STRANGE STRIKES

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 89, 14 April 1923, Page 11

STRANGE STRIKES

_ Australia has an unenviable reputa> tion for strikes and industrial troublias, and they have occurred in countless instances. through trivial causes. Schoolchildren struck at at country school noti long ago, demanding better accommodation—which they jrot. A shire council the other day found a 6imilar methjod useful in obliging the Government to comply with its wishes in the matter ofj contributions to', a certain road wMchi proves unduly costly to'the shire.owing to heavy "tramp in consequence of^ii being a connecting link between two inXportant points of railway. The cquhcil threatened to cease running a steam' punt, which crosses a wide river and replace it with'a slow hand punt, which; would have meant a delay of two . hoiiirs daily in transporting the stream, oil motor-cars from the expresj train eaoa, day. The Railway Commissioneni wen horrified and the Minister for local Got* ernment breathed dire threat*. But t!h« shire held out and in the end, after a wordy battle, got all it uked for, But certain seamen of the steamer fcughfc' Companion, while in port at Fremantle a 1 few days ago. established •omethlnjr of a record in the way of strike* even fop Australia. Seven memben of tha crew: found themselves inconvenlenowi bj 1 th 4 want of a few matches and a littlt mm). [ Thep approached the master of tnfl steamer with a request that he Mvanoa the money for the purchases. *fhf captain declined. ( lsfext morninj{ "the mtok men' refused, point blank to work, and the efforts of the captain and chief officer to compel them were in yam, The men then went ashore and atcppei away from the ship about an hour. • , The matter had an unpleasant sequel (for the men) in the'local Police Court, when, on charges of. having refused to obey the orders of the master,, and o£ having been absent from the ship with* out leave each had to forfeit four day V pay, and serve three'days in. pjison.