The Labor Troubles.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 5920, 27 August 1890, Page 3

The Labor Troubles.

I_PER TRESS ASSOCIATION.—COPYRIGHT.]

Sydney, August, 26. The Union Company's steamers Ohau, Tarawera, and Taieri aro being unloaded by free labor, of which there is plenty available. The employers have established a labor bureau whero non-unionists can apply for work. The stewards and cooks still remain ou tho Union Company's vessels Newcastle, August 20. The Agricultural Company's miners have struck, and there is every probability of a general striko in tho coal trade. A large crowd of unionists rushed the steamer Gwydar, dragged the free laborers from their work, and severely ill-used them. The maltreated men wero ultimately rescued by the police. Melbourne, August 2G. The crew of the Tasmanian steamer Flinders to-day refused to como out ou striko when called upon.

[PEE PRESS ASSOCIATION.J

Auckland, Last night.

The steamer Mararoa, which arrived this morning from South, was originally advertised to leave for Sydney to-morrow, but in face of tho present condition of affairs the Union Coinpiiny have decided to send her away to-night, and the vessel will accordingly leave at midnight. There was a persistent rumor in town that the reason for the dispatch of the Mararoa to-night was that a notice of a general strike had been given, but this has been authoritatively denied by Mr Duthie, secretary of the Auckland branch of the Seamen's Union, who received to-day a telegram from the head quarters of the union as follows :- - " Havo decided to withdraw hands from intercolonial boats. You take no action unless instructed by us. Leave Mararoa alone." A subsequent telegram instructed that tho seamen should leave the Mararoa at oneo if a single non-union man was known to havo been engaged to go by tho vessel. The Wainui also left this evening for Fiji, a day before time.

Wellington, Last night. Mr D. P. Fisher denies Mr Creagh's allegations against him as stated in a message from Napior, but declines to enter into a controversy on the subject, as no good object would bo served by doing so. Ciiuistchukcii, Last night.

At a meeting of the labor demonstration committee to-niirht it was announced that Lord Onslow had declined to _ivo his patronage to the affair on the ground that he considered it his duty to hold an independent position in al! matters of the kind. The Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants to-night voted illoo to tho miners who some time since struck at the Brunner mines, and decided to cable to the president of the Maritime Council iv Sydney offering £'500 per month from the society. A, levy of half a day's pay per member was struck, and ordered to be collected weekly until countermanded. Dunkdin, Last night. It is understood that the Seamen's Union will not interfere with the interprovincial service at present, but business men consider it inevitable that the coastal service will eventually be involved. A report was freely circulated that the Union Steamship 'J-impany intended to lay up the whole of :heir fleet. Tin; directors of tho company met yesterday afternoon to consider- the /natter, but no definite decision was arrived ut, as they must be guided to a certain extent by tho progress of events iv Australia. The company havo received telegrams from iliil'erent places containing oilers of services of large numbers of non-union men to fill all positions ou board their steamers, and it is believed that neatly the whole fleet could be kept; going by nou-unionists if the company choose to adopt that course.

The steamer Jubilee is not affected, and a largo amount of freight was yesterday booked al high rates for Sydney, the agents refusing to take more.

Private cable messages received from Sydney convey a large amount of information with respect to the development of matters re the shipping striko in Sydney. The Union Company's Tarawera, t'aieri, and Ohau are getting their cargoes discharged by non-union labor, plenty of which is available. Tho Australian Agricultural Company's, miners havo all gone out ou strike on account "f tho Corunmi being coaled from the mine. All tin; southern colliery proprietors have decided not to co.d steamoiß running outside the .Shipowners' Association, and it is probable that the Newcastle proprietors will follow suit. Meanwhile there is a prospect of all the miners at Newcastle coming out. The crew of the* flinders, one of tho Tusmauhui Union Steamship Company, have.refused to strike at tho command of the Seamen's Union.

Only about 30 of the men belonging to the Tarawera, have given notioe. The eugiti'-i-.TS havo not, and arc not, likely to strike. The Union Steamship Company havo suspended all notices both of intercolonial and interprovincial services until further notice. It is evident that tho Union Company intend to fight tbe question out. They are advertising for men to inau those steamers iv which the seamen and firemen have given notice.

Undeterred by the labor difficulties, the Union Company cabled Home to-day to purchase two new large cargo boats to add to their fleet.

The Union Company, in reference to tho statement by Mr O'C.nur, M.H.R., iv tho House, that they continued to limit the output of coal at Westport, and so raise tho price, point out that the miners themselves gave notice to tho Westport Coal Company, pending a settlement of the dispute at the Grey Valley mine, that thu output would bo restrbted. The effect of this has been to force the Union Company to lay up several of their colliers through inability to get them loaded.

The following manifesto has beeu put forward by the Union Steamship Company : —" The directors of the Union Steamship Company of New Zealand havo arrived at the conclusion, with much regret, that the present policy of the labor unions of Australasia, which has led to au imminent paralysis of trade in all the colonies, and which has kept up a constant irritation and an unbearable uncertainty in all departments of trade for somo mouths past, is the outcome of a general determination on their part to try their strength with tho employers of labor. Theie has been no dispute of any serious character in New Zealand, and the dispute iv Australia cannot bo considered to be any relation to the measures adopted by the unions here. The directors have, therefore, no alternative left but to fall in with the resolutions of the Steamship Owners' Association and other employers of labor, aud to support them to the utmost in their power in opposing the encroachments of the labor unions by every possible means, until it. is found that negotiations can bt; re-opened with some, degree of comfort and confidence. They have no hesitation in declaring that tho wages paid by them for many years are such as no reasonable man can complain of, and that. their relations with all classes of their men have always been such as they have a right to regard with sati.-f v.:;i,-m. They therefore unhesitatingly throw the whole responsibility of the very serious disorganisation which is about to ensue upon the shoulders of the leaders of tho unions.