A LABOUR BLUNDER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 1514, 9 November 1912, Page 8

A LABOUR BLUNDER.

THE STRIKE AT WAIHI. EX-MINERS MAKE A MOVE. CRITICISE LEADERS' ACTION. AUCKLAND MEETING TO BE HELD. A movement Is on foot iii Auckland, amongst ex-Waihi miners now employed in the city, to call upon the leaders of the Federation of Labour to declare the Waihi strike at an end, or to explain satisfactorily what benefit, they consider will be gained by prolonging it. Arrangements are now in hand to call a meeting, to be held at the Trades Halt at an early date, to discuss the advisability of taking the course indicated. The men in sympathy with this step are those who resented the action of the agitators in forcing a strike upon the Waihi Miners' Union against the wishes of many of the in em bet of the Federation of 1-aboOr itself. They state that, a workable agreement with tin* Waihi Company was under consideration shortly l>efore tho strike occurred, but that the leaders of the strike movement, by subtle insinuations of '' treachery to unionism" and to the Labour Federation, stifled expression of the views of the rational members of the. j federation. " Then came the difficulty with the, Waihi engine-drivers, said one of the ex-i miners to a Herald representative yester- ] day. " Wo immediately found ourselves j formed into what was in reality a, strike association, whose principles consisted of ' bluff/ with nothing to back them up. and which had nothing in common with; the ideals of true unionism or true federation of labour. Wo claim that the Waihi strike, as also the 24 hours' strike, was sprung upon the Federation of Labour by j clever agitators, .who misled th? workers into taking a stand, neither profitable nor dignified. "The 24 hours' strike furnished; an example of tho weakness of the leaders, j In Auckland the men were called out. and j when the demonstration proved a fiasco the leaders left them to get homo as best* they could, and make whatever explanation they chose of.th<j pitiful exhibition they had made of themselves " The same tiling is true as regards the position at Waihi," continued the same worker. " Tho miners were promised a speedy issue by tho leaders, but- 26 weeks have only hardened the lot of the men, who have backed them. Of the 1200 men at work in Waihi at the time of the strike, only 500 chose to receive strike pay. The remainder, after hanging about in tho hope of a speedy settlement, left for other places. , In the'.majority of instances their jobs have been filled by arbitrationists. All those men aro unionists, and tho majority federationists, but they cannot reconcile their conception of tin* principles of these institutions with the blind fanaticism of the leaders, 'by whom any expression of individual opinion conveying moderation and thought is regarded .in a similar way as their own banner would bo by a bull. . " It is because tho men in Auckland have not. been drawing strike pay, and because tbey adhere to the opinions they held at tho time of the strike, that they consider they have tho right to a?k the Federation of Labour for proof that something is being clone to further tho principles of the federation. All that has been done up to the. present, they affirm, lias not yet hod any relation to, or effect upon, unionism or federation, but has cost the workers many thousands of pounds." NEW MOVE BY THE POLICE. WORKERS WALK FROM MINK, A SURPRISE FOR THE STRIKERS. [BY' TELEGRAPH. —SrECJAI. REPORTER. ] WAinr, Friday. The Commissioner of Police (Mr. . J. Cullen), who arrived yesterday, has not. been long in summing up the situation here, and indications now point to the fact that tho time will not be long before the workers will bo able .to walk thy street both in the day and evenings without the fear of _ the intimidation aud annoyance to which they have been subjected for so long. For some time past tho workers have been taken to tho Waihi and rand Junction mines in brakes to save them from the annoyance tausdd by tho howling federationist*. To-day tho * commissioner decided that the arbitratiouists should walk along the streets of Waihi instead of being rushed past the federationists in ! brakes. The move was heartily welcomed by. the workers, who had become restive through the restriction of their liberty, and the strikers were completely nonplussed. When the whistle sounded shortly before four o'clock to cease work tho strikers and their womenfolk, about 300 strong, gathered along the footpatlm in the vicinity to the main outlet from the Waihi mining property, apparently with the object of greeting the workers in the objectionable manner that has become customary with therm, They were completely startled, however, when they saw tho large body of workers numbered over —coming from tho mine. One of the women demonstrators, who was wheeling a perambulator, exclaimed in surprised tones, "Why, they arc walking!" Apparently, .she thought that workers had no right to walk. Tho federationists were as much surprised as tho women, and expressed dismay in audible tones. So startling was the surprise packet sprung upon the strikers that only a few of them had the presence of mind to call out " Booh " and " Scab." As the workers walked along the strikers quickly rushed to the eide'of tho footpath to make room, for them. When the federation recovered themselves a little they made an attempt to call out epithets, but their feeble. efforts wore promptly I drowned by lusty cheers from the workers. j One of the federationists then became I aggressive, and deliberately bumped against a worker. The latter promptly i etaliated, and his aggressor quickly got out of the way. and thereafter the strikers became strangely silent. All the way along Seddon-street the workers walked until Rosomont Road was reached. Here brakes were hi waiting to take them to their respective home,-. As each of tho brakes departed the evaporating courage of the strikers returned, and in company with the. women they again broke forth into cries of '-Scab,'' but the ovation was ineffective, inasmuch as the brakes had gone in a fla.'h. Flic strikers did not pursue their usual tactics of annoyance and intimidation in the evening. 'Three men were taken on by the Waihi | Cold Mining Company this morning, two! of_ them being practical miners and tho j third a mechanic. The - tally for the week ! so far is 33. of whom trie minority ore ! miners, including 13 local men. Mr. Rhodes left for Auckland this momina. ONLY 30 MEN WANTED AT PRESENT. STATEMENT P.Y MR. lIODES. THE PUMPING OPERATIONS. [BY TELEGRAPH.—— REPORTER, ] Waihi, Friday. Mr. Charles Rhodes, local director of the Waihi Gold Mining Company, who has been to Waihi in connection with a meeting of the Mine Owners' Association, in the course of an interview stated that the Waihi Company's pumps liad been restarted, but that it would take till well into the New Year before tho water was lowered enough to enable the Grand Junction Company to resumo oro breaking on sufficient to run its mill, while tho

Waihi Company would also have to limit its operations until after No. 11 level was water free. Meantime a further 50 miners would be sufficient- to fill all the places which it was desired to man in tho Waihi mine, at any rate until after the holidays. No further labourers or battery hands were at present required. LOYALTY TO THE FLAG. BOROUGH COUNCIL'S ATTITUDE. [BY TELEGRAPH. — SPECIAL REPORTER.] Waiiii, Friday. Hie town clerk has sent tho following circular.to the various county councils and borough councils throughout th.-" Dominion : —'• I am directed to call your attention to the attached resolution, passed at a meeting of this Council on October 31, and to ask that your Council discuss the question of passing one of a like nature. The Council realised that in many quarters it may be considered far-fetched and quite superfluous, but the trend of events iu Waihi go to prove what a condition of things may arise where the doctrines of Socialism and an adherence to the principles of the red flag find a footing unchecked. In communities where these are unknown, it cannot be realised to what lengths tho followers of the red flag are ' prepared to tro, but the incident of tearing up the Union Jack in the main street, of Waihi may be quoted as an example. I would urge that this matter receives the serious attention of your Council, and point out that no one enjoying the inestimable advantages of living under the Union Jack should raise an objection, except on the point that his-or her loyalty is apparently questioned, and the declaration may speak for itself." Following is a copy of the resolution:—"That it be a condition of all future employment on the Borotlgh works t hat each and every person employed by the Borough Council must sign a declaration, affirming his or her loyalty to the King and the Union Jack, and that none other than those affirming their loyalty to the King and the flag shull lie employed in any capacity on the borough works,.and that it- be an instruction 'to the town clerk to forward copies of this resolution to all local bodies throughout the Dominion, inviting cooperation."