GENERAL STRIKE ORDER.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 140, 12 June 1912, Page 5

GENERAL STRIKE ORDER.

A POOR RESPONSE. THIRTEEN THOUSAND COME OUT. SEAMEN TO TAKE A BALLOT. BEN TXLLETT-S THREAT. WILL SHOOT LORD BEVOHPORT (By Cable.—Press Association. —Copyright.) ( Received 10.20 a.m.) LONDON, June 11. The dockers' officials state that the response to strike order has not been extensive. The position on the Port of London is unchanged, and 8126 men are working. A hundred vessels are being unloaded. Some London ships are loading at Grimsby. Great privation exists among the strikers' families in London. Extra police have been stationed in the dock districts, and a number of intimidators were frustrated. Two thousand have struck at Plymouth, and 2000 at Southampton, while ships are held up at Bristol, Manchester, and Sunderland. Owing to the conditions attached to Mr. JVlcKenna's offer of 100 police to protect the Honlder liners at Purfleet, the Essex authorities have declined acceptance, and have obtained 200 Birmingham , policemen. The Seamen and Firemen's Union is balloting whether to join the transporters, and the result will be declared on Monday. Thirteen thousand provincial dockers have struck, while the Londoners out number 120.000. The executive of the Dockers' Union, embracing Liverpool, Scotland, and Ireland, has decided not to strike. A FBEE FIGHT AT POPLAR. A free fight occurred to-day at Poplar. The strikebreakers, who are m a majority, re.;entcd the pickets' action and attacked them. Ben Tillett, speaking at Tower Hill, said: "The employers want the Government to turn out" the soldiery to shopt you. The Tories .are demanding your children's blood. If our men are going to be murdered I am going to shoot Lord Devonport, who is responsible for the strike." The Strike Committee, in a manifesto, states that they exhausted all means to prevent the present transport workers strike, and that they vainly endeavoured for eight months to enforce the contracts with the employers. Most of the owners failed to oarry out the contracts honourably, and invariably federated to defeat organised labour. The employers now refused to accept the security of a money guarantee. Appeals are being made to all otheT porta to join in the strike, and also to other trades unionists. SAILORS' ATTITUDE. Mr Wright, chairman of the sailors and firemen's executive, has warned the members against obeying the call of the transport workers until a ballot has been taken. The dockers of Barry (Wales) have unanimously refused to obey the summons to a general strike. The Manchester dockers are enthusiastically in favour of a strike. NORTHERNERS REFUSE. Mr Miller, a dejegate to the National Union "of Labour, in epeaking at Newcastle, said that his union was not consulted in regard to the dispute. They had no quarrel with the employers, and Mr Gosling had no authority to include the north-east coast in a national strike. The Transport Workers' Federation in its appeal for funds declares that 100,000 men are concerned in the dispute, and that 300,000 children and 100,000 women need maintenance. Several relief committees have already been organised. AN IMPRACTICABLE SCHEME. The employers' representatives have conferred with memlbere of the Cabinet, to whom they handed a collective reply to the effect that, while they recognised that 'th* provision of a. substantial cash deposit would afford a better safeguard than formerly, the scheme for settling the strike proposed by the Government would not. in their opinion, achieve the desired end. It was absolutely impracticable, they said, to federate the employers efficiently as a whole or even in sections. If legislation was passed the foreign shipowners, who constituted a large element in the trade of the Port of London, would under the treaty rights be unaffected. The British owners would thns be at a disadvantage. The scheme, it was pointed out, did not provide for the representation of the non-unionists of the port. The laibour question, the employers stated, is so complicated that it will require an exhaustive discussion to ensure a permanent settlement. This is only possible after work hae been resumed. NO COUNTER PROPOSALS. The employers are not prepared to make counter .proposals, and are unable to agree to the principle underlying the Government's proposal. In the House of Commons last night Mr McKenna stated that as far as the resources of the police extended protection would be given to 00100131 and non-unionist workers alike, in such a manner and under such conditions as would appear least likely to lead to a breach, of the peace. A motion censuring the position previously taken up by Mr MeKLenna will be moved by Mr Austen Chamberlain to-day. Provincial reports state that there is no enthusiasm for the strike. SEAMEN OUT AT HAVRE. PARIS, June 11. The seamen at Havre have struck for an increase of wages. ' The strike is extending, and several Atlantic liners are held '.ip.