The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1920-09-02


his discharge that they wanted to re-
II c the force of men working in the
nine.
But, the next day the company took
on II new men. The Federation of
Labor then demanded that the dis
miners be re'nstated. The
company refused and Il strike was
called on the ground of victimization,
Il term used in England as wen as in
Ill the Australian and New Zealand
The Dual Union.
In the meantime the dispute between
the old Federation of Labor and the
new syndicalist union of the United
Labor Party, which Mr.. Mills had
helped to organize was growing more
and more bitter. The federation called
a conference which was held in We'll
lington, n. H., in January, 1913, for
the purpose Of considering the dispute
which existed and which was becom-
ing more bitter each day between the
two unions and to find out if there
was not some ground upon which
these differences could be irOned out
and Il consolidation effected.
Messrs. Mills and Tregear were both
invited to address the conference,
which they DID and afterwards both
were appointed as members of Il COM
mittnn tn r1va e. orpu};t,k;r,r So. <,,,
new unions, one to he political and
the other industrial, but both affiliated
and working together. This draft was
to be submitted to Il general confer
ence to be held in July following.
When the conference met it organized
what is known all owe New Zealand.
and Australia, too, as the Feds"
or the United Federation of Labor and
the Social Democratic party.
Both the political and industrial
unions were largely dominated by the
I. w. w. who had come to New Zea-
LAM from Australia for the very pur-
pose Of making a propaganda for their
syndicalist-socialist ideals as preached
by Walter Thomas Mills in Australia.
Mr.. Mills was elected. a general or
gahiZer for the Social Democratic
party and in the following election
this party Won six seats in the New
Zealand parliament, and in the cleo
ton for two seats following the Great
Strike, they won both.
a small part of the former United
Labor party refused tt join the "Ised-
Feds" and still maintain an organiza.
ton somewhat like the old Socialist
Labor party of this country.
1t was, therefore, this "Red-Feds"
that was really responsible for the
strike. It's purpose was to capture the
country through a violent upheaval
and establish the dictatorship of the
proletariat.
1t is assumed that this was the pol
icy promulgated by Mr.. Mills as he
was thoroughly acquainted with the
tactics Of the Industrial Workers of
the World.
The direct cause of the Great Strike
however vas the discharge Of thirty
%shipwrights at Wellington. The or
ganized "Ncd-Feds' We're looking for
an excuse to start the big strike when
1t was discovered that these 30 ship
wrights had been paid for walking to
and from their work for Il number of
years, which amounted to $1.25 per
week. With this discovery came the
docking Of the $1.25 per week. The
men took an hour off to consider IL
strike. They voted however not to
strike and returned to the shops,
where they found that their places
had been filled. This was the spark
that ignited the Great Strike which
lasted for several months until the
organized farmers came to the rescue
with their American AK handles.
But the war was quickly over when
the farmers took a hand. Mills and
Tresear were completely defeated not
only was the strike lost without a sim
gle concession given to the strikers
but the farmers and the employers
acting together secured the enactment
Of a law which prohibits IL strike being
called in the future without Il confer
ence being held between the dissutiS-
fled workers and their employers. And
1t also prohibits Il strike being de-
clared except by secret ballot Of +he
members of the union.
During the Great Strike several of
the leaders were arrested and served
JUL sentences for using language in
public addresses that wus reasonable
and that tended to- cause violence Oh
he part Of their followers. Walter
Thomas Mills failed to make q. howl
Ing success OF his efforts To establish
~bOlshevism in New Zealand. He ap-
pears to be having more success in
North Dakota