REAL REASON OF THE FAILURE.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 11590, 22 May 1903, Page 5

REAL REASON OF THE FAILURE.

THE MEN WERE SECEDING,

OTHERS INDIGNANT WITH THEIR LEADERS.

In their addreesee to the men on the Friday night, membero of the Railway Executive refrained from stating the reason why they had formed the conclusion that the strike should not be continued. The real reason was that the Executive had concluded it would be impossible to keep at least a proportion of tlte men from going back to work. In tho morning Mr Scorer, (secretary of the Association, received a "hrge number of telegrams from the country, and among them were several message* from the locomotive oentros throughout, the State to the effect that the strikers were becoming frightened of the turn events ■w ere taking. On the top of this news (Jaine thiit the drivers in the metropolis were gradually drifting away, and, finaTiy, there was an appeal by the committee of Parliament.

A well-known driver remarked that the members of the Executive for the past two days must have, known that the men were s*cedin£. " To-day," ho added, "it was known that there was danger of about 80 men returning to work at once. Tho Ge<long men wero dissatisfied, and were only waiting for an opportunity to rush, back to tho Department. The Executive knew that we wove ' dished,' and in agreeing to surrender they came to a very wiea detenu ination."

The announcement - that the strike, was declared off woe received with som<* hostility by a section of the mem. Tt was not until the leader of the Opposition, Sir A. Peacock, appeared on the scene, accompanied by Messrs Madden, Duffy, and Bromley, that the men began to understand the negotiations for settlement iv progress. Soon a small troop of men filed down tho hall etepe. " A lot of beastly skunke they must 'be," remarked one man. Many of the men cursed their leaders in well-rounded periods, and declared that they would not go to twork again for the highest reward the Government had to offer. There was no doubt that rh« men were angry. The Executive had kept them in ignorance of the negotiations with tfno Government, and they were absolutely astonished when the new* of th* surrender was conveyed to them by Mr Hart, President of the Association. "The mt>n will be at work on Monday morning," reported Mr Scorer.