SLAVS ON STRIKE.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIX, Issue 149, 24 June 1918, Page 2

SLAVS ON STRIKE.

HOSTILITY TO AUTHORITIES. OVERSEER THREATENED. OBJECTION TO PIECEWORK. , The Jugoslavs, totalling about 40, . who were recently brought from North Auckland to 'work on the Stratford-Oka- > hukura Junction, this side of Taumaru- < nui, struck work on Saturday, because of their objection to the Public Works Department's piecework system under which they work and are paid. Interviewed this morning with refer- ; ence to the matter, Mr. J. Cullen. Commissioner in charge of Jugoslav registration, stated that he hrtd only been I apprised of the trouble on Saturday, and knew little of the details. He was getting into communication with the reel- j dent engineer at Tainnanmui to-day, however, and if the trouble was not settled might find it necessary to go to Taujuarunui to-morrow. If these men persisted in their present line of conduct there was only one way to deal with them, and that was to intern them, and this wonld certainly be done < unless they returned to work. At the commencement of the war the Slavs had , been profuse in their protestations of loyalty and offeTa to assist the Government in every way possible. The Government could not accept their services ; as soldiers, but it had recently been decided to make use of them on various public -works. They were given exactly the same pay aa British ■workmen on the line, hence they had no reason for complaint on that score, and their present action accorded ill with their expressed dersire to assist the Government in every way possible. The pay, he understood, although this was not within his province, wae about 10/ per day and a -war bonus, and in every way they received exactly the same treatment as the Britishers. There appeared to be little doubt that a number of these Slavs held hostile feelings towards the authorities for having called upon them to do this work. They resented being interfered with- The action of the Government, however, vras a wartime precaution, and, in view of their protestations of loyalty and the pay they received it seemed to him that they had no ground for complaint at all. TROUBLE AT AWAXUL Some trouble hail also been experienced at the Awanui drainage- works, at Kaitaia. recently, where about <>0 Jugoslavs -wore engaged uuder the Public. Works Department. One of their number had been discharged by the foreman, and as a result the others had downed tools and had refused to return to work until the discharged man ra taken on again. It was decided to givo the man another chance, and work -was resumed. Some of the men at these works, be stated, had been absolutely impertinent, and had actually threatened the overseer in charge. The registration of these people commenced at the beginning of December last, and on the whole they came forward for registration in a fairly satisfactory manner. The trouble bad commenced since the Government -had decided to call upon them to do public work. Not only were some of those called upon shirking the work, but many of them had cleared out and could not be found at the present time. Roughly speaking about 300 were employed on Government works at present, including the Whangarei-Mangapai railway line, the Kaikohe North railway, the drainage works on the Hauraki Plains, the road and drainage works in the Paeroa district, the Government drainage works at the Rangitaiki Swamp, and the place where the present trouble had occurred, namely the Stratford-Okahukura Main Trunk line, formerly known as the Stratford-Ongarue line. We understand that a number of ' Jugoslavs who have shown pronounced hostility to the Government have ' already been interned, and that if the I present trouble persists the men concerned will be dealt firmly with.