THE GAS STRIKE

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3146, 26 July 1917, Page 7

THE GAS STRIKE

ATTITUDE OF THE MEN

FINE OF £5 IMPOSED ON EACH

The. case of the seventeen gas workers *-&ci were convicted last, week of being parties to a seditious strike, and whS were remanded for a week-to permit *nem to reconsider .their position, was' again before the Court yesterday, Mr, »• E. M'Carthv, S.M., presiding.-. Mr. P. J. o Eegan. who appeared for *he men, said that there was no maternal change since tho matter was last before the Court... On Thursday last tho imen in a body interviewed the manager «)F the Gas Company, 'and it was then Dntimated that tho company was prepared to; reinstate the men,. not in, a ibody, but in order of seniority. The men ■declined to return -unless they were all [reinstated, and. the question of terms >was not mentioned. Even;if the company .•was prepared to reinstate tho whole of the fiaen it would havo to bo on,some substantial advance on tho old terms.' Tho men were unanimous, and felt that what rrhey did in the first instanco was perfectly within their right. The position, then, was that the Gas Company was able to do without these men, who wore rpiite prepared to look for work olseiwhere. Tho men would not return to .Work on tho old terms. Mr. V. B. Meredith, on behalf of tho ICrown, admitted that the facts were aa stated by Mr. OTtegan. On. Tuesday of last week, before the. Court, had decided on its judgment, the Conciliation Cbmifiissioner tried to effect a settlement, but •(without result. On the following day the men interviewed the Gas Company, land it was intimated to' them that up to the previous day no serious effort\had Sheen made to take on fresh men.' but utter that date they bad taken some imen. on, and when the interview took s>lace on tho Wednesday somo men wero actually engaged, and the men on striko (were told that tbo fresh hands could not ;be discharged. In order to do 1 * the fair (thing the company intimated' that it •would re-engage tho men according to (their seniority.of.'sorvice with tbo com-, ■pany, but tho men declined that offor and demanded to be taken on as a body. Air. Meredith also mentioned tho holdnip of two coal steamers at the Miramar iWharf. "When tho first vessel reached tho wharf labour was engaged to, disoharqo her, but .the men got, as far jas Kilbirnie and rhen'disappearcd. The company had. since been unable to obtain' labour from the watersido workers to unload tho two coal-laden steamers. "This may., or may Mot be connected with tho striko at tho gas works," remarked couisel. The Magistrate reviewed'the proceedings from the time the matter came before the Court, and stated-that the adjournment of tho case for a week was to enable. the men to reconsider their position, and in tho 'bone that tho men and tfheir employers would come together. fThe men, howovor, had taken up the attitude that thoso nion who had been taken on'by the company to help the. company in tho production of gas and thereby to help tho community should ho discharged, and that they (the strikers) should be taken back in a, body and 6n terms in advance of those they were receiving before they quitted work. The attitude of the men. the Magistrate regarded as unreasonable, especially at the •■present time. However, ho did not think it was a caso for imprisonment. Each of . the defendant's .was fined .£5 and costs. ' •' . The men who were fined were Albert •Adams. James Evans, George Walker, Isaac Humphries, James Mann, John Harris, John Mansfield, Thomas Eraser, Charles Palmer, W. Hart, J. Secombe, Archibald Campbell, Thomas Moss, William Keast, William DuffiU, Fred Thomas, and J. E. Hannah.