Waihi Miners' Strike - Confrontation

Confrontation

The police buildup in Waihi continued until an estimated ten percent of New Zealand's police force was present. Around sixty strikers were arrested and jailed. Anger among the strikers grew, and the Federation of Labour gradually began to lose control to even more radical groups, such as the Industrial Workers of the World organisation.

In October, the Company was able to re-open the mine with non-union workers ("scabs"). The union workers reacted angrily, and the new workers were attacked with stones. Tensions between the union and non-union workers were very high — the union workers saw the newcomers as threatening their livelihoods and as being traitors to the working class, while many of the newcomers felt they had little choice but to take what work they could find, and resented the attacks and condemnation.

The violence gradually escalated, with union workers on one side and non-union workers and police on the other. The greatest level of violence came on 12 November, known as "Black Tuesday". A group of armed non-union workers and police attacked the union hall, which was defended by a small group of union workers (also armed). Thomas Johnston, a non-union worker who had come to the mines after his market garden in Auckland was bankrupted, was shot in the knee, and a police constable was shot in the stomach. The shots are believed to have been fired by Fred Evans, a radical unionist. Evans himself was beaten to the ground by the police, and later died of his injuries. Soon afterwards, the strikers broke ranks, with many fleeing Waihi altogether.