THE STRIKE COMMITTEE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 7 November 1913, Page 5

THE STRIKE COMMITTEE.

AN EXTRAORDINARY MESSAGE.

WELLINGTON, Last Night,

The Strike Oonunittee "made an official statement to-day regarding yesterday's disturbances and special constables as follows''The trouble now seems to be that, the strikers' energies are mainly directed, to keeping . the general public from attacking the" special constables, on the streets, as was demonstrated in Cdurtcnay Place yesterday. But for the waterside workers' band, and the officials of the union, there would have been very heavy casualties. The baud kept playing all the time to attract the attention of the public. Many waterside workers dfd alf they could to present pedple who ware not members )f the union from doing damage to the specials. A most remarkable feature vas that while'the public hooted and stoned the specials;, they cheered the •egulars, who reciprocated the greetngs and. lifted their hats. Wo have lad a number of letters from men in ;he barracks, in which they have made, t perfectly dear that they havo been nought down under false pretences. Host misleading .statements had been nad!e to them to induce thorn to cone ;o Wellington. . Some of them were .old that the waterside worker# were* Jnwving their produce intd the liarjour and murdering and gaa'i'otting people, and generally terrorising the community of Wellington. We are )fi opinion that if this' matter was put sefore the farmers and their stfns, :hey would iprmediately return to :heir homes, Arid :-o settle the present lispute. w So long-as these men renain in town, so loug will the shipping combines maintain their attitude •egarding the Arbitration Act, which :o us is an absalutely unacceptable solution of the difficulty. The men ire willing to go back to work Tinder Jie present conditions, with freedom >f action and a guarantee and assurance that work- will; bo carried on •ontinuonsly and peacefully. They lave had 15 years' experience of the \rbitration .system and its long deays in settling disputes. Under tho egime, of thj Arbitration Court, the nen wero victimised in cases which >ould hav'9 been ■ settled between emiloyer and employee. Very often he Court was called upon to deal ,vith disputes when the .ship concern;d had left the port, and it was not possible to get evidence. The result vas that- the men were thrown out of employment as soon as* tliey made a jolmplaint or threatened to bring their jase before tho Magistrate. This state jof affairs they will not again tolerate. 'As far as the Arbitration Act is concerned, it is no guarantee )f industrial peace, as is instanced by ■Jig number of Arbitration Unions out it the present time —tho Greynouth watersdderss, Brunner miners, md numerous others. To return to :lie special constables, we are satis'ied that a solution of the difficulty ,hey have caused can be left in the. lands of the general public, who, by ;heir*conduct yesterday, clearly show?d their resentment .at their presence n the city." ..