SUGAR MILL STRIKE

Evening Star, Issue 19634, 13 August 1927, Page 4

SUGAR MILL STRIKE

SOUTH JOHNSTONE DISPUTE Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright BRISBANE, August 13. (Received August 13, at 10.30 a;m.) The strike at the South Johnstone Sugar Mill continues. Some eighty tons of sugar were removed from tho mill to Townsville by tho railwayman, but on its arrival at the wharf the laborers there refused to handle it, and it will have to be taken to Brisbane by rail. HISTORY OF TROUBLE The salient feature of the South Johnstone dispute is that the men arc endeavouring, with every prospect of success, to exact a settlement more favorable than the Board of Trade and Arbitration was prepared to concede after a careful hearing of the facts (wrote the Brisbane correspondent of the Melbourne ‘Argus’). The method they are employing is a rigorous and aggressive system of picketing, involving, occasionally, actual violence. The fight has centred round the _ engagement of a few new men for this season in the, sugar mill. When the mill passed from the control of the Government to that of farmers the management took the view that certain old bands were undesirable, either because they were inefficient or because they were disturbers. In engaging labor this year the manager employed most of last year's men, but rejected some in favor of newcomers. About 20 per cent, of the men employed did not work at tho mill last year, and about 80 per cent. did. The union demanded that all the men engaged who were not employed at the mill last year should be dismissed, and that all lost year’s employees should be taken back. Tho industrial magistrate in Innisfail, and subsequently the Board of Trade and Arbitration, refused this demand, taking tho vioiv that industrial peace would he purchased at too High a price if it were ordered that one sot of men whoso competence was not questioned should be dismissed to make place tor another set of men. The president of the hoard refused fo go further than to. order that all vacancies then existing —in the middle of Juno—and all arising thereafter should bo filled by persons ydio had worked iu the mill last year. After a struggle lasting for several weeks a member of the Board of Trade and Arbitration went to South Johnstone, and arranged terms which were acceptable to tbo owners of the mill, and which all the officials of the Australian Workers’ Union counselled the men to accept. Tbo terms represented a substantial victory for the men. The main condition was that all the men who wore engaged last year, and who ifero now available, should he reinstated. This meant that the mill management was willing, for the sake of industrial peace, to have the mill overstaffed. A subsidiary condition was that all tho cane cutters who came out, on strike should bo re-employed in runs at least as good as those for which they had contracted. Only twenty-eight men voted for this settlement and 310 voted against. The ground taken by the majority of the men is that there should be no resumption of work until the mill management has sacrificed all the men it. had engaged in place of last year’s workers.

The result of the. strike so far as it has gone, therefore, is that terms, which the Board of Trade and Arbitration would not in equity concede, have been wrung from the mill management, but they hare been rejected contemptuously with the object of forcing a complete surrender. Probably, if the strikers do not succeed directly, they will succeed indirectly, by forcing the closing of the mill. This will be entirely due to tbo Government’s conniving at 0110 of the most aggressive systems ot picketing ever employed in Australia. Every approach to tho mill is oloscly watched. Trains going into the district arc boarded by strike pickets, and anyone for whom the pickets cannot vouch is subjected to a rigorous cross-examination. By Ibis-means I roc labor has been prevented from going to the mill, and some men employed at the mill have become so fearful ol violence that they have left ami gone to other districts, That the fear of violence is not without foundation is proved by tbo attack on Maltose at Cnrrajali. Three men wore dragged off the train, and, after having been assaulted, were chased back' to Jimisfail Another man was thrown into the river, and other men, supposed to bo free laborers, wore assaulted. The Acting-Premier (Mr Forgan F-mitli) lias protested against criticism of the Ministry for having allowed those irregular proceedings, and lias given the assurance that, the police, .will do all that is necessary. Photographs have, nevertheless. been published of several lights in which it was apparent that the Maltose wore being roughly handled by strong gangs of pickets.