Scarlet Runner

by Lily Ennis

  Mary looked at the faces of the men. They each hung on Archie’s every word, especially Buster and Leonard who had never heard this kind of talk before. She could see that Archie had their respect.

  She sensed there was something in Archie’s past to promote such depth of feeling for a class war that clearly he was never initially a part of. To her surprise she noticed her heart beating harder than it should.

  ‘People have already left town.’ It was Garrick. ‘I know married men who are going back to Australia. They don’t believe in it.’

  ‘That’s their right and their privilege,’ Ian rebutted. ‘My Isabelle stands by me one hundred percent.’

  Garrick pushed his chair back. ‘Business and trades people are already operating on a cash only basis,’ he said. ‘I hear six thousand pounds a week will be lost in wages. Do you think you can get that much strike pay from the Federation?’

  They looked at William who exhaled long and loud. ‘It’s my job to try.’

  ‘You’d better do more than try, Mr. Strawbridge.’ Now they stared at Mary. ‘The decision to strike rests heavily on your shoulders. I’m told the hospital can survive for two months only.’ She addressed Buster. ‘How would you like to face your leg injury without the hospital?’

  Buster shuffled in his seat.

  Mary continued. ‘That’s if the hospital doesn’t run out of coal before that.’

  Floyd addressed that concern. ‘The council sold the hospital some coal. We’ve blocked sixty tons of coal going from the Grand Junction to the gasworks.’

  ‘Ian,’ said Archie. ‘Did you secure a speaker for our next meeting?’

  Ian nodded. ‘Desmond Nickleback, President of the Auckland General Labourers’ Union.’

  ‘And what about the company?’ asked Leonard. ‘Why aren’t they doing anything?’

  ‘To be fair,’ Archie replied, ‘the engine drivers aren’t registered yet. I can’t see any other reason for the company to address this problem.’

  ‘But you’ve been management, Arch!’ said Ian. ‘Come on! Think like a manager.’ He banged his fist on the table.

  Archie paced the room. ‘The company is loyal to its shareholders. More than that: it’s obliged to pay dividends to its shareholders. We come second. Although without us there is no gold, no shares, no company. If we become two unions we become weak. We are most vulnerable while we are fighting amongst ourselves. We have no credibility but more than that, while we are arguing with each other we are not annoying the company. Hell! They don’t need to do anything right now.’

  ‘Surely the shareholders want the mine to reopen,’ said Garrick.

  ‘I’m sure they do,’ Archie agreed. ‘And I say it comes back to timing. They are sitting on their hands until the Engine Drivers’ Union is registered.’

  ‘Then what?’ asked Buster.

  Archie screwed up his face. ‘We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.’

  The men stood up to leave, each one tipping his hat to Mary.

  ‘Good luck in your endeavours Mr. Strawbridge,’ she said.

  Mary’s head whirled. The strike was all consuming. It was all anyone talked about. The only way to avoid it was to leave town. And if she couldn’t? Well, like her mother said, make a decision and stick by it. She felt as though she was on the edge of a precipice, and the longer she deliberated the more swayed she was by the fervour of the strikers.

  * * *

  Gerald said grace more sombrely than usual. He usually left the troubles of the day behind as he faced the family, but tonight there was heaviness in his voice and his smile wasn’t genuine: there was no light behind his eyes. He set the tone at the table.

  Only Percy refused to be subdued. ‘Jack’s dad’s going to Wellington to rally support for the miners.’

  Gerald was surprised. ‘He’ll have his work cut out for him. I hear the Federation is broke.’

  Mary scoffed. ‘The Federation is stronger than you think. It’s been pretty successful enticing unions to register under the Trade Union Act. Not that all strikes haven’t been effective, illegal or not. There have been illegal strikes in the past.’

  Percy was the only one not surprised at Mary’s knowledge. ‘In Waihi?’

  Mary shook her head. ‘In Auckland,’ she explained. ‘Back in ’06 and ’07, the tramwaymen and freezing workers walked out. They were successful too.’

  ‘So it makes no difference whether it’s illegal or not,’ Percy mused.

  ‘I guess not, but if the Arbitration Act didn’t make it so difficult to be heard they probably wouldn’t need to strike at all,’ she said.

  Gerald slammed his cutlery on the table. ‘Where on earth did you hear that nonsense? It’s not even about that. Two unions arguing amongst themselves is what’s caused this.’

  Emily laid a hand on Gerald’s forearm.

  Mary wasn’t deterred. ‘It’s not nonsense father. You know the Federation was formed specifically to oppose the Act.’

  Gerald grumped and returned to his meal. Mary had shocked him for as much as inadvertently challenging his viewpoint, which the family should concur with, as the words she spoke.

  She hesitated. Mary wanted to be on Gerald’s side; or more to the point, he on hers. She wanted them all to be on the same side, but Sam and her father were already at odds. In a way that should make it easier to accept the decision she’d already made. But she wanted to hear Gerald’s view. She struggled at how to approach him without appearing impertinent.

  ‘How does the company view the strike?’ Mary finally asked.

  It was the right way to tackle Gerald and he softened into his seat.

  ‘It’s not their fight, Mary,’ he said. ‘Yes, we have the Goldminers’ Association breathing down our necks, for the shareholders. We want nothing more than to have those mines working. No one wins in a strike, Mary. Least of all the strikers.’

  ‘Would the company not see the two arguing unions as a distraction from the ongoing negations with the miners’ union? Is it not better for the company that they abandon any attempt to negotiate for a fairer pay structure?’

  ‘The company has no opinion on that, Mary,’ said Gerald. ‘That is a fact; not a stance. The fact remains that it is illegal to strike while in negotiations with the employer.’

  Mary was about to speak but Emily cut her off. ‘Sometimes the law isn’t just and if the Federation was formed to oppose the law then that is a legitimate protest. As you know it can take a long time to effect change.’

  ‘Are you going to join them, Mary?’ It was Percy who had keenly followed every word his sister spoke.

  Mary calmly put down her knife and fork then straightened in her chair. ‘I am. Yes.’

  ‘Oh, for goodness sake, girl!’ Gerald slapped his palms on the table. As he walked away he addressed Emily. ‘Will you talk some sense into your daughter!’

  * * *

  Archie arrived home unexpectedly with Fanny in tow. Mary wiped her hands on her apron.

  ‘What’s happened?’

  ‘The school’s closed for the afternoon. There’s to be a demonstration,’ Archie replied.

  ‘Are you going?’

  ‘I thought you might like to.’

  ‘Me?’

  ‘If the school closed for it I’m sure it would be all right, with women and children there, I mean.’

  Mary’s mouth went dry. ‘What makes you think I will demonstrate for your cause?’

  Archie was taken aback. ‘I’m sorry, Miss Bell. I only meant that you might like to observe.’ He fumbled with his cap. ‘However, I may have misjudged your intentions to return to work. I do beg your pardon.’

  Mary went back to folding washing.

  ‘I can see you’re busy,’ Archie continued. ‘Perhaps I should go alone after all.’

  He flipped his cap back on and started for the door.

  ‘No wait,’ Mary called. ‘I’d like to go. To watch.’

  Archie smiled to himself. ‘Get the children
ready. We’ll all go.’

  By the time they walked up the hill to Seddon Street a loose assembly of women and children had formed outside the Miners’ Union Hall. Mary insisted they stand well apart from them but close enough to recognise those women who had already made their stand. There were mothers from the school holding the hands of their children and girls she knew who were in Rose’s choir.

  The assembly moved off, slowly picking up people as it progressed down the street.

  Fanny clutched Mary’s hand. ‘Where are they going?’ she asked.

  Mary looked at Archie.

  ‘They’re just walking, honey,’ he replied. He hoisted Thomas on his shoulders. ‘Come on. Let’s go home.’

  Mary was quiet as they walked back. She wondered why Archie wanted her to see that. The women weren’t organised with signs, they weren’t even very vocal. They just wanted to be seen supporting their men. Her thoughts turned to Charlie and she knew full well that had he been alive she would have been walking with those women.

  * * *

  A light drizzle fell the next day as Mary turned to pull the perambulator off the carriageway. There was still the air of a carnival with the street filled with idle workers. They ignored the rain: it was either go home and get under the wife’s feet where the novelty of a striking husband would wear thin extremely quickly, or hang about in town with colleagues.

  Dardar sat in his usual seat outside the chemist shop.

  ‘Morning Dardar,’ said Mary taking a seat next to him.

  The old man barely nodded his head in acknowledgement but that was all right, that’s all anyone expected from him. Mary peered behind her through the glass window display of Clark’s Miners’ Cough Cure to see Rose in her white pinny serving a customer.

  ‘At least Rose still has her job,’ said Mary.

  ‘Aye.’

  ‘Will you go to the free picture show tomorrow?’ she asked Dardar.

  Dardar blew out his cheeks and screwed up his nose.

  Mary laughed. ‘Me neither. Too many people for young Thomas here.’ She playfully clipped the boy’s foot which dangled from the seat at the front of the perambulator. ‘Well, good day to you,’ said Mary. ‘I can’t be sitting here all day gossiping.’

  Dardar tipped his hat and watched Mary drag the pram backwards as she negotiated the step into the shop.

  Rose was taken aback. ‘Mary! I didn’t know you’d gone back to Mr. Wright.’

  ‘It all happened rather quickly,’ said Mary.

  ‘Does this mean you’re on our side?’ whispered Rose leaning in to Mary.

  Mary held a finger to her lips. ‘Yes.’

  ‘But your father!’

  ‘My father, my brother, my mother.’

  Rose threw her hands to her mouth. ‘Of course! Your brother. It’s all his fault isn’t it?’

  Mary hadn’t heard it quite so bluntly before. If that’s what Rose thought and had the temerity to say it to her face, the whole town would be saying the same thing. She suddenly felt embarrassed until Rose pointed out that relations in her family were no less strained. Her father firmly blamed the engine drivers for forcing the miners to strike and he was thankful it was only Rose who worked for him as he could keep her on without having to pay her. Rose’s engagement to a miner firmly put her on the striker’s side.

  ‘Oh, I’m sorry,’ said Mary.

  Rose was upbeat. ‘It’s all right. It won’t be for long. Henry says he expects some strike pay. William Strawbridge will see to it.’

  ‘Even if the miners get strike pay it doesn’t help the rest of the town.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘It won’t be much. Maybe there’ll be enough to put food on the table. But what about the borough workers? They’re paid from what the mine produces. The mayor is trying to get them work on the Waihi-Tauranga railway. I know Jean and Lucille have been laid off at the dressmakers. It’s dire, Rose, but people need to see the wider picture. The town should be behind your Henry. The men need to see that we are behind them.’

  Rose hadn’t thought it through further than Henry’s impending strike pay. She was puzzled at Mary’s stance.

  ‘Is there any special reason you decided to go against your father, Mary?’ Rose goaded. She looked pointedly at Thomas.

  Mary rebuffed her and made an excuse to leave.

  Rose called after her. ‘I’ve got a special on Dr. Charles’ Face Powder.’

  If either of the women had faced each other they would have seen a quiet smile on their faces.

  Chapter Ten

  Floyd swiped the cloth hat off his head and dropped the evening paper on the table. Isabelle brought him and Ian tea then perched the baby on her lap to join them. Floyd relayed how he had travelled to Paeroa to ask union members working for the Waihi-Paeroa Gold Extraction Company to down tools. The result was confusion over which industrial district the company fell into and the company decided to suspend operations for a few days. In the meantime sixteen men who stopped work were ordered off the premises.

  By the end of the day two telegrams had been exchanged. Floyd advised the Thames Miners’ Union that a strike had been declared at the Waihi-Paeroa Gold Extraction Company and to refrain from enrolling members from that locality, to which the Thames Union replied ‘cannot understand your telegram re strike at Paeroa, which is in our district, and outside your jurisdiction.’

  ‘Impertinence,’ Floyd spat.

  ‘A rather smug way of washing their hands of you,’ said Isabelle. ‘Quite clever on their part.’

  ‘It’s not all bad news,’ said Ian. He flicked the newspaper. ‘The union hasn’t been registered because the Auckland Engine Drivers’ Union is protesting against it. Says there is not to be two unions of the same kind in an industrial district.’

  ‘But the Waihi men are proposing an Engine Drivers and Firemens’ Union,’ said Isabelle.

  ‘Exactly,’ said Ian. ‘The Minister of Labour has asked the Auckland engine drivers to allow firemen and they replied that the matter was being voted upon at this very minute. Results won’t be known until May thirtieth. That’s why they haven’t registered the Waihi Engine Drivers’ Union.’

  Isabelle bounced Sarah on her knee. ‘So this should all be settled in ten days.’ She smiled at Floyd. ‘I’m sure Clara can do without you getting under her feet all day.’

  ‘I best be off,’ said Floyd. He turned to Ian. ‘We’ve got a meeting with local business owners tomorrow morning and then council want to discuss coal deliveries. He tipped his hat to Isabelle, ‘Mrs. McCardie.’

  Isabelle slung the baby onto her hip and went to the kitchen. She opened the cupboards and sighed. Ten days. The week’s pay was all but gone. She sent a silent prayer to William.

  * * *

  The strike committee met in the Miners’ Union Hall without William who was putting their case to the Federation. Ian had left Isabelle vomiting and weakened in the early stages of pregnancy. She assured him it would only last until eleven and she’d pushed him out the door telling him a thousand miners depended on him for their livelihoods so she couldn’t justify keeping him home for a little morning sickness. Isabelle had made it clear that she saw Ian’s success in the strike as a foundation on which to build his future political career.

  The delegation of grocers and other businessmen, including Rose’s father, Mr. Brady, sat uneasily at the table. Ian spoke with urgency, his blue eyes flashing like steel. He had seen Isabelle look wistfully in the cupboards and she hadn’t said a word. He owed her.

  ‘I implore you, gentlemen,’ he said rubbing a circle on the table with his fist, ‘give the lads credit. We’ll soon have strike pay.’

  The men shook their heads. ‘It’s out of our hands, Ian,’ said Mr. Brady. ‘This is bigger than Waihi. When we place an order for goods from Auckland or Thames we’re asked for cash at the time we place the order. It puts us in a very difficult position. I don’t know of a single business that can carry such a large amount of c
reditors.’

  ‘Aye,’ said Harry the fishmonger. ‘I do. James Bellworthy.’

  That was no surprise. The Grocery, Ironmongery and Fancy Goods store was the largest of its kind on the southern Hauraki Goldfields. ‘He’s letting ‘em run up accounts. It’s a risk I’ll grant you but he’ll have the town sown up if the boys do get their strike pay.’

  Floyd put a strategy to the meeting. ‘What if one of the strike committee had a meeting with your suppliers, explain that the Federation is behind us.’

  ‘It’s worth a try,’ said Mr. Brady. ‘They’re not taking any notice of what we say. The horse’s mouth might work.’

  There was a shuffle at the door of the hall and several men strode in. Ian recognised Selwyn Swain, a coal merchant. ‘Gentlemen,’ said Ian. ‘We haven’t concluded our meeting.’

  But the businessmen took the interruption as a conclusion and disbanded with Mr. Brady announcing that they had nothing more to add.

  Selwyn spoke for the coal merchants. ‘They can hear what we have to say,’ he said nodding to the men. ‘You have a list of people that we should not supply coal to. Well you can shove your list where the sun don’t shine. We own our coal and we will sell it to anyone we want to. We are unanimous in this.’ The men behind him murmured their agreement.

  ‘But the coal unions are on our side,’ Ian explained.

  ‘We’re not in a coal union, man. We’re businessmen.’ Selwyn swept his hand in front of him. ‘Just like these men.’

  Floyd leapt to Ian’s defence. ‘Your point is noted, Mr. Swain. I would point out that the relatively small amount of people on our list are engine drivers: men who have caused the strike.’

  ‘Their money’s as good as yours,’ Selwyn grumped.

  ‘No one’s got any money yet,’ said Harry.