WELLINGTON TRAMWAY STRIKE.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume II, Issue 45, 6 February 1912, Page 5

WELLINGTON TRAMWAY STRIKE.

SUSPENSION OF HOSTILITIES. TERMS OF THE TRUCE. THE PREMIER ( OX DOXES LAW BREAKING. [per press association.] Wellington. Feb. 5. The tramway strike is settled ami the cars resume running to-morrow morning. The City ( otineil met shortly before 11 a.m. to consider the position. Before the meeting took place the Prime Minister (Sil J. Ward) arrived, ami he was en gager! in conference in committee foi about an hour with the members ot the council. A.t 11.10 a.m. he emerged from the Council ( hambers and motored to the Trades Council Cbambi r-. '.vii»ri’ he had a confer ence with the Strike Committee. While he was upstairs a great crowd of people gatherer!, and as hr l came out of the building shortly after 12.20 p.m. lie received a hearty greeting. He motored -twihdit back to the Town Hall. An anxiou-. imh vidtial walked tip to the car and said. " Fix it up.” Il will be fixed up all right.” Sir Jns' pii smilingly replied. When lie reached the Town Hall Sir Joseph went straight into tl.e Council Chaniber. where the members were still sitting in committee. A few minutes later four

’members of tlie Strike Committee {arrived at the Town Hall, and they i were accommodated in the Mayor's i room pending the council s deter- ! ruination. In due course the members ; of the sub-committee of the Strike i Committee met a sub-committee of | rhe council, with Sir Joseph Mani in i attendance, and just before I p.m. I all the members of the council and I the other parties interested filed out i of the rooms. “What’s the result a press representative asked. "It's I all over,” a councillor quickie re i sponded. Sir Joseph Ward walked J downstairs, accompanied by the members of the Strike Committee, the councillors and a number of officials. As he reached the Town Hall steps he was greeted with hearty cheers, and the hundreds of people assembled pressed closer to hea>" what he had to announce. " I am \ erv pleased tc announce. ” said Sir Joseph. "that this unfortunate strike which has existed for some days as between the trariwaymen and the City Council lias been settled satisfactorily to both sides. (Cheers). The terms and condition: on which that settlement l:no boor arrived at will be announced by those lesponsibk to the men and not by me at a meeting to be hi Id in the King’s Theatre at 3 p.m.” He added that ,:s a result of reason and without loss ~f prestige < r dignity to either side this settlement hat! beeti achieved. The r.-pi eseniatives of the union had done their duty, ami the terms of the agwcmrnt arrived at unanimously would be satisfactoiy to the organi’-stion that these men represented. As aheady stated, the terms of the settlement would be placed before the men at 3 ■ o'clock and he believed that the | meeting to endorse them would be I purely a formal one. inasmuch as the details had been unanimously agreed to and without friction or trouble. He hoped that any differences which had arisen during the fii-pute would be cnti'.ly forgotten, and he felt perfectly sure that the corporation would allow nothing tin-t-'ward to occur to the men who had (been invoked in the trouble. (Ap- ' planse). He congratulated oim and J all on the ending of the difficulty . [Sir Joseph Ward was given three Ichecis and at the cell of a man in t the crowd three cheers were given I for "Organised Labour.” i The agreement arii»cd nt to- the [Strike Conference and referred to by I Sir Jo ,eph Ward v,as read io the _ me:-’- bv the Town Clerk follows: Wellington. 3th February. 1912 TRAMWAYS DISPUTE. As the result if the conference between the delegates appointed by the City (.(.until and the delegates app: inted By the tramwayStrike Cimmitt<e it has mutually decided as hereunder: Uy That the removal of Inspector F.iller to some oihir pcsitiin in the t ftitiv.ay sori ice as originally requested by the Tramway I nion a.id now d'.-L--ed b\ the officer him.-elf be carried out. (2) That it be an instruction to ti.e electrical engineer, in it., sitilemint of tin- dkpui.. to have Inspect or Fulk r placed m a po-itiim, win re l.;> will not hate any de dings with the numbers of tlie Tramways Union. I (3) Tr.-’l the cmncil gtr’.i,’.l)tee i that on icsim ption i f work the ; men involved in this trouble I shall not be -chj-ct •<. vietimisi ; lion, but shall be ri m-t.alcd tn thtir i mployment v.i:hi-::t In - < f 1 status. I Signed on behalf of the confer-1 cnee by John Smith. G. Shirtcliffe. ' D. JleLnrr-n. R. Hotelier. A. R. i Atkin.-oa <r< p’ e nt mg the ( .tv Council), and bv W. T. Young. P. I 11. Hi.kev, AL Iv union. Dm Dalton (representing the Strike > ■ Commit ".• <•). I I Witness to the signaturescof j both parties. J. G. Ward. I The agreement was put before i ■ meeting of the Tramways Inion in [ [the King’s Theatre at 3 p.m. and) . ratiiieii. I The Acting-Mayor (Cr. J. Smith), i ■ whin asked by a “Post” represen- i iiative this afternoon t> r his opinion ) lot the settlement, said there was ■ really nothing more to mill ; the germs of :■-.etih’ment spoke for them- -• .v < He was pic ’.-i d. i.■ .Vi, v. r. ;v. tie* happy" oiiteon’e ti.e unfmtuninnte deadlock. He thought that in ) th>• cbv.iir.st?.n< es the si t',lvmei;t •A.:- < tr;ineu; ly sat’st::etcrv. and ■ vo’ild meet with the aj pr ' of the « :*iz-. :i". 1: iutd ix-.u v. •trying : ,tu»- for :dl the « tmedp-r-. <>t;t ihey willing, now it had all iu-im set )thd. that, bycoiies i. idd b<- i.>yl); her cmmcillors — d . satisfatlion, with the result that tliey

were congratulatory in their opinion of the agreement, which was drafted ov Cr. Atkinson. It had been a strenuous time for them. -Many haq sacrificed a good deal in regard to their time by constant attendance in conference. They were glad it was over, and that the trams would be • unniiig to-morrow.

Mr. Young, chairman of the Strike Committee, declined to express an opinion on the settlement. TRAM SERVIC E RESUMED. Wellington. Feb. 6. The tram cars are running as usual to-day. STRIFE DEFERRED. [by telegraph -special.] (Own Correspondent). Welloington. Feb. 5. IX ace at least for a time has been established between the City Council and the traniwayincii or is it beewet n ilie Council and the “Strike i ommittie .'” An end for the conflict has been found on the well trodden ground of compromise. The council has neither won nor lost and the Strike Committee is in a similar plight. The basis of Hie agreement is that Inspector Fuller is to be transferred at the request <J both

nimseif and the tramvvaymen. “The union has secured the result which it strove to get by striking, out the Strike Committee has not the satisfaction of saying that the council has been ‘brought to its knees’ by such lurid nonsense as •Revolutionary Socialists’ and other members of the Strike Committee uttered at the Basin Reserve yester|day,” says the "Evening Post.” coinmeeting on the settlement of the strike. “The public,” if. goes on to say, ‘"may- be pleased with the out- | come cf to-day’s negotiations in j which the Prime Minister took a I part, but any comfort which the public may get from a resumption I of the tramway service must b j discounted by misgivings about the future. The outstanding memorable feature of this dispute has been the appearance of ‘syndicalism.’ the doctrine of ’one strike all over’ as irenchcd by such "syndicalists’ as Messrs ticmple and Hickey of the "Revolutionary Socialist’ Federation .-f L-'.b,,c.r. jleinbi':- of the Trade, “mine:! organisation alleged to h” ■evolutionary' have tended to dance to the piping of their ‘revolutionary’ colleagues of the Strike Committee. At first there was talk of a general strike if the council dared to employ’ non-unionists, contemptuously described as "scabs’ by (lie Strike Coinmitee. and later tins threat was used regardless of the council’s intentions to try cr net to try to run the ears. Certain Trades Councillors have bem just a> prompt as Fcdcrationists to ignore the Conciliation and Arbitration .Act. It was plainly to be a policy of force at any cost to the community. Government from the cart ta;l instead of any properly constituted tribunal. We believe that the City Council made a mistake in recognising the Strike Commtlitc. of which ><■'eral members lave palpably provtd unable to gov- < r'n themselves. The signs are.-that chat industrial peace patched up to-day may lie siu rthveit. The tramwayincn have finished striking today. but what union may strike torn* rrev.. next wi ik. next nu.nih.' If a Strike Committee is formed for tram way men. the inference is that a similar group of ambitious dictators will be set up to attempt to organise a general strike to help any union to win in a dispute with any employer. If such deplorable action contemplated, amt if the Strike Committee is similar to the one which Wellington has just wit-in-Hil. N< w Zealand '.,111 see n period of industrial upheaval and turmoil disastrous to the workers mu led by such a Strike Committee.'’ STRIKE INC IDEXTS. tVbeii the end drew mar as early as io. 15 to-day. several councillors had arrived at the Town Hall in preparation for ,he meeting of the conni .1. The Acting-Mayor (Cr. J. Smitli) was closeted with the Town Clerk (Mr. J. R. Palmer) for a considerable period. Then a whisper flew round the corridors that the Prime Minister bad approached the council voluntarily with the idea of his mediating between the parties. He was due at 10.40. but his motor did not arrive until shortly before 11 o’clock, when the Prime Minister immediately went into conference with the City Conneil. It was known that a councillor had drafted new proposal in the shape of a motion which seemed to meet belli sides, at the same time providing for the removal cf Inspector Fuller to a position where he would not coin*! into contact with any- member cr f I,Tramways Union. Shortly after 11.-to Sir Joseph Ward left the council, returned to his motor and. carrying the latest, if riiis, was driven across to the Trades Hall, where i the mcinbcrs of the St; ike Ccmm .- ice were assembled upstairs. It was new approaching noon, th-; time when the Strike Committee had decided to call out the general body ;.f workers if the council did not effect an agreement satisfactory to the Tramway Union. In a few moments the crowd increased until there must Lave been a couple cf hull-dr-ed people gazing up at the Trades Hall. The talk, what there was i.*' it. was as to what would happen on the strike of noon in the Council Chambers c-f the Trade:Hail. There was a feeling cf optimism in the at mi sphere. Perhaps the councillors knew something. , Noon came and passed ami wharf labourers on their way up to dinnei were mil suffered tc pass without quest r;:i. Of course ihey knew no tiling : Im. w cimkl they ’ Up-'.airs in the Trades Hall Lhnds were drawn, but now and again the ■ v.d lei.ked cmtuiHngly as a speaker w I- cheered. " That's a g< cmien.” hazarded hi i H’ i<>kt• r. Di n'i K igvt L- declared a brown -V.nm i man to i wm kt;;g shirt (:in,i ■ ."I'm afraid you don't know these p*-..-p!e. Tlie union's solid.”

Meanwhile the silence in the Trades Hall continued to be punctuated by cheers. A man who knew what lie vva-. talking about whispered that the men at the destructor, the povvei house, the wharf labourers, tin seamen, and the engineers were only availing the signal that would senu rhe economic conditions of the Do minion sideways ; it was threatened :n the meantime.

The crowd waited as the Pl'HUi Minister drove away on his return to the City Council. He was accompanied by loud cheering. ISir Joseph's face at the time wort a cheerful, almost optimistic look. . A well-known Labour envoy had a not cheerful theory to propound amt lie was joined in this by a tramway man, also a well-known figure. “The men are a block. It s Saturday’s proposal or nothing. The Strike Committee has decided absolutely to stand to its guns and wil: concede nothing further. Did you hear them cheering ? .

Well, they've decided to delay' the notice to call out the men for an hour, but it’s Saturday’s proposal oi nothing.” Of course this- turned out to be agreeably disappointing. Quietly the Strike Committee’s representatives slipped away from the Trades Hull arid followed the Prime Minister to the Council Chambers.

With its usual foresight the crowd, now considerably increased, swung down Lower Cuba street and arranged itself immediately opposite the Town Hall steps, and when Hit settlement of the strike was announced there was a very hearty outburst of cheering.

THE TREND OF LABOUR.

SYNDICA LI S M U X POP U LAR

AN INTERVIEW WITH MR. T WALSH.

Is organised labour in New Zealand trending towards the adoption of industrial unionism, involving the one big union and the general strike I To this question Mr. Thomas Walsh, of Auckland, associate editor of “The Voice of Labour,” who is on a visit to Christchurch, gave an emphatii negative when asked for his opinion by a representative of the Christchurch “Evening News.” The Labour Party, according tc Mr. Walsh, stands for political action and the achievement of reforms by that method as against the general strike method. The geneial strike method, he had no hesitation in saying. was not goirjg “to catch on” in New Zealand. It was only syndicalism in another form, and against syndicalism and sabotage Labour men throughout the world had rightly set their faces. Direct action — strikes—might have a certain amount of justification in countries where Parliamentary franchise was restricted. hut in New Zealand, which possessed the universal franchise, there was absolutely no justification for strikes. The nationalisation of industries could not be effected by strikes, nor could they lessen the cost of living— the root trouble cf almost all industrial unrest. The Labour Party concentrated its energies on lessening the cost of living by extending the functions of the State in the direction of taking over public utilities. The prospects of the Labour Party, he considered, were never better, and if the present Parliament exists for three years, the next Parliament will 'see at least fifteen Labour men returned to it, and three years later, if the party’s organisation and educational work was pursued energetically, there should be a Labour Ministry in power. The Hon. Geoigo Fovvlds was likely to join the Labour Party ; indeed, in the event of •: general election, it was probable that he would be the party ’s candidate for Grey Lynn. Others who at present are prominent Liberal supporters were prcpaied to co-operate with tlie Labour Parly.

The policy of syndicalism, Mr. Walsh continued, required to be killed, because it is a hindrance to labour. In America it had led to dynamite outrages and had put the labour cause in the States back ten tears. Ho was of opinion that the majority of the unions in New Zealand would not endorse sy ndicalism. On the other hand he believed that Professor Mills’s unity scheme would be adopted at the Conference to be held in Wellington next Easter. As to what arc the possibilities cf New Zealand Federation of Labour (Registered) uniting" with the Trades and Labour Council’s Federation of Labour Mr. Walsh was of opinion that if the Mills unity scheme was placed before the miners’ unions they would, accept it. The majority of these unions had not, so far, discussed the scheme. He knew of one instance where literature dealing with the unity scheme- was sent to a West Coast labour organisation, but the officials, in order that the proposals should not be discussed, are alleged to have destroyed the literature, and seven members who attempted to have them discussed were expelled. Individual miners in Waiiii, Fluntly, and un the West Coast that Professor Mills and he had spoken to in regard to the unity scheme were in favour of it. Professor Mills’s unity scheme, ho concluded, was real industrial unionism—grouping all unions along the lines of industries, the natural evolution of trades unionism. The " one big union” idea was grotesque and impossible.

PUBLIC OWNERSHIP SELFCONDEMNED. In an article on the difficulties besetting tlie successful conduct of State and Alunicipal ownership of utilities and industries, tlie Christchurch “Evening News” says that these are revealed in the A\ elbngton tramway strike. Here is publicownership in its most typical form. The controlling atithmity is n council. ehc-ted by the people on a popular franchise, as. presumably. The -.-ontrollijig authority would always l>e fleet- J umlf-r Socialism. No pn- \ ate management could have bungled and muddled as badly as the

Wellington City Council. Not only is the service suspended, but the whole community is threatened with a general strike, because the tramway employees are at variance with the group of men chosen by all the people to manage the concern, not for profit, but for the use of all the citizens. In what has tlie strike its true origin Simply in the imperfections of human nature ; the selfishness of men. their desire that' the tramways shall be run primarily for their benefit : the harshness and tactlessness of an official ; the weakness of the manager, ami finally the ineptitude and incompetence of the elected representatives of the people, • and the divergence of their views as to what is right ami proper in the public interest. When all these tilings can be abolished by Act of Parliament, then, perhaps, the legislative machinery 7 which creates the Socialistic State will have a chance of being vindicated. In the meantime we have to make the best of human nature and the facts of life as we find them. Consequently al] proposals for political and social reforms should aim at adapting existing conditions and institutions to our ever-changing requirements. There is no road to a better state of Society by the revolutionary method —but it is hopeless to ask our Socialistic friends to accept that view.