Page:Labour in Madras.djvu/159

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LABOUR IN MADRAS 133 you have respectfully but firmly and emphatically answered the missionary friends who came to you yesterday. I think all matters of negotiations may be safely left into the hands of the President of this Union, Mr. Kumaraswami Chetti, and I hope you will repeat what you have said yesterday to our missionary friends to others who come to you to persuade you to join work or to open negotiations with the Tramway Company. And I want to bring to your notice one more fact. You have established during the last fortnight a very good name for yourselves for sobriety, for quietness, for calm work and above all for an indomitable spirit. See that you maintain your good name that you have obtained and see that you bring the strike to a successful end, successful from your stand-point. I think that in the course of another few days something must happen, because the people of Madras are getting irritated and they will not put up with this kind of highhandedness on the part of the Tramway Company which has produced in this City of Madras a disgraceful state of affairs. (Cheers.) ON MARCH 28TH MY BROTHERS. - We have met here to-day for a very important purpose. I discussed with your special Committee yesterday the whole position and have frankly put before it all the arguments arising out of the 14 points of Sir Clement Simpson which Mr. Molony, the President of the Madras Municipality, has published. After a long discussion your Committee arrived at a decision and were prepared to answer Sir Clement yesterday afternoon; the members of the Committee