WILL NEW ZEALAND BE AFFECTED?

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 147, 16 March 1908, Page 8

WILL NEW ZEALAND BE AFFECTED?

DUNEDIN OPINIONS

| {BY TEI.IORArn—STECIAI.' CORRESPONDENT.) . t Duncdln,. March i.l. "\o3, it will affect tho Union Company indirectly," said .an official of the Union Steam btnp Company, whon l asked by a ."Star,'.'. reporter, what the strike of wharf :labou'rers.,.*in.':Sydney,- and ! . Nowcastle-,meant to New'Zoatond.: "r,'believo. the:"position jis.- this/^ : he';,cpntifliied.\ "The' coastal' com-, panics/working oat of Sydney are not employing ..Union men as .wharf labourers, and 'have not done'so. for's'omo time. They aro : paying . their. non-Uriion men.. ■'Arbitration! .CouHxwa'ges:'. These . wages the. member's of ■. tho Union refuse to acccpt. Tho mter-Stato which,.term includes those 'havmg/steamers trading between Australia and i-fiew Zealand, and tho deep soa companies ;are paying 3Jd. ; an hour overtime more thfin : the. awArd : . provides .'for, this, concession' liavi.ing been, granted <somo i 'months ago. Tho Unions as a body have brought pressure to bear m various directions, with tho result i; that tho mtor-Stat-e companies havo not been able to handle tramhipmonts fyom the small boats, ■ and in order. to put prcssuro on the .coastal co'mpaniesj the Union stniclr work on all shipping in Sydney. Tho U.S.S- Company have no -quarrel with tho : Wharf. 'Labourers' Union, and. it is generally believed that the Union - officials, including Mr. W, M. Hughes, a member :of tho • Commonwealth .Parliament ~,aiid. .secretary to the Wharf Labourers'-Union, are not m sympathy with the. strike." ,• , ..

. Askedwhether ■he - thought .the striko . wouid , continue ..long7or', 'ost'ond' throughout" Aiistralia);...aaihas'ibeeh'?suggested, the.'gentle-, , that fthor^mpbrtant l ' shipping • interests .in Sydney, woiilu be hung'up bocauseVof a fe# small steamdrs not agreeing, with the Union. : Mr. W.' Bolcherj 'secretary of the-.'local Wiarf.. ! Lab6ui'ers' Union;..said that' in a way the-.nows of -the■:strike,came to him 1 as a surprise, because., up' till /a couple .of. weeks .ago . at any, rate' tho. official • organ of the Sydney. Wharf . LabonreVs,'_ " The Waterside Workers' Gazette, " had given no indication of a , moyem'erit..- \ Mr. Belclie'r , said he : did,,n6t:feel; inclined.:to say much about the strike,; because ...he ,didi'nqt;.kho.w. the whole of the facts leading up, to ; i£'. fle understood that tWo ■ .or-;'three; shijiping' companies in Sydney ;employed"rioh-Unionists,: paying thenl inrsome dases Mss than the Arbitration' Court awai'd : prpyided, for." .N , . . ' 7 '

-Asked, whether .it;'was legal.,to '.do'.- so, in New"'South;' -Wiles,-.- Mr." Belcher 'continued t^i;. ! .'.that, at .a . confOTence . between workers and-em-ploy^,•, I 'hdd-;s6mp' time ago;, certain rates wore C: fixc'd;; on l for- discharging and! loading ovqrse'ai,ships, a distinction being made;- between .the; latter, arid coastal vessels:' Subsequently',, if hp remembered aright, another conference was .held, and ,these two or. three coastal companies would riot go, in with the others, arid ,- give.:, the' same rates. He was .not. certam.'whether tho wharf labourers, of Sydney .were working under an award of the Arbitration y Court,.. or merely under an agreement ..with ;tho.i bmployers, i nor whether itheir going out on strike constituted a broach of. :,thoir.Arbitration 1 -. Act;

Askkl-as to-whether in his ■ opinion the 'strike-', would affcct' tho shipping industry here, Mr. l; Belcher said that, if -the wholo of the v work- on the. Sydney ' jvaterfr'ont wero -hung! up, .he- doubted; whother sufficient laliolir "could bo gat to' cope with the work. That would :mean;a-.dislocation of trade, and further, .there was no- telling how far the striko might;extend.,...lt,was..merely, conjecture .on his part, but now that a move had been.- made-.in ! -Now_< South Wales, there wiis a possibility .that, it might spread all over tho',.Australian, coajsi, iwhoro tho samo grievances, existed..- /.There. Wa« no telling-what ,tho' shipowners .might do; if. thoy.. combined 'and-,'said, "We will fight..'these fellows to -a finish, now, .arid will put up with tho iiiconvcnioiico arid loss that'this will entail." It would be-a-very.-hard thing to say .who would win in the end. These ebullitions, Sir. Bolchfer said, :wdre indications a , widespread discontent, existing among ■ workers both in Australia arid'."i.New , Zealand.' The workers, here gene-rally., were .by. no means satisfied with tho working of tlio Arbitration Court, which did notinvestigate, disputes sciontifically,,.'iior.' go into, the . economies, of the-problem?, nut .beforo.them.. .He hinted •that h. radical ,'chan'go.' would have to bo effected, .but'Ytho manager of' its "bringing about 1 ho; did: not indicate.