“BOB” SMILLIE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16456, 18 June 1921, Page 12

“BOB” SMILLIE.

BRITISH LABOUR LEADER. BTARTED AS RIVETER’S BOY. The reference hooks call Wm Robert Smillie, but to the million odd miners rho follow his lead he is just plain ' ‘ Bob.” (says “Pearson's Weekly”), ft is their way of showing their appreciation of aim as one of themselves. Men say he is '• dour.” and “ hard,' and it -must be confessed that Ins personality, outwardly at all events, is not a particularly engaging one. Probably his early life and experience may have had something to do with this. His people were poor, below even the very low down poverty line that separates tho majority of tljo unskilled manual workers from the class immediately above them. Ho could do little more than read med write when he r/a» Lhnist out of a board school to earn what money ho could as a riveter’s hoy. When ho £rew a little older he drifted into mining, hut the change did not greatly benefit him financially, for a miner's wages were then much lower than they ore to-day. SMILLIE’S SMALL BEGINNING. In early years he was unable to afford himself more than one new suit a year. He subsisted mainly on bread ond cheese and cold fat bacon, washed down with weak tea. Kis room was an nuthouse, and he has known what it was to be one of seven persons who hod to wash in a small kitchen, or.o little tub serving them as a common hath, a change of water taking pla«o ' only when it was so dirty that it would Ho longer remove the grime of the mine. Small wonder that nowadays he insists that the miners must have decent homes and proper baths. For the other amenities of life, however, he apparently cares but little. He wears cheap ready-made suits and heavy hoots, with a frayed .cap in. winter and an ancient straw hat in rammer. His food and drink he mostly prefers cold—even his tea and hia meat and his boiled eggs, which together constitute his staple diet. STOOD FOR PARLIAMENT SEVEN TIMES. Many people disagree profoundly with Bob Smillio’s views. But no one so far has been found to question his

perfect straightforwardness and honesty of purpose. “ Lloyd George knows I don’t want a job, or I could have had one, and a jolly good job too,” he once proclaimed in liis blunt way. Here he spoke nothing but the literal truth. ..Ho was offered by tho Prime Minister the position of Food Controller after Lord Rhondda died, and he refused it. At ono period he had a desire to enter Parliament, and it is characteristic of the dogged obstinacy of the man that he stood seven times in as many years for various constituencies, all of whom rejected him- To-day he could not be an M.P. if he would, at least not without “chucking” his present job; for the constitution of the Miners Federation contains a clause prohibiting their permanent president—in this case Bob Smillie—from sitting in the House of Commons. Tfc is doubtful, however, if Bob wants to bo in Parliament—now. When labour rules, if labour ever does, ho will doubtless seek election, for he is ono of three or four men from amongst whom will bo chosen the Prime Minister in the first Labour Cabinet. Until then, he is content to wait.