LABOUR NOTES.

Auckland Star, Volume XXII, Issue 95, 25 April 1891, Page 4 (Supplement)

LABOUR NOTES.

More Strikes at the Albert Docks,

I heae fche Austral did nob get off quite so quietly as I imagined. The Federation men had to fight their way to the ship, and extra police were called oub. Ultimately, however, the Orient liner left, though somewhab late, fully manned.

On Saturday a number of Union men tore up their tickets and took work from the Federation. A respectable-looking elderly etevedore thuß explained the situation : "Unionism," he said, "ia all right in principle, and I've stuck to it as long as I could. If I were single I wouldn't throw ib up even now. It is, however, too much to ask mo to soo my wife and babby starve when there's work at 30s a week open to me." On Monday the Unionists employod to unload tho Richmond Hill of chilled meat struck. To expedite matters the authorities had permitted the railway trucks do bo run alongsido the vessel nnd tho iineat to bo transferred direct to them instead of as usual from the vessel to tho quay, and from tho quay to the vans. This necessitated tho employment of rather fewer men, and was resented as a crying injustice by the Unionists, who, finding fche owners rosolved not to engago "backers" (the technical name for the labourers who usually carry tho moat from tho quay to tho van) for whom there was no work, struck. Of course Federation men wero then obtained, and continued the discharging. This is the sorb of childishness which makes Mann, Burns and Co. simply dospair of their protegees. It will be simply scandalous, nay, worse, infamous, if through tho hot-headedness and wrong-headodnees of the leaders of the Federation on one side and of Mr J. H. Wilson on tho other, another general strike at tho Docks ia brought about. The matter? ab issue have now been narrowed down to such a fine point that there should be no difficulty at all in negotiating. The men themsolves aro most anxious to put an end to the present stato of friction. Somuchdo Tom Mann, McCarthy, and Burns feel this thab their Union (tho dockers') have refused to countenance a strike on the present grounds. McCarthy says, " The points left for settlement aro ho trivial that a few minutes' amicable discussion ought to settle them. The loaders of the Dockers' Union uro willing to aswub the seamen and firemen in any demand thab can be backed by solid reason and argument. Furthor than thab they cannot go." This ib sense Hkaton on the Waiw'ath. Mr Heaton has commenced his annual game of buiting the Postmaster-General. Practice, we all know, makes perfoct, and thero certainly is a good doal to be said for the " eweeb reasonableness" of many of the indefatigablo member for Canterbury'n complaints. Mr Raikes will unquostiouably long rogreb bho indiscreet speech wherein he stated that the "area of productivity did not justify a reduction of postage between England and other parts of the Empire." On Friday night tho wily Honnikor forced the unlucky Minister to admit that tho number of bags of mails sent and received via Brindisi to and from India and Australia in 1880 numbered 32.259, whilst in 1890 the number had increased to 64,285. This is an increase of a hundred per confc. under the old high postage rates. Mr Hoaton followed this question up by drawing Mr Kaikes's attention to tho absurdity of charging 2d for a postcard to India and Australia, while only was charged for a letter. Hβ furthor reminded the Postmaster-General that postcards from France to British India wore only Id each, and wound up his series of " posers" by asking tho Postmaster - Goneral whpthor he was aware that a postenrd could be sent from Ceylon to England for Id, whilst tha charge from England to Ceylon was 2d ? Mr Raikes acknowledged the justice of the complaint, bub gave no immediato hope of a romedy. Mr Bryco, who backed Mr Heaton up in this matter, was no more successful. Mr Raikes excused himself from doing anything on the ground thab only two months had olapned since a Colonial Conference at Adelaide had adopted bhe 2d postcard.

Monday's "' Times " contained a lengthy letter of a column and a half from Mr Heaton on postal iniquities. The most salient points are tho following:—lt will be remembered (he says) that the stock objection raised to the institution of imperial penny postage has always been the heavy coat of the express mail-train service across France and Italy. " While we admit ocean penny postage is possible, how can we institute imperial penny postage and charge a penny for tho postage of a letter via Calais and Brindisi to India, the East, or Australaiia, when we have to pay a penny for the conveyance of thab letter from Calais to Brindisi, which is only a section of tho entire route to be traversed 1"

The British Government pays about £100,000 a year to the French and Italian Governments for the conveyance of the English mails between Calais and Brindisi from and to India, the East generally, and Australasia, once a week in each direction. Incredible as it may appear, the French and Italian Governments pay only about) £40,000 a year of the money to the railway companies of thoir respective countries for performing this service, so thab these two foreign Governments pockeb £60,000 a year of our money for doing nothing whatever beyond collecting the money. Tho facts are beyond question, and have been proved up to the hilt. A second and equally flagrant case of extravagance occurs in connection with the American mails. I went to Amorica in tho Majestic, and for the conveyance of the mails for that journey the British Government paid the owners £1,000. I returned in the Majestic, and for an equal quantity of mails the American Government paid the owners of the steamship only £500.