THE MEN BADLY LED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19142, 7 October 1925, Page 12

THE MEN BADLY LED.

BUILDING WITH DYNAMITE. MR. VEITCH SPEAKS OUT. COMMUNISTIC SPIRIT ABROAD. [BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN COBEEBPONDENT-] WANGANUI, Tuesday. Mr. W. A. Veitch, M.P., who still claims to be a supporter of Moderate Labour, frankly referred to the present shipping trouble at a meeting last evening, and urged the community to support the Government in this matter. He held that they had arrived at a very serious position in regard to the export business of New Zealand, and nobody could say what it was going to cost. He said frankly that the wages of the men were very small indeed. The shipping companies had made huge profits out -of the war and should have been able to treat the men better^. At the same time the leadership of tho men had been very bad, and it was bringing disaster to people who had nothing to do with the strike. If disputes developed upon those lines inhere could never be industrial peace nor reconstruction, and the cost of industrial warfare might be greater than war itself. Everybody realised that the world had to be reconstructed. The ocly way to build up was by constructive means, and not by destructive means. They could not build houses with dynamite. The leader who got away from industrial peace did greater injury to the wage-earners than to any other section of the community. There should be some saner way to settle disputes than by bringing disaster to the whole country. Their duty was to stand by New Zealand, and he did so wholeheartedly. He would always do his best to better tha position of the workers, but it could not be done by disorganising production. A spirit of destruction and communism was abroad, and it was being preached by irresponsible men. No section of the community could be improved by injuring another section. The only way to make the position of the wage-earners better was by industrial peace, and the restoration of industries to Che normal position before the war. The men leading tho workers should realise that there could not be consumption until there had first been production. There were thousands who seemed to miss that important fact. Men who fostered strife did immense harm to the wage-earners. It was the duty of everyone to try and get the dispute settled, and to tell the Government plainly that it should try and bring about a settlement. As representative in Parliament for Wanganui, he felt it was his duty to speak plainly.

WATCHING THE SITUATION.

HEADQUARTERS OF FARMERS. EFFECT ON BUILDING TRADE. [By TELEGRAPH. —OWN COK.RKBFONDENT. ] WELLINGTON, Tuesday. Reports from the country district indicate that preparations are being made to man the idle ships in the event oj the call being made, and it is stated that a good response has already been made by farm labourers, etc., who have expressed their willingness to act in any capacity in order to get the country's produce away to the English markets. An official of the New Zealand Farmers' Union, questioned as to the possibilities of action being taken by the farmers as a body, said that nothing definite had so far been done. As far as headquarters were concerned the position was being watched, and all depended on the result of the conference between the* seamen, shipping representatives and the Prime Minister. Rumours were current , among the strikers on Monday night that a detachment of *' free " Jabouiwrs from tl country was arriving in Wellington by a goods train from Palmerston North that evening, but a large number pf strikers who assembled at the Thorndon station were doomed to disappointment as the only arrivals by the train were three passengers not connected in any way with tins shipping difficulty. Among tho trades which are beginning to feel the effects of the strike more or less seriously is the building trade. Essential hardware consigned to some builders is being held up in ships where cargo has not been unloaded, and certain work cannot proceed until the fittings and other materials imported aH| available. A prominent builder said to-day that if the shipping deadlock continued much longer a number of jobs would have to be suspended for lack of fittings necessary to complete them. As building, both in large and small contracts, is unusually active at the present time, with the prospertr of a continuance under normal conditions the sea transport stoppage has occurred most inopportunely.

ANOTHER IDLE STEAMER.

THE FLEET AT AUCKLAND. ADDITION OF PORT HACKING. The fleet of idle steamers at Auckland has been augmented by the Port Hacking, which goes into the stream at 7.30 o'clock this morning. She was to have sailed last evening for Southern ports to complete discharge of her cargo from New York, but at sailing time her crew refused to take the vessel to sea. The Euahine completed loading New Zealand produce at the Queen's Wharf shortly before ten o'clock last night. As a number of members of her crew, who went on strike , were left behind at Wellington the movements of the Pviiahine have been watched with considerable interest. Although it was nearly eleven o'clock last night before the Euahine left the wharf to go into the stream, there were present on the wharf about forty strikers from other ships. They were shepherded by a number of police officers to see that no violence took place. However, the men were very orderly. The calm, stiil niccht echoed' with such remarks as: "Hopes yer get wrecked on the Barrier." "I knows yer when I sees yer in Canning Town," and also wishes that all sorts of misadventures would happen to the Ruahine and the loyalists on board.