Page:Labour in Madras.djvu/89

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LABOUR IN MADRAS
63


63 If you are in favour of this resolution, please show it by raising your hands. I will therefore as soon as I go out of this meeting send to our great leader a telegram giving him all the particulars that I can and I shall let you know the answer as soon as the answer comes into my hands. Meanwhile we are very sorry to note that the request made yesterday in the second resolution has not been granted, and that Messrs Binny & Co. have thought it wise to continue their lock-out. Under the circumstances we have no other recourse than to await deve lopments, for all that we possibly can do has been done. We have offered all the assistance that we possibly can offer. For a mistake of a few people Messrs. Binny and Co. have thought it wise to continue the lock-out which deprives thousands of their labourers of their bread. That at any rate clearly indicates that it is not in their hearts or in their heads that the welfare of the labourers is to be found. Therefore I would request you to have a little more patience till our great teacher comes in our midst, and then by the help of the mature advice that he gives us we will chalk our line of action and see what we can do. Meanwhile we have got today in our midst Swami Satyadeva who is a great friend of Mahatma Gandhi, and he will tell you how he worked with him at Champaran where the difficulties of the poorer classes with the planters arose. You will listen therefore to what he has to say, and think over it and thus prepare yourselves to take the advice that Mahatma Gandhi will be able to give you. (Cheers.) The next meeting took place on November 30. Mr. Wadia presided and made the following speech :