AT LYTTELTON.

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14823, 14 November 1913, Page 11

AT LYTTELTON.

ABRIVAL OF TWO STEAMERS

'0 Tbe,dnll monotony on tho waterfront .was broken to a great extent yesterday morning by the arrival of two steamers, »nd- th« ferry wharf presented a much ' busier appearance than for some- days ■past. Otherwise the port was quiet and lifeless, the beggarly array of -, deserted wharves giving tho harbour : -a very depressing appearance. MANUKA'S MOVEMENTS. The first arrival was the intercolonial liner Manuka, -which came into port about 7 o'clock from Melbourne, via Hobart, Bluff, and Dunedin. There was only a venr email crowd on the "wharf -wben she berthed, the hour being "-tomewhat early. A few pickets and yther strikers were interested spectators of the landing of the passengers, raaib - und luggage, but there . was no comment or demonstration of any kind. .No cargo was worked by tho Manuka, which was lying idle all day. She sailed last even- * irig'for Sydney, via Wellington, on the arrival of the 5.25 p.m. train from Chrisichurch. the: pateena arrives. ■'■ After a passage of slightly under 15 hours from Wellington, the Pateena arrived at Lyttelton at 11.15 a.m., and .." was promptly berthed on the west side ■'■ : of No. -' wharf by Captain Lambert. . There was a very large crowd of strikers ::>.» and others on the wharf when the i£< etcamor came alongside, bnt there was *';;' nbeolute quiet and no comment of any kiiicl. The same volunteer masters and l=;-officers, with one or two additional men, j> nianned the ship, but they were not ;%;■ spoken.to,by the crowd. The Pateena '0 was crowded with passengers, including -5",» number who had arrived from Sydney ■|: b.r the Warrimoo. There was a larger --staff , of; stewards and cooks, and though ~;■> the [accommodation was necessarily'very 'y-cfpwded, and some of the passengers ,v; slept" on deck, everybody seemed ' per-rirfectly-'satisfied under the special cir- *,?; cumstahces. - . ■•'■..•

NO DEMONSTRATION. *

"■>£ J*There.were several extra policemen. 'on -the; wharf,, and they kept the .crowd the gangway and the ship's >l:t fide. , arid there was no trouble of any 1 Tho Pateena brought a very -*;heavy mail/including a large number and hampers from Sydney. As there were a number of passengers re- , / titrning from overseas the quantity'of \; baggage ivas much, heavier than usual. Ai?iSt«[ by the Union Company's per- - >is&nenfc<nien, tie officers landed the ■ maiU and baggage without any loss of , tinie.Hthe" , operations providing anjn- / Westing spectacle for the crowd. The ■ special ;train] left the wharf at 12.15

, ulflgjPjJfteni.was delayed by a strong roirtherlj:^wind and a fairly heavy < head sea?- ■;" She made good time, bow- , ever, arid,.the big staff, of engineers cheerfully supplemented the efforts' of I those stokehold hands who suffered > from seasickness. As soon as the , mails and;baggage were landed, coaling was started by the permanent ? shore *• staff of the pUnion Company. DETECTED AER OF STRIKERS. *• For three or four-hours the strikers and others idled about the waterfront _ and at the Post Office corner, all wear- - ing & listless and dejected air. The "writing on the .wall" was plain to s t most of them, and on all sides it seemed to be generally accepted that the strike - was weakening and showing signs of an f early collapse at Wellington and Auck- . land. t There were some, but. they were , a dwindling minority, who professed to ho hopeful of a prolonged struggle and ultimate- victory. > . A, WATERSIDER'S-VIEWS. One watersider of long experience in * Lyttelton stated to a "Press" reporter . $ that the silly behaviour of some of the > extremists and hoodlums, who had been prominent in tho crowds watching the vnral aad departure of tho ferry etcaraers, had disgusted the older and steadier men, who strongly deprecated i * their actions and talk. He said that '• the majority of the men were strongly opposed to violence or disturbances of 3 any. kind..; Asked what would be the position if ;froe labour were introduced - to work the chips next week, he said that there would probably be trouble. < - T&e men wore prepared to remain quiet t *» long as things remained as they were *t present. When it was pointed out mat the port would not be kept shut op indefinitely, merely because the Lyttelton watersiders were out on «i "sym- \ strike for which they nad sao*n no enthusiasm, and that if they *c«W not do tho wojpfe others could be f pit who would, he admitted that the ' wnke would probably soon collapse. He v t*s V at mnn - v of th e strikers were «TMd that many of the-free labourers no would, of course, be banded to--K«aer in a new union, would remain as Permanent waterside workers, and *oal(] thus take tho places of many _ njwnbers of the present union, who *oald bo forced off the waterfront. AN ARREST. A * man named James Herbert Oaao was arrested at 12.45 p.m. yester- > «ay on a charge of using threatening language, to wit: '.'We know where you UT o, frank, and we will come up* to fix , y° ,l He will also be charged with ' TIRED OF IT. if»*Vji?? ,ir " which e ai ned wide currency ™ I'Jttolton yestcrdav morning that ™S $ j n^ e , at ■AwUand. had collapsed. » S? were all return'"£J° work bad further depressing - S2? on tlle strikers and gave proPWtionaw)- gratification to the re*t. j|fj*j report appeared to have been wsw on a telegram received by - S^ er ,°* a shipping company, ™roi s> that the strike was rapidW wtajjEjung, an( j that work was in hnJ • m Auckla nd. Another firm rea telegram from a floor milling r^? 5111 ? in Auckland asking that \pain should be shipped at Lyttelton week's steamer for tho northern Pj* 1 - ,The opinion is rapidly stron«thvi Lyttolton that the strike is gating down, and that tho local mon ,? Bs ei« the first good excuse to get * +V~i *° The seamen are very "red of the situation, and would welrf?u \ : ' cail l 0 lhe sea -" The crew w Mβ Manuka aro said to be very solid v "iWust coming out.