AUSTRALIAN STRIKES.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXI, Issue 8444, 11 August 1911, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN STRIKES.

THE TENSION RELAXED,

SYDNEY, August 10. The tension of the sugar strike position somewhat relaxed on the strength of advices from Brisbane that the State Treasurer and sugar mill owners have agreed to attend the conference asked for yesterday: >;': jThe conference takes place at' 4 p.m. to-morrow.

A telegram has been received fromthe secretary of the Waterside Workers' Union^ who is attending the Bris- ~

bane Conference, announcing that a conference has been arranged, and asking the Sydney waterside workers not to stop working general cargo on vessels, as their actions will have an important bearing, on to-morrow's conference.

Despite the reassuring tone of Brisbane advices, there has been no cessation of preparation for eventualitiesamong the labour unions.

It transpires that at a secret conference to-day it was decided that all unionists will act simultaneously, aiul not in sections, in the event of ta-mor row's conference proving futile, and trouble arising.

Sugar to-day advanced £1 per ton all round.

The view is expressed in labour circles hero that the Queensland strikers are, not likely'to accept the Wages' Board, as the Board was promulgated by the Free Labourers' Union. Another difficulty in the way of a settlement is that free labourers have been engaged to take the place of strikers, and unionists are not likely to agree to work alongside them.