The ' language complained of was used to the I secretary of the Arbitration Union on j November 24: GENERAL RAILWAY STRIKE. BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH COPYRIGHT. PBR UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION. LISBON, Jan. 15. A general railway strike has begun. The telephone and telegraph wires have been cut at Lisbon, and an engine derailed at Malviera. Troops and police have been despatched to' guard the station. LABOR AND POLITICS. LONDON, Jan. 15. The Miners' Federation Executive has failed to settle the Chesterfield by-elec-tion difficulty. Mr Kenyon is willing to sign the Labor Party's constitution, and the Executive recommends that the Labor Party settle the question on that basis.