Page:The Fremantle Wharf Crisis of 1919.djvu/22

THE WHARF CRISIS OF 1919. to indulge in further violence he would give his assurance that no further work would be done by the volunteers that day. This was agreed to by the men’s representatives, and they returned to the crowd; but not before Mr. McCallum had guaranteed the Premier, at his (the Premier’s) request, a safe passage back up the river to Perth.

Whilst these three envoys were conversing with the Premier and the Commissioner, however, an incident occurred which showed how blind the employers were to the situation in their desire to down the workers, and which might easily have had a lamentable effect and ended once for all the truce just agreed upon. A trooper who had been wounded returned to duty with his head in bandages. Some of the employers turned to cheer him, but they were silenced by the indignant cry of Mr. McCallum: "You damned fools; haven’t you any sense?" Fortunately the crowd was too far away, and the incident passed unnoticed, except by a few.

Having seen the launch under way, Mr. McCallum and his colleagues turned their attention to the men. Mr. McCallum led them to the overhead railway bridge, which was densely packed, and climbing on to the rails alongside a lamp post he briefly explained what had happened. "You have got what you wanted," he said. ‘You have got these men off the wharf. We want you to promise there will be no more violence. There will be a meeting on the Esplanade at 3 p.m., when you will be told what to do."

The promise was forthcoming amid much cheering. Then the crowd, realising that victory had been achieved, rushed to the wharf to meet the incoming troopship Khyber, which was then moving down stream, her decks and rigging brown with the khaki of hundreds of returning soldiers.

ON THE ESPLANADE.

At 3 o’clock a very large crowd assembled on the Fremantle Esplanade, where proceedings were cut short owing to the breaking of a severe rainstorm. Mr. Baglin announced that it was intended to take possession of the wharf, and after the leaders had addressed the crowd, a procession was formed and they marched to the wharf. Two files of returned soldiers in uniform headed it, and altogether the number of returned men who participated totalled several hundred.

DUMPING THE BARRICADES.

On arrival at the wharf the returned men immediately rushed to the barricades and, carrying them to the edge of the 22