HAVELOCK WILSON'S REPUDIATION.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14987, 14 August 1919, Page 5

HAVELOCK WILSON'S REPUDIATION.

<T TOOK MY GRUEL, LET WALSH V

:?-y'\ TAKE HIS!" ' LONDON, July 17. — Mr Havelock Wilson, general president of the National».;Seamen's Union, was specially interviewed for the Sun to-day oh the subject; of the request from the Australian Seamen's Union for an Empire-wide strike. i

He „said : "As the 1 whole - facts have not been furnished to me it would be unfair for me to discuss the merits of the Australian strike. As far as concerns Mr Walsh's appeal for. an Empirewide .strike if the' leaders' twere prosecuted I shall do nothing of , thepkind.. Whehla man is : accused 'of Breaking 'the law he must submit to a trial. J spejkk as a man who underwent what I felt was an unjust trial by an unfair jury, and I got: six weeks. I took my gruel, and did. not appeal for an Empire-wide or any. other sort of strike, and I. expect them to do the same. Such}' appeals seemingly indicate . that they ; are at the end of their tether." . -MrcHavelock Wilson added that he h,a.d known Senator Guthrie and other former leaders of the aeamenzrfqr j3p years. They were the moskiievelrhgiidpd lot ; in the trades union movement, but unfortunately .they, .-had --j-heen. deposed because they were patriotic. Unknown ; new leaders had taken their places'. : j | .. '.-There is too much talk of strikes," declared Mr Wilson. have the idea that a, general strike can be icalled arty minute without consulting the. workers. Some men on this side of the water in the same way are getting loose notions, and are advocating tbat the; executives should be empowered to call strikes without ballots. ..^-Yet-^the ( same agitators persistently request the extension of the parliamentary franchise. ■ That is not democracy;"