Among the Strikers.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 5946, 26 September 1890, Page 3

Among the Strikers.

[By " The Spectre " in tho Sydney Morning Herald. J If you travel through that antique piece of quarryman'a work known as tho Argylo Cut, and pass straight along, leaving the Hill behind you on your left, you will arrive eventually at a spot whore two hotels stand Twin Hotels I might almost call them, for the}' are both much alike in appearance and character. Placed at opposite comers of the streets, these two hostehies look each upon the other in a keen, though by no means unfriendly spirit of opposition. Here, at either tho one or other of these hotels, is the great centre of the coal-lumping

fraternity, and here, whether the time be

ono of peace or wvr, the members of thia brotherhood love most to congregate. In peace time that is, when there is no etrike in the air, they gather hero for tho purpose of being engaged for coaling jobs. Now, there is no talk of engagement, nor is there nny mention of taking work, either for the shovelling or carrying of coal. There are no hurried midnight musters ; no gathering together hastily of fcangs, as once used to happen. All this has been over and past for weeks, but still the " coalies " assemble in their accustomed haunts, for the purpose of discussing the latest strike news, or of airing their grievances—even mon on strike sometimes hare grievances.

Tlie walls of the hotels are decorated with numerous notices, all more or leai bearing on tbo strike, and sometimes there are cuttings from the daily newspapers, which tend to enlighten the reader as to the progress of public opinion. Even the telegraph posts have not escaped ornamentation, and some rude artist has sketched outline figures on them, executed in the very beet style of barbaric art. Furthermore, the lower portion of the posts, which the telegraph authorities have with a wise prevision painted black, aro worn almost bare by reason of the rubbing of numerous backs ; for when you have nothing to do a telegraph post is the handiest thing in tho world to lean against. Thereforo the lumper likes the posts. But tho lumper on strike is a very different being from the lumper at work ; the coaldust and grime have long since been washed off his hands and face, and his workintr garments have boon exchanged for his holiday garb He J does not, iv spite of all this, seem much to j enjoy his enforced leisure, and is decidedly grumpy in mood and sanguinary in expression. Tho talk that morning turned much on the supposed strike of tho draymen and carters. They, it appeared, had made up their minds to cease working for non-union firms, and henceforth no goods were to be carted either to or from wharfs of the "blank" persuasion. So the men were patiently waiting to sco if a curt would appear with goods fora neighboring wharf, which was working on the non-union basis. "Tho carters," said a retired handier of carbonaceous matter, " have, their pickets out just as we havo, and if they sees ono of their men carting to a black wharf, they spot him at once." " And what happens then ?" "Oh, well they pass tho word up to the corzier here, and a lot of us just tro down, and we lave him out of that in a jifly, and tho curt overturned."

" It will take," said the policeman at tho corner, who was on excellent terms with tho strikers, " a lot of men to guard those hero carriers if they go carrying uou-uniou goods about."

"You will want a policeman on erery cart," I suggested timidly, not knowing how tho administrator of tho law might reliah my interference. " Bless you, they'll want half-a-dozen on some of tho carts," was all he snid.

I was not fated to witness iiiiy disorder that morning, and tho warlike programme of the first .speaker was, as fur as I havo yet learned, never carried out. Tho carters apparently did t:ot strike, or if they did nobody wnifd to know anything about it. Still thu picket,* did not relax their vigilance.

They scanned the wtroeta from end to cud ,'md kept over a watchful eyo on tho proceedings on the wharves below. The street wan full of them, a« are many streets now.

Go where you will by the waterside in Sydney you cannot help meeting any number of pickets. This constant supei vision may havo its advantages from a striker's point of view ; but it in, to Buy the least, unpleasant to the harmless and enquiring etrmig'jr. In this latter category 1 must include myself. I endeavored, but without ruccuw, to engage ii blue-cved giant in convivial conversation.

Ho was a man of remarkable stature, with a fair upon face and eyes which could either light up with beiiavolent kindnosH liku an angel's, or bum with auger us a demon's. " Antrel or demon still" applied moat appropriately to him, and just at that moment he seetnerl more inclined to enact tho roll of demon. " Njw then, Mr," ho said, " what's your racket." I mentioned that I was merely a harmless pedestrian taking a look around, but, for reasons which I perfeotly well uuderatood, this explanation did not satisfy him. To mako the matter clear, I may premise that, as things are at present in Sydney, v man who hangs about tho corner with apparently DOthiug to do must be either one of three things. Ho must either bo a striker, a blackleg, or a special con-

stable. Obviously I was not a striker, or elso I should havo been known to oue or other of the watch urs there assembled. Therefore I must be, reasoned the blue-eyed giant, cither a blackleg , or a special countable ; uud no mutter which of the alternative ho ndopted, niy position was a sufficiently unpleasant one. I argued lonjr and unavailingly with tho giant. He scoffed at all my blandishments, and even refused to partake at my expense of the flowing threepenny b>_'er. This, in itself, was sufficient to in'dicrtlu that I was looked upon as a thoroughly bad lot, and I record tho occurrence us remarkable, because it is the only time I havo over found a worker refuse a drink offered in a friendly manner. Ho knew nothing , , this giant was only a new chum, and had not even tho remotest idea that there was a strike on. The knowledge of all tho other men wan of a similarly limited character, and, by-the-bye, il is astonishing the number of work-ing-men you meet in Sydney at present who know absolutely nothing , . The order for Rileiß'O and discretion seems to havo been paused round, and every striker, whether on picket duty or no, keeps hie mouth sealed. So I travelled on. At every corner there were nickels, and at every corner there were policemen. Tho pickets outnumbered the police by four to one, but that did not mutter bo much, since everybody was peaceably disposed and the streets were as quiet and aw orderly as could bo v/itihed. 'ihe men stood on the pavement outside their eottnyus, and ovory now and then a door would open, and a wizened wan female face would peer out, as if to nee what had become of her lord and master. The lord and master was probably araoking , on the pavement m company with his mates, waiting till such time aw dinner, or what passes for dinner in otriko times), should bo ready. The poor women looked wonied and ill, and no wonder, for on them falls the burden and heat of the day. Further along there is a place where a narrow lano running at tho edge of a high rook, is bordered, for security's Bake, with a stout wooden fence. The fence comes iv handy .just now. On it lire perched in a continuous row, not birds, but pickets. There are perhaps 20 piokete sitting on this fence watching intently the movements on a German cteamer on Parbury's Wharf below. They were too far away from the wharf to do much, harm, since it was but little use shouting at the non-union laborers at that distance. So the pickets, speaking one to the other, contented themselves with Mjtto race remarks us to iue character and appearance of the workers below. The remarks, perhaps, were not always in the best tai-te, and fortunately tho individuals moot interested could not hear them. It was a melancholy assemblage. All the mirth t-eemed to have pursed out of the men, and though occasionally somuono, from the

force of ])iirt> habit, would repeat one of tlio old-worn je.-ts, nobody .seemtd to consider them at all funny. None laughed, but si good many cursed iluently to themselves, as they sat there smoking and looking over the edge of tho cliff at the tunulud mass of debris which lay many feet below. Two policemen were iv attendance, but they ul.s'.i had nothing to do. They did not Hit, (iv tho fence, probably because it w.is itij'ni (■>(/■, to against tho inlea of tho f'jiee. They utou.l back iv tho lane, and looked utterly Lon-d, and as if they wished tlio whole tiling were we'l ovor. If tho picketH hud been of an artistic turn of mind, ■•r hud hud any eye for beauty, they might haves thoroughly enjoyoi , . their hojourn on the l'cnao. Elevated u.s they were- muuy icet above the waters of tlio'harbor, they had at their command a magnificent farreue.hing peaceful j nc l u dbg all the glories of ttiu North ishoro and Inner waters of Port Jackson. The view, I am afraid, was inrown aw.iy. There aiv ny»; : a-aivc R ign 3 of tlio in-du-tnal v.-art.ib,; ;,, UI:; i j u ,: t . or , ru strt , ( . t :;i:,l «..a!., not at tLe wh-n-fs, but ri'-M in tho centre of the busiest portion of the city. ouau-one han op-ned an here ealied tlio ".}•]•.■,. Labor SJuieau," tor tho purpo.-io t,; fueiliiutiiig tho engagement of lioii-miion iaborur.i to work oa'lho wharve.-. Tho establishment, whieL i,j-jupies a building formerly used a> a shop, i/;<.; ; cnt.-!i from tho exterior a most dilapidated appearance. It looks, iv fact, as if it had undergone tl lengthened fiege. 'j-j, ~. ~ lusa winciows are in a do/t; j ;. ..,.•■. I amftho front room v completely ; ..,,, ; .,, No on-; is visible, and apparently U,.: ;.•„, iv ..k'.-Tteu. A large crowd of pick -~: . . iimially and with great perseverance ..-. .i<-. ; on tho'pavcuiout ontsido, but their pre.-.-ij.^

is counteracted by that of a solitary policeman who patrols the front. The barber next door, being of an enterprising turn of mind, has determined to make hay while the sun shines. Therefore, he announces that during the strike he will shave unionists for 2d each, and further improves the occasion by doing a largo trade in labor journals. So that he, at least, is busy' whilst the bureau next door is seemingly deserted. I say seemingly, for presently an inner door is cautiously opened and a head thrust out. Then a young man waiting timidly outside enters, and I with him. The inner room is small and dark, and grimy in appearance. Tho furniture, scanty in the extrenie, consists only of a deal table, a form, and a couple of chnirs. On the form nits an elderly gentleman in a tall black bat, contentedly smoking a short clay pipe. He sat there unmoved during the whole of my stay, though what he had to do with the institution I could not discover. The head of the establishment, a well-dreeaed gentleman, sat at the table, and his assistant, of rather rougher appearance, did the preliminary work of receiving and examining applicants. The young man who had entered with me was tall and well formed, a veritable cornstalk, fresh from the bush, and looking fit for any amount of hard work. Henoe he was received with open arms, beingr just the kind of man the bureau wanted to get hold of. It is not often that applicants of this kind make their appearance, so the assistant took to him at once. '' Want to get work, my lad, , ' he said. " Yes, Sir." "Do you think you could work on the wharf moving fruit cases and so on.; eary enough for a strong young fellow like you. We pay Is an hour and Is 6d overtime." The young applicant agreed willingly to all these terms, which sounded fair enough. " And we might send you to sea in a day or two," continued tho assistant. " But I have never been to sea, and have not got a discharge," urged the lad. " Oh, never mind about that, if you like to go we'll send you; but for the present you had better go on the wharf until we see what you are like. Never mind those union men," continued the official; "I am in dangor of my life here every diiy, and I was hooted the other afternoon in the Domain, but I'm not afraid of them. Just let one of them touch me, that's all I cay." And he threateningly folded Tip a mighty biceps. All this was encouraging enough for the young man, who had still the fire and spirit of youth in him, and wb* would much rather havo got into a row than have kept out of one. The preliminaries being over, his name was taken by the head of the establishment, and he was given an order couched in the following terms: — "To Mr Jones, of the Over Sea and General Transport Company, Limited. The bearer, John Brown, has been dirooted to you in accordance with your request seeking employment as a laborer." The young man took tho order, and was about to go. "Hold on," said the assistant hurriedly, "put that in your pocket before you go out, and, I say, don't go down to the wharf as if you were going to work. Say you are a passenger, or that you are a great friend of tho steward and hare come to see him." Tho newly-enrolled one went hie way, and I saw him no more, but I noticed that a picket in tho crowd was detached to follow him at a careful distance. The bush lad did not look like one who could be needlessly interfered with. Tnus the two, the worker and the striker, disappeared over tho hill, the one bound on taking work, the other v-ound on preventing him.

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