Labour Demonstration Notes.

Observer, Volume X, Issue 620, 15 November 1890, Page 6

Labour Demonstration Notes.

. The tidal wave — The maritime display in the procession.

The bakers were as fine a batch of men aa could be seen anywhere.

The Printer's Devil was the most demonstrative person in the procession.

Marshall Hanniean. in his martial garb, was the admiration of everybody. ■

1 The best show of the lot, by Ghm.' said a tall fellow as he looked at the gram sorters' and storemen's banner.

Female labour was not in any way represented, either in the procession or sports. 'It is the malediction of Eve. 1

The Star sketch of the history of the eight hours movement was splendid ; the Tribune extra was a hollow sham.

The Captain Cook pub. got a benefit through there being no stronger waters than Watera's tea on the Domain ground.

Amy Vaughan and her crowd formed a legr-itiraate attraction, and ran Adam and Eve very close for the admring glances of ihe prurient ones.

On the railway employees' banner there is a picture of a big fat fellow bossing affairs. Apparently it was intended to represent one of the ' tyrant triumvirate '

The Demonstration Sports were a complete fraud on the public. Not one of the show events came off, such as the obstacle race, sack race, potato race, &c, and the ordinary races were very tame and nninteresting.

WHy should the Labour crowd represent an unshorn sheep on one of their banners ? Are not the workers ' shorn' by_ the Capitalistic crew? It was not a black sheep, or it might have been taken to represent free labour.

Pastor Birch leant over his {rate at the corner of Graffcon Ttoad, in a conspicuous position ; but though he was reoognised by the processionists, there was never a cheer raised. Popularity with the crowd is very hard to maintain.

1 Golden Eight. TTonrs ' was on<j of the mottoes on the Star trophy. The boon whrsh has jnst been gained by the chivalrous male p-into^s tv!l' n^obably have to bd made up by the girls work nsr three hours more per week than they have been wont to do.

Poor old Granny ! The following appears in the ' History of the Newspaper Preßs of Auckland, 1 as issued from the Herald press during the procession :— c The Auckland Herald was, it seems, existent in November 1841, but of this journal we have found no particulars.' Modest Herald.

1 Where's the Observer show ?' was a question frequently asked on Monday alone the route of the procession. The Observer, was represented by the gentleman in black, who so deftly wielded the pitchfork on the Typographical Association's dray. The Obsbevhb ig the Devil among the Typ. Asses !

The union of tailors and tailoresses was appropriately symbolised by a beautiful banner, on which was represented Adam and Eve, the primal makers of garments in their pristine suit of fig leaves. Tailors and tailoresses were then all in one Union, and everything went harmoniously until l free labour ' introduced the apple of discord and played the very devil with them.

Mr Geo. M. Main, the able Herald reporter, was the author of the sketch of the history of the Auckland newspaper press which was distributed to the crowd. No better man could have been found in Auckland for this special work. The redoubt ihle Georgie is equally at home reporting a Tabernacle tea-fight or a Maori campaign under General ' Perky ' Lewis.

Post Wills has taken n\ the prophetic role, and finds in the demonstration on Monday last a ' harbinger of days sublime ' when Labour will be boss and ' sifc enthroned by peaceful bowers.' For brighter days are near at hand, Untrammelled by a despot's rod ; Then man to man shall nobly stand, True workers in the Halls of God. Noble words ; but the reality is still far off.

There was not much enthusiasm over the Labour procession. The cheers nearly all came from the processionists, and were principally given for the employers. The Herald office (the office of B.N.Z. slobo. Oanifa.l, and Employers' Association) was the only printing office on the route that was cheered by the Typ A?s?s. Again, passing the Jewish cemetery, the bootmakers got up a hearty cheer, and people wondered if they wero paying honour to the soles of those who had pegged ot'i, until they saw Mr Coles, proprietor of the Kanai boot factory blushingly acknowl edging, the complimentary cheer.

The appearance of the Devil in the procession reminded me of an incident in my own career over a quarter of a century ago. When the Prince of Walea was married, I acted the Devil in a big procession in an old countrytown. It was jolly fan to be dressed up in character distributing printed slips to the multitude : but it was not quite so jolly to lie perdu under a table in the trolly, for an hour or so, while the procession was being marshalled. Some youths, who had grot to know that the Enemyof JMan wag in a fix. played the very deuce with me— -stioking pins into various tend«r parts of my anatomy ; but I stuck to my role^ and did not squeal until the signal to inarch was given. I had quite a fellow-feeling for the Devil in Monday's procession.