THE DAY OF STRIKES.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume XL, Issue 5776, 1 March 1912, Page 4

THE DAY OF STRIKES.

AN interesting record has been published by the Melbourne Argus on the subject of the industrial unrest which has characterised the operation of trade and industry throughout the Commonwealth during- the past. year. The record is compiled from the files of that paper, and omits some minor strikes outside the State of Victoria, and also the Brisbane strike. Still the details are interesting-. In the ten months from January to October there have been at least ninety strikes. Some of these assumed serious proportions, others were short-lived. In point of number, Victoria suffered most from cessations of work. On forty occasions men refused to continue at their employment. New South Wales followed with eighteen strikes; then came South Austi-alia and Queensland with eleven each, Western Australia with nine, and Tasmania with three. The most extensive strike in Victoria was that of the. Agricultural Implement Employees' Union. Because fifty men engaged in various factories refused to join the Argicultural Implement Employees' Union, nearly 1900 others were called out, and eventually 2300 were thrown out of work. The strike lasted three months. During that time £53,500 was lost in wages, and the union members had to go back to work with about 700 non-unionists.