the War lasts, as long as these two Mills are engaged in Government work, so long our duty will be not to have any strikes. We have had no strike. A lock-out is forced upon us for no fault of yours. For this lockout, the employers of the Mills and they alone are wholly responsible. They have been committing a mistake and they have given as their exci32 certain statements. They say: "We want the men to come at 6-15 A. M. and they won't come." I say go at 6 o'clock and if the mill employers order you to go at 5.30 A. M. you will nare to go there at 5-30 A. M. Our business is to see that the Mills are kept open, running and in working order. Our business is to see that the Mills are not closed. If the Mill agents or employers want to close the Mills for their own purpose, let them take the responsibility. At the present moment the Mills are closed and the responsibility is sought to be thrown on you. That is not a fair way of doing things I admit, but our ancient Dharma teaches us to meet unfairness with fairness, and I say to you to obey imp licitly for the moment even the unfair demand of the Mill agents and the employers, and when you have done that, we shall see what we shall do in the next instance. It may be -- I don't say that it is so--that for certain commercial and economic reasons the Mill agents want to close the Mills, that they would rather shut the Miils for 10 or 15 days or one month or two months, and it may be that they are trying to arrange the shutting of these Mills and at the same time to throw the blame on our Labour Union work. Therefore my advice to the weavers here and all others is to go in a body, not only five or six, to Sir Clement Simpson and say “We are
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LABOUR IN MADRAS
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