Page:Labour in Madras.djvu/68

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.
42
LABOUR IN MADRAS


Carnatic Mills. The attitude of Mr. Wadia towards this unfair lock-out is described in a letter to the Press of October 29, 1918, from which we take the following: I will be present at a meeting of the Perambur Labourers this afternoon at about 4 P.M. and will advise them en masse, as I advised their few leaders who came to me yesterday, to obey the unfair order of their em ployers. Months ago, speaking to them, I told them that I did not want to see the work of the Mills stopped as they were helping our soldiers ; I still hold to that view, and, in spite of provocation by Messers. Binny and Co., I shall do all in my power to persuade the labourers to implicitly obey the rule of presence at 6-15 A. M.; if Messers. Binny and Co., change the hour to 6 A. M. or 5-30 A. M. my advise will be the same. Secondly, I believe it is necessary for our labourers to learn the lesson of sacrifice and suffering, and thereby gain the wider and spiritual view of forgetting as much as possible their smaller selves. Under the circumstances I hope the labourers will respond to my call, and even if they do not, the fault certainly will not be so much theirs as their employers.' But I krow my Labour Union men and I believe they will do as advised. Yours, &c. B. P. WADIA. A meeting of the workmen of the two mills during the lock-out was held on October 29th, 1918 and Mr. B. P. Wadia made the following speech. MY BROTHERS.–We are met here under peculiar circumstances and I need not describe to you what those circnmstances are. You know exactly what has bappened. When some of your friends came to me yesterday,