THE STRIKE IN GREAT BRITAIN.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 8596, 11 September 1889, Page 3

THE STRIKE IN GREAT BRITAIN.

the p'ublic1 Meeting. In compliance with a request from a number of prominent citizenß of Dunedin, his Worship the Mayor (Mr H. Goufley) convened a public tUeetiug for ldst night,' for the purpose of expressing sympathy with the workman now on Strike in Great Britain. The meeting was field in tie Chofal Hal). The Mayor occupied the fflairj and deals tin tfje platform were also occupied" by Eistlop jjevillj Dr Stkti.heueb, Messrs A. Lee Smith, R. L. Stanfofd, Gfeorgfi Feuwick, j J. B. Callan, R. H. Leary, Keith Kamsayj A. | Sligo, J. Carroll, and J. P. Armstroug, while there vrero about 60 persons iv the body of the hall. 4'he JlAtofi said that at the request of «ev«ral gentlemeii he balled this meeting for the purpose of giving the citizens of Duneuih' ,tm opportunity of sympathising with the strike movement now going on iv London. As Dnuediu had Always in tho past been willing and •uiiioifa to lend, a helping liaud to thoso in distress lie felt ouru, y/e would nofc be backward oh this occasion.—(Hear; hear.) No movement had ever met with such general sympathy as this present labour strike in Lontjonj and that fact went a long way to prove to us in1 the Solbniea that the day, was not far distant when honest labour would yet .-demand a fair day's wage for a fair day's work, — (Applause). There were several other gentlemen who Intended to address the meeting, so he would not take up time, but would Dimply oall on Mr Lee Smith. He had received a letter' of apology from the ReV. Rutherford Waddell, who eiipres'sed his Regret at being unable to attend the meeting, and added that it had his entire sympathy. : He enclosed a cheque for one guinea in aid of the : fundi The Rev. James Gibb had also,sour a,letter of apology for non-attendance, stating that be had another meeting to attend to, and also enclosing a cheque for a guinea. Mr Mark Cohen also forwarded an apology for non-attendance. Mr H. J. Walteb, speaking from the body of the hall, said he was most reluctantly compelled to rrio?e t.bafc the meeting be postponed till another night. It was <?ell known that a serious mistake had been made in first calling ,the, meeting for Tuesday night, then postponing it, apd then calling it again for Tuesday night. Many newspaper readers, he was sure, had not noticed the paragraph referring to the alteration to Tuesday night, aud another reason why it should be postponed was that it should not go forth that there was a lack bf sympathy in Dunedin in a matter of this kind.—(Applause.) He knew the people of Du'nedin, and bad to dp with .them for. njany years pa'gt, and he, was .sure that if. the blunder agile jri calling the jpeetlng for, first one njght 3kT then another. had not Keen made,1 there would have bean a large and sympathetic meet- < ing that night.—(Applause.) With all due deference to the gentlemen present, he begged to move that the meeting be postponed to Thursday or Friday night.—(Applause.) The MaVoh mentioned that there were at least three Other meetings being held that night. Mr Clifpobd seconded the motion. He could not think for one moment that the working men of Dunedin woujd.allow such a small meeting to take place; when their, feljow ~workmen in England were suffering as the£ were.—(Hear, hear). ; The Chaibman then put the motion for the adjournment, which was carried unanimously. Mr Rodquton proposed that the gentlemen present form themselves into a committee to arrange for a future meeting co as to ensure a larger attendance. Dr Stenhouse thought that if the meeting was postponed it should not be called at too early a date. This matter of a strike at Home was one of very great importance; and they should have a large toeetlng to consider it. Mr Lee Smith said he thought it was a very lamentable circumstance that there should be such great trouble in London, and that the masses tn this town should not gather up in stronger force than they had to consider the matter. He* however, would make one excuse for them. Theic non-attendance there that night was due probably to the Unfortunate mistake that had been made with regard to calling the meeting. He was entirely in favour of a further postponement, and he might say that that morning he and another gentleman made a c»uva.% and they were successful in collecting something like £50 for the relief of those in distress at Home owing to the. ' Btrike without any difficulty whatever.—(Hear, hear.) He believed that that £60 was only the precursor of a wry large amount of money for the purpoie they had in view. He felt sure that if they were fortunate enough to have |a larger meeting another night the amount" already collected would be increased by a large sum.— (Applause.) Bishop Nevill said he hoped (and believed that the next meeting would be one which would really be representative of the working classes of this important town. The only reason he rose to speak was that he thought there was an impression about in this place that there was no longer any necessity for assistance owing to the reports in the papers that the strike had already ceased; but it was within his knowledge that the conditions of the distress were more permanent than was generally supposed. Mr Leaky thought also that there would have been a larger meeting if there had not been some mistake about calling it. He would blush far the people of Dunedin if he thought otherwiso.—(Hear, hear.) Possibly the strike in London woul. I ba settled, but for all that there would be a coi.si lerafalo amount of distress that would have to be relieved.—(Sear, hear.) He did not think that one-tenth of the money subscribed would be sufficicr.t to relieve the distress. \, The meeting then adjourned until a date to be fixed and advertised'at some other time.