STRIKES A "DISGRACE"

Evening Star, Issue 16197, 19 August 1916, Page 5

STRIKES A "DISGRACE"

MR JUSTICE-HEYDON'S WARNING. An application mod© in the Industrial Arbitration Court at Sydney last weekwas the occasion of a warning to unionists on the part of Mr Justice Heydon. A dispute had occurred among members of the Sboi-emakers' and Piano-framo Moulders' Union as to the payment for piece-work by Melters, Ltd., and a stoppage of work occurred. The union applied to the Court for the variation of the constitnt-ion of the Wages Board in order to allow of an extra represantativo on each side, and Mr Kenwood (for tho union) admitted that some of tho members had boon on strike.

In granting the application conditionally. His Honor said he felt sw-Li.glr in--■hned to take the view that in future he \. .>uk! ,-how no favor to unionists who had gone on strike, it appeared that there were double the number of strikes in New South Wales as compared with those in other States.

"It is an absolute disgrace to this State/ ho commented. Proceeding he said that during the'last three years' over £1,000,000 had been lost in wages on account of strikes, and he supposed that about £2,000,000 had been lest altogether, as when the men were idle the machinery was idle, capital was idle, the management was idle—.everything was idle. The men who brought about this state of affairs violated' the law, although they might think that strikes were a legitimate means ° f , improving industrial conditions. They put the community to this loss of £2,000,000," added His Honor, "and then they come to the Court and say, 'We must not suffer by .• it; we must get bigger wages. Let everybody els© suffer,• but we must not.'."-