"ANTIS" IN THE DOMAIN

Nelson Evening Mail, 7 August 1916, Page 2

"ANTIS" IN THE DOMAIN

' MEETING BROKEN UP. LAST OF THE BANNER. The anti-conscriptionists and the organisation "backing the principle of no compulsion appears to be the best advertised body in Sydney and its environs. One would' gather this from the enormous crowd'—estimated t-o number bel twten 60,000 and 70,000 people—which I gathered to watch tihe .proceedings in the I Domain the other Sunday afternoon, says the Sydney Telegraph. ! There is always a 'huge crowd there on Sundays, especially if the day be fine. There are craiiks, people with missions, religious enthusiasts, and many other sorts and sizes of people which the blessed privilege of freedom of speech attracts to the open spaces. 'Yesterday the huge space running from the Botanic Gardens to the rear of the Registrar-General's Office held' but one a'udience. Few could see the speakers, and still fewer could hear them, but the eyes of the crowd' were foc'ussed on one spot, which was marked' by a cordon of helmeted policemen keeping guard over a table upon which, for a brief period, two men stood and claimed a hearing. Beyond the cordon there were policemen everywhere, and scattered here and there and in th most unlikely places were "plain-clothes men" and detectives all keeping a watchful eye o\i the crowd. Shortly after 2 p.m. the I.W.W. Band arrived and -enlivened things, but held •the crowd 1 only a short time, for the men who were to take the centre of the picture arrived with their famous banners and other odds and ends. The police gave them a. guard of honour, and soon' the meeting was in full blast. Proceedings were opened by Mr /O. Waite, of the United Labourers' JJnion. He was given a good hearing* though a few- attempts were made to count him out. He said- that the meeting was called to give organised labour an opportunity of expressing its opinion on conscriptin.

"I have to thank the Chief .Secretary." he said, "for furnishing ;is with this guard' of honour. Had it not been for his worries regarding Chidley and the Universal Service League, I am sure George (Black would be 'here, and probably he would have -given us the police banc! also. Anyway, I want to say if we, as a true democracy,- are to advance we idust resist conscription, because it means a return to the dark days of Botany ißav and militarism." Voices: Tommy-rot.

Mr Waite : We have not had an opportunity of placing our views before the people like the Universal Service League.

Voices : One, two, three, four, Mr W'aite (ransing his voice) : We warn the people that they are playing with fire, it is a burning question, and if they go too far they may set Australia ablaze. They will produce results the same as we see in Ireland to-daj 1 . We have been told l we are disloyal.

Voices: You are; you are. M.r Waitc again refused to "take the count," a.'id- continued. He had not gone far before a vigorous attem.pt was made •by a section of the crowd to break through t'he police cordon and rush the platform. This they nearly succeeded in 'doing, but Inspector Brooks rushed up a few stalwarts, and the "push" was checked.

"Mr Waite then said that Mr -M'Neill, of the Wharf Labourers' Union —"Billy Hughes's i7nion"—would move the fol-* lowing resolution : —- That this meeting of workers and citizens declares its uncompromising hostility to conscription, as its introduction can only result in the domination of thfe working class by the /militarv.

'That was all about it. The. mover endeavoured to make himself heardi, but his voice was drowned by a tumult of interjections and boo-hoos. Those intent upon 'breaking the meeting ujp seized this opportunity for making their great "push." The police resisted valiantly for a time, but a line of giants could not have, withstood the howling mob. intimately the line was broken and acrowd of soldiers and civilians swarmed into the circle. The men on the plat•forin hastily jumped to the ground. The platform was uipsefiand the banner, with its inscription, "Conscription is slavery," seized' and borne off in triumph. The last seen of the banner was that it was torn to ribbons, and- a couple of soldiers were carrying its poles and roHers away as trophies of what they termed "a famous victory." The Inspector-'Genei'iil of Police was (present during the whole of the proceedings. Wihen an apneaf was made to give the anti-conscriptionists a further hearintr. he -cut his foot down firmly and said," "We will have no more of this to-day." Orders were also issued to the police to prevent any further utterances likely to .inflame the people.