SETTLING THE STRIKE

NZ Truth, Issue 509, 20 March 1915, Page 7

SETTLING THE STRIKE

"SPECIALS" WHO WERE MISLED WAIKATO "COCKIES" AND THEIR CLAIMS FOR CASH flute's Penurioosness

When, m November, 1913, insurgent labor threatened to break things and to make events decidedly unpleasant for the bosses, and the Massey Government's impotence -to bravely face a crisis was apparent, the lead of the farmers of the Walrarapa, who went to Wellington' to "take "a hand m the squelching of the strike, was followed by the farmers of the Waikato. and, by being led to believe that they were required on the wharves to see that j their produce was shipped away, they fell over themselves. and invaded Auckland. -As^ is well known, ttney were I instrumental- m. "settling!' itlie strike,: and it is perfectly certain that the j farmers were promised 'all sorts of j things for their services on that occa- ' siori. : Tho farmer "special" .- movement was a Capitalistically worked job to ■ give the city and insurgent labor a' telling lessonj not to try conclusions 1 again with Fat. However, as the days go by more than once since those memorable days, when the farmers took possession of the city and threatened to bash out brains with broom handles, little things have leaked out, ! which show that the cockies, who were cajoled, i nto ? coming $nto j ?the ? to overawe the .-strikers, -werei badly fooled, and that many of tlie pi-pmlses made were!;'-; .- : ' iV#Vi £ *' v -^ n AS SWEET AS DEAD- &E A APPLES. Hamilton, the busy centre of the Waikato, is pretty . well the • head - quarters of the cocky organisations which supplied battalions .iot^'lspec-lals," andas it is Hamilton whicjtv.just now, is' threatening; to. do* a lot *6r ! things i if some of the debts in'ctfrTett fnA'the I mobilising.: :.bt :Vhe v Vsi;rikerpr.Qaking I cockjes are not. paid, "Truth j -.tnlght remark that'.,it sees yin v m thi's-vthe^, beginning \of Vwbat seems' to be v a^ father steiichful scandaU-^'^So fair-as strike breaking methods are' concerned ■ these | will riot be v made public, but -efforts i will b y e made to patch things 'up. and prevent the grievances ' being ventilated m a. Court of Justice. When the South Auckland farmers were mobilised prepatory to riding down on the 1 city strikers, huge debts were incurred and the accounts were rendered to the Hamilton branch of the' Farmers' Union. "Whether the branch' is not financially strong enough .to meet the [bills, or if strong enough, will not do so,, "Truth" does not know, but the Auckland Provincial Executive of the Farmers' Union have been requested to pay up. This that body declines to : do, and repudiates the debts incurred. In the meantime creditors, are npt getting their dues. ' '.' The Hamilton Cockles' Union held another meeting the other day, and'lt ! 'seems that the Provincial Exscjatlye tried to stave off the. evil day*;&>alleging that branch,, secretary '4}a!d . not rendered the accounts to the "parent body, and, as this assertion was chal-

WALTER ARNOLD HAWKINS (Registrar, Wellington Supreme Court) This important person is the "upper" Registrar, You'll aye and him at King Jordio's Suprome Court. He's known to bad and bold men, likewise to bench and bar. And tho gowf-club is his implement of sport. He knows all about the hangings, all the k«>' md grave divorce^ Decrees he tabulates, and afndavlts, ton, So whon you reud this dogg'rel you will mend your \vay*», of course. Lost we; have to have him tabulating you.

job, he was advised "that there was plenty of money m Auckland" and that he was not to spare any expense m getting men and horses together. . It was indicated that if the Hamilton bra'nch r did not pay up the aggrieved and fooled creditors, they intended suing the Union. Of course, the responsibility of the Hamilton Farmers' Union, figuring as defendant in ' a suit for the recovery of money spent by cocky "specials" m going to Auckland to ' BELT BLUE BLAZES OUT OF . STRIKERS, , is not regarded with equanimity, but, if the worst comes to the worst, then | the Hamilton branch will sue the Provincial Executive. "Truth" is inclined to think this sort of . thing would never do, because it. would illustrate how sadly "the farmer had been lleyt y in when he was fool enough to lend a sympathetic ear to the wails of Fat. There can be no doubt whatever .that the feelings of the I farmers of the Waikato who were mis- ( led. over the matter,- are very bitter," and it is sincerely to be hoped that the creditors who are entitled to their money will force the Hamilton Union into Court, and then we shall see how the oracle was worked. The fact that [ the Secretary. of the. Hamilton branch has. divulged the interesting statement that when -the strike was m progress, he was urged not to spare ex-, pense m getting men and horses,' and that there was plenty ot money m Auckland, sufficiently indicates what went on at the time. It is now apparent, however, that expense is being considered, and the Provincial Executive is asked to square up with the farmers who put their hands into their pockets and came to the city of Auckland to smash the strike and, incidentally, the strikers. It's a long laao i tha/t has no turning, and it's a-longer j way to -Tlpperary, but it .jiow. seems ! certain that the chickens are coming I home to roost. . . I If the farmers are squealing about not getting a* Square Deal -from the Provincial Executive of their own j Union, it also seems that they have [ some sort of ground for urging that I they are not getting a "Square Deal" from the Prime Minister. When tho farmers came to Auckland with their horses and equipment they, as a body of nieni, certainly deserved admiration, but it now seems .that many of the ' farmers, while in."the city, lost their ; horses and their gear and have. never recovered them. The cockles have put m 'claims, for these losses to .the Government or, at any rate, it is proposed to. do so.. But 3111. Masses has Intimated _tha;t ho ..will not, take the, re-, sponsibilJty of placing the mat.ter be- ' fore Parliament with a view to reimbursement being made, and he has advised" those! who lost' their property to present/ a -to Parliament through their On tho face of things it looks as if the farmer has good grounds for complaining that Plute is a very ungrateful person. That the • Hamilton Branch of the* Farmers' Union has given the show away and will, as a result, focus a lot' of public attention on the engineering l that went on at strike time, is very ; evident. It is just as well that people should get an idea of tho inner workings of things at that time. "Truth" now proposes to give what might bo called the other side of the question. That is, the side as set forth by an individual named Schmitt, who is tho organising secretary of the boss Provincial Executive. In the first place it is worth mentioning that Schmltt's father was a German, and Schmitt himself does not deny it. All things considered, "Truth" 1b rather inclined to pat' him on tho back for it. At a recent Farmers' Union gathering there was what the doddering: "Herald" described as a painful incident. Some country cockle with a thirst for knowledge, and with the idea of settling a lingering doubt that seemed to exist, wanted very badly to know IF SCHMITT WAS A GERMAN? Schmitt admitted that his father was a German, though his maternal /side was English, but Schmitt gave it out very clearly that his sympathies were British, that ho was Australian-born and had never boon out of Australasia. ■ However* the fact that the Hamilton Cockle's Union has gtven tho show away, has somewhat ■ perturbed this individual and, m trying to explain matters m the dally newspapers, ho has made things a great deal worse. Ho has set forth that the Provincial I Executive is not responsible for tho dobts, but that the Department of Justice is really responsible, and that, m duo time, tho debts will bo paid. Evidently tho disclosures mado at Hamilton have also upset tho applecart of the Exeoutlve, for It now promises that when ono or two matters between the Union and the police are .settled, the accounts will bo audited 1 and a complete statement published m • tho press;, also, the secretary of the Hamilton Union is given ONE TO GO ON* WITH m the meantime. When Grlbblo was told that thcro was plenty of monoy m Auckland, It was meant that there I was enough money for his expenses ! and that ho need not ptint himsflf. Grlbble, Schmitt says, was not meant to understand that he could go as ho pleased and spend all the monoy he chose, which wne tho Impression ho now wished to give. Anyhow, m the light of past cvcntH it certainly seems that Grlbblc accoptod the hint that monoy wan flowing freely m Auckland, and accordingly gave it a good po. Tho unhappy rosult is that tho farmer "specials" who did all the dirty work expected of them found that tho promise of thero being plenty of money m Auckland, meant that if thero wa» plonty of money m tho city, those who had It, intended to keep it. Of course, it is nil very intcr- [ eating to the public, who wondered who was "footing tho bill" at the tivnn, to lenrn that after all tho Government to- going to pay. Evidently tho cocklo wa« not under that Improsslon. Ho lookod to tho Hamilton Union, the Provincial Executive, or the Big Union, and now tho Hig Union | In looking to tho JiiHtlcß Department. Roully 'tho poor cocklo la hardly to be blnmcd for kicking up a fuss,