PERTH TRAMWAY STRIKE.

Evening Post, Volume LXXX, Issue 31, 5 August 1910, Page 7

PERTH TRAMWAY STRIKE.

♦ FULL COURT DISMISSES AN APPLICATION. By -Telegraph.— Pre»s Association.— C*pyrigtkki (Received August 5, 10 a.m.) PERTH, This Day. The Full Court dismissed an appiica. tion for a mandamus to compel th« Tramway Company to continue the service, the court deciding that the exist* ing trouble was a strike. Following upon an abortive appeal to the Arbitration Court by way of an application for the amendment of the award of the court delivered, on lbik June, with the object, the men assert, of ascertaining only what the union claimed to be the real intentions of th« court, was an announcement that th« only course open to the men was to consider their position. Th^ President 'of the court (Mr. Justice Burnside), in advising the men not to adopt method* which might "simply close the doors of arbitration," and in suggesting a further conference between the parties, pointed out that it was only by going into matters gradually step by step that success would be achieved. Further negotiations, however, were fruitless. It appears that the pivot of the trouble is nob that of wages but of overtime. The men's contention, in a nutshell, is that if the company intends* to carry out the award, then overtime, as one of tho provisions of it, must be paid for tl» period commencing from the operation of the award. The chief official of th« company, on the other hand, says he is unable to arrive at what tho men ar» basing their claim on. He agrees with them that overtime constitutes one of the provisions of the award, but emphasises the point that every man entitled to it has been paid. The Tramway Employees' Union has a membership of about 120, and is composed mainiy of motornien and conduct* ors With the exception oi one man — % conductor — they are all unionists. Prior to the operation of the award the men and the company were working under an agreement wnica had been in existence ior about two years, ana -which expired in March last under a three months' no- . tice. It was during tho negotiation* ! between the company and the men that ■ each of the latter put in a claim ior ; overtime. 1- ailing llil pnymenfc of tho ; overtime set out they t-ook the point that they could not continue to work any longer, hence the present cii>is.