BAKERS' STRIKE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 238, 1 July 1908, Page 8

BAKERS' STRIKE.

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS. . CITATIONS FILED. . , SUPPLY OP . BREAD . The citations in respect of'the; strikers m>r6 filed yesterday with the Clerk, of Awards' . (Mr. Arthur;. Stubbs). They are': issued against forty-four members of the Operatives' ■ Union. :■■ • :' • POSITION LAST NIGHT.: 'According to Mr.-W. H.-Wcstbrooke, secretary of tho: Trades and Labour Gouncil, tho position at 9 o'clock last night was practically unchanged, though a few ,more men . -have como out; v. i "How about .'funds, Mr. Westbrooke?". "We've got the whole of New, Zealand to was the reply. ; HOPE FJOR THE HOUSEWIVES., j .So far as the supply of bread is concerned, the ■ outlook does > noj: appear to be quite so serious :as might be supposed. One . '.J)aker:is reported to be ablo to turn out.moro loaves than lie requires for his ■ own round; md is able to' sApply others., Another ■ laker. is to .be organised for a. fresh, .start ,to-day, .and indications point to the '• srobabihty of ordor: being restored from , , "baos in. other. houses which 'suffered badly by the defection of their operatives. • THE SUPPLY. The ligures we quoted yesterday regarding the probable-'number of-loaves, that wero- " turned out by. Wellington bakeries on Monday proved la low estimate; - A leading,baker . informed a Dominion reporter that, fully,two- -, -.' thirds of tho total supply needed was'turned' „ out. He. gave one of his drivers 30 loaves ' , extra to sell on his Newtown round,* but he i enly sold two. It. was ascertained that the- . whole 'of Newtown,: Berhamporo, l and'lsland Bay had been supplied as usual. The amount • of bread available yesterday was in' excess of Monday's , supply, and. owing to .the assistance, some ! of the. bigger bakers had arranged : it was expected that output would ■ reachHho normal. ■■ * The pickets'were absent'from the'vicinity; of some of the bakehouses yesterday moruiug. -A'

• FULL SPEED- IN A FEW DAYS. • , • Speaking to' a Dominion reporter last : evening, Mr. H.. F. Allen, secretary of tho Master Bakers' Union, stated that the meinof-, the/Union, would have quite enough • hands within tho next few days to start all the bakers again, at full :speed.;, Many of these bands are non-unionists. . The piasters are as firm as a rock. . > -The , employers /meet .. again ; on . . Thursday evening. • Mr. Allen: has, forwarded a letter to ,Mr., 'Andrew Collins, secretary of tho Operatives'. rUnion, informing him that he was advertising for men'to be paid at, the award rate, and if he knew of any available l men ho might advise Mr. Allen. r,-- PUT ANOTHER HALFPENNY ON. ,The manner in-which tho men propose that 'the master'bakers should-make financial provision for their demands has'not yet been . stated.' At-the"conference,between, masters and men held about-a fortnight ago, one speaker, "voicing the opinion of, the men, said ■that an easyVway'to. do'what was' required - was to/put. id,-per loaf on-.the;pyice *of bread. 'That, would be,a good thing, said ■ he, for. the masters; ■ for after, satisfying the y men there would be a substantial surplus . which they- (the masters) could put in their pockets... The simple charm about such, a proposal 'should' appeal to: all right thinking 1 people.; It-is such an easy,thing. to put 'an- . other halfpenny'.on tho price of a loaf of bread. But the men who voice'the abovo'procannot' have a; very ■ long - memory, or , they ■ would remember : 'how' cheerfully' tile " public accepts a rise in the price of bread when the ostensible reason is the enha-j'.-u'd : price of flour. . The men should reflect'that the raising of the price of ( brea'd would-affect •the,.'poorer''classes''-of; the community to?n extent. fewr could judge,;' and whilst .some'l , fifty men would be-getting a few shillings a week- more , (if, such .tactics were adopted) thousands at : present struggling with' the ".cost of-livirig " problem' Would bo burdened with-what iniiist be: regarded as a iiniojist bread tas.- •••••..' . «» -

v WILL THE DRIVERS STRIKE? , A. crowded .meeting of . Jhe Drivers';. Union was held at Hall 'last' evening; when it was . unanimously resolved to endorse the attitudo of the bakers' operatives : towards;' the' 'employers.. . The: Drivers'. Union - controls the -bakers' 'drivers, and the question. of. calling tbera.out. was hotly debated. It was finally decided not to- call tlio drivers but, but ths latter were given the. ■.responsibility of giving a week's ;iotico should they-have reason'; to.'suppose' that non-union-' lets were :beihg employed, in the bakehouses. SYMPATHY AND SUPPORT. \ The Timber Workers'.Union, at its meeting, last, night;/passed a resolution of- sym- ■) pathy. with the Bakers', Operatives -in their, efforts to:seciire, a 1 living.-.wage. . The Amalgamated. Society of Carpenters arid Joiners has decided to give moral and ■ financial, support-to- the 'bakers.:-. At the- ' fortnightly meeting'lof-the. Society, held at r the--Trades. Hall "last, .night; it -was":unanimously resolved: !'That..this Union-heartily approves the action of. tlio.'.Bakers';. Union. in declining to accept: a-miserable .pit-ta'neo of £2 Bs. .per week for 'skilled. Operatives; and,, further, this Union pledges itself, mor- ! ally, and financially, -to ..support the Bakers' v Union in its efforts to sgcuro n bare existence wage,of £3 weekly;"-• i :. • • The mover said that it was. impossible "for . bakers to obtain other than'the bare neces- ' series' of life on .a .pittance' of -'£2 Bs. Members,of the Union also expressed them- . selves as being deeply dissatisfied with the ; totally inadequato ,wage.oc£3 per .week , for oarpenters; taking into consideration tho loss : of wages through, wet -weather and tho necessity of having constantly to buy new tools; It was,- therefore,''.impossible 'for carpenters with families to obtain a-few. of the comforts of civilisatipn. - 'i" 1 ' . MR. TRECEAR'S: STATEMENT. ' . Mr. E. Tregear, secretary for 'Labour, • denies the inference which thisjournal drew 1 from a statement made' by him in regard to the action of his Department -in prosecuting the, strikers. The following lines appeared editorially in The Dominion :—"Mr. Tregear explains that' tho prosecution of the men individually has been-decided upon in order to'avoid delay.' :It must be concluded,, indeed, we concluded long ago—that the roundabout procedure in past,strikes was adopted in order to secure . delay."- . ; - •: "The truth ;is,'-': said Mr. Tregear yesterday, ."that there:was no intention to cause delay in the previous case:*, but experience proved that delay did result from tlie plan of proceeding agaiiist the union. We have profited by experience; that-is all."