Strike at Kaitangata.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 3, Issue 77, 30 August 1912, Page 8

Strike at Kaitangata.

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Terms to "Worker" Readers, i

A Significant Story,

(From Our Own Correspondent.)

The enemies have scored a win, not by any merits of their own, not by the power of the master-class, but solely by the want of grit and courage of the workers themselves.

The truckers struck, not as a union or i\ section of a union:, but simply as truckers; they asked the miners if they could count on their support. The miners said yes, but many made a mistake —it was "no" they meant to say.

All hands thought it wise to keep both unions in the background—"to keep out all party feeling, don't you see." But with very few exceptions, the arbitration men showed their sympathy by going to work and helping uhe boss to get a win. Oh, yes, they were loyal, but not to their class. Thenclass and their fellow-workers could perish for all they cared. It is to be hoped that the reward they obtain will be commensurate with the deed they did. At all events, they will, now that their usefulness has diminished, need to be very careful that they do not offend tho boss, because in most coalmining districts the miners are classconscious, and there are some things they object to. But even worse than the actions of the arbitration men were the actions of somo so-called Federation men. One miner who was the most emphatic on the desirability of standing solid for the truckers, and who wanted the miners to go in a body to take their tools out of the mine, and who was also ono of the most fierce in his denunciation of the arbitration men all through, was the first miner to sneak to the Arbitration Union to join it and then raced to get his work back. This gentleman said that none of his name had ever been a scab, and he swore he would not be the first to soil his father's name. Whether he has now soiled it or not, is a matter upon which people can judge for themselves. E. J. Howard arrived on the scene on Friday, August 16, just a week after the trouble came to a head. A meeting of strikers was hold, and he explained to them that he was there to report, and he also gave them clearly to understand that whatever they desired to do in the way of aggressive action ho felt sure that they could depend on the Federation backing them up. However., in spite of the fact that they were told that their grievance was

Arbiirationists and Employers Win.

also a grievance of the Federation, and that the Federation would, if called on, respond to the call, only about 14 voted against declaring the strike oft.

Certainly, with about 80 men working in the mines and others manoeuvring back to swell the number every day the position was bad, but the fact remains that after being a week off, only 14 men out of at least 150 who came out originally had enough grit in them to vote to make a. fight of it, and if they had not carried the vote to declare the strike off on Friday by Monday it is probable that there would have been very few on strike anyway.

There is no doubt but ihat the workers here require some medicine, and now that they have practically and, in fact, in reality cut adrift from the Otago Miners' Union and tho Federation, they will get it. And the only reason for regret is in the fact that a few solid men who are forced by stern necessity to re main for a while, will also have to submit to the same application of the boss's cane. The only condition under which the strikers could get back to work was that they first join the Arbitration Union —a bitter pill—and then they might get a start. Something between 20 and 40 of those who took a solid stand all through our troubles here were told that there was no work for them. Yet the company is advertising for minors and truckers, so anyone who comes here knowing what has happened will know what he is doing. Should the action of the company in declining to buy the labor power of the best workers here (from the point of view of union princiciples) be at all contagious and spread to the working-class ranks, the workers will be found using a certain amount of discrimination when they are buying their firing.