STILL ON STRIKE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1270, 27 October 1911, Page 5

STILL ON STRIKE.

$ THE'AUCKLAND LABOUR TROUBLE. CITI DRAINAGE WOIiKS HELD. UP. \By Tolceraph.—Press Association.) Auckland, October 2G. x'ho labourers employed on tlio draiuago contracts let by the. Auckland and Suburban Drainage Board and tlio Onehunga Borough Council are si ill on strike, and so far as could bo seen to-night there is 110 prospect of an immediate settlement. The. grievance which gave rise to tlio strike has already been removed by Mr. iloody, the drainage contractor, who let J a sub-contract, Riving an assurance that I in future ho will employ all his men on day waxes, but tlio men" are si ill unsatisfled and the number of strikers lias been doubled. As the whole of the big drainage works arc held up in consequence, the situation cannot be viewed with equanimity. Tlio strikers to-day induced fully 210 mon employed by tho City Council and tho suburban local authorities to join their ranks, tlio total number of men on strike up to last evening being thus swelled to 470. As tho great majority of the men on strike were earning from Ss. 6d. to 10s. each per shift, tilt' loss in wages is over XM per day. Mr. E. Semplo, the organiser for Iho New Zealand Federation of Labour, arrived from the south to-day, and the strikers met him at the Federal Hall in tho forenoon, rolling up in force for the purpose. The- meeting, which was held in private, lasted for over two hours, and a resolution was proposed stipulating that no details of the deliberations or contemplated action should bo communicated to the press. It is understood, however, that the meeting decided not to accept as final the assurances given by tho contractors that there would be no more sub-letting, and that the men now look to the Drainage Board to take definito action in the matter. The strikers point out that although tho contractors say they will not attempt to sublet work any more, the drainage engineer has the power to issue permits to the contractors to sublet, «nd they desire that the board should niako this impossible. This is tho view of the majority, but it is understood that several of the strikers arguo that tin's course is quite, unnecessary, as II r- Jfoody has already acceded to their demands, while the other contractors only employ day labour. They declare, moreover, that sub-contracts cannot be let when tho men themselves, as a body, decido not to accept them. A number of the strikers who spent this afternoon in the struts admitted that there w«8 a considerable, amount of discontent in their ranks, mainly becauso it was said they had no real grievance, and while they were on striko they wero tho losers by from Bs. Cd. to 10s. a day. Midnight. At a meeting of tho City Council tonight, tho Mayor strongly condemned tho ' action of tho City Council's employees who had gone out. Ho declares that the 1 action of tho men was inexplicable and • unreasonable, and any discomfort, inconvenience, or injury suffered by the cily could not be blamed upon tho council, but would rest on tho shoulders of those responsible for causing a, wanton and unnecessary strike. STRIKES AND TENDERS. (By Teloeraph.—Special Correspondents Auckland, October 20. An interesting illustration of how ■ strikes and the threat of strikes influence • contractors in tendering for works was ■ furnished at tho meeting of tho Auckland and Suburban Drainage Board last night. Contrary to expectations, only two tenders wero received for tho construction of tho branch sewer from tho Newmarket railway yards to tho old ', Junction Hotel in llanukau Eoad. Tho I prices ([noted, .£6608 17s. and .CCO2G 14s. 9d. respectively, proved to bo considerably in excess of the engineer's estimate, ' which (including <CSOO for contingencies) was .C 5600. The tenders were referred to • tho Works Committee. Tho chairman of a tho board (Mr. C. J. Parr), in referring " to tho matter subsequently, stated that II tho effeet of the. strike on tho drainage t works was seen in the fact that only two tenders had l>een received for tho construction of tho branch sewer, and they wero enormously in excess of tho estimate. No doubt, ho added, this was one l of tho results of tho disturbance in tho U labour market.