35,000 IDLE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 83, 8 April 1940, Page 6

35,000 IDLE.

STRIKE TRAGEDY. WAR EFFORT HINDERED. TRANSPORT DISORGANISED. (From Our Own </orre>[><.n<lrn».) SYDNEY, April 4. The coal strike, which l>cgaii three weeks ago, is now beginning to have serious effects on the industrial life of Australia, and also on the war effort. On AVediiesday cuts in train and tram services were announced. The railway cuts will begin on Sunday and the tram cuts probably on Monday. On tlio railways some long-distance trains will cease altogether, main line and branch services will be reduce*, and unless the position is soon relieved *h<electric metropolitan service* will slsn i.p curtailed. Sleeping <-ars will «•«■• taJ.cn off all night trains and the railways will also refuse to carry several clause* of; heavy goods. Tram services may lw cut' by 50 per cent, except in peak periods. The strike has also seriou-jy dislocated shipping services. Fortj eight *t.~ani:<rs are now laid up on the Australian coast and ten more will be laid up in a fortnight. At Newcastle the huge Br«ik«-u I. li Proprietary work- have closed do»:; for lack of coal and 5000 men have been di — missed. AH to!«l. it i* estimated that 35.000 men. with 05.000 dependents, have l>een rendered idle in Australia by the strike. The total include*! 23.000 coal mine workers. 0000 steel worker* at ' Newcastle and Port Kembla. lOOfi metal trade workers and at least 2000 workers in transport and other trades. As the lack of coal makes itself feU more amd more throughout industry in general, more unemployment is bound t.. occur. An example of this is the dismissal of 200 men by the Australian Gaslight Company, which is unable t" secure delivery of pipes from the Port Kembla steel" works. Because of the shipping tic-irp caused by the strike. Sydney is facing an acute shortage of potatoes. Inquiries are now being made in New Zealand by local merchants. Blow to State Finances. Another important effect of the strike has been to end all (possibility of the State Government keeping: its deficit thU year down to the projected figure of '£1.512.000. The deficit i* stated to have reached £5.658.000, but revenue, particularly railway finances, was improving so greatly that the Government had been fairly confident of making up the leeway. This ha* now become impossible. The strike is said to be already costing the Government £20.000 a week, and if it continues the loss by the end of next week may have gone up te> £40.000. The strike has also ended the possibility of taxation reductions which the State Government was contemplating. The mine workers claim that Judge Drake-Brockman. after months of investigation, recommended a 40-hour week for the*industry, but that this was upset by other Arbitration Court judges, without ex|>erience of mining conditions, after Judge Drake-Brockman had gone into a militia camp. So far the Federal Government has refused to summon a conference on the ground that the mine workers are defying the Arbitration Court. But when the Government begins to find defence supplies being held up, some kind of action will no doubt be taken.