CABLE NEWS. THE SYDNEY STRIKE.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LIII, Issue LIII, 8 April 1908, Page 5

CABLE NEWS.

THE SYDNEY STRIKE.

[BT ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.— COPTBIGHT.]

OUTLOOK MORE HOPEFUL, [press association.] i-YDNEY, April 7. The confea'enco. in connection with tho wharf strike adjourned till to morrow. The announcement was made after to-day's meeting that the position was hjoftful and the prospects of a settlement of the strike) gocd. THE MEN BEHIND THE GUN. TWENTY MILLIONS OF MONEY READY. There is a question which is very pertinent to the jpresent crisis — is there any alliance' among the employing section of the community in the direction of giving material as well as moral support to the shipping j companies? Enquiries were mode by a Sydney Herald representative with a view of obtaining an .answer to the question. In each case the gentlemen asked refused to give their names for publication, because they held that they were violating confidences in speak- j ing at all. One gentleman who Has taken a leading part in the negotiations, said : — "This fight, remember, is not on a question of wages at all, because the wages have already been conceded. But the three coastal companies have had 300 men who have done their work for come time now. The employers would not be acting properly if they threw those men over now thait trouble has arisen. The Employers' Federation is behind all this. If you could have attended the meeting yesterday you would havie seen 150 gentlemen present — men representing all sections of employers. Those 150 men probably .represented anything up to £20,000,000 of money, and they wil» stand by the employers *or freedom of contract.

"They will stand behind them in every way, with money, if need be, with men if they can do it in that way, with moral support anyhow. The sEpping trade, I understand,' is a peculiar one. Supposing a company sends to the Wharf Laborens' Union and asks for eighty men to work on a ship, and only sixty are sent, because that is all the union' have available at the time, Are the owners of .the vessel to be prevented from employing the other twenty men because they are non-union men? Yet that is what I understand the union demands. We cannot carry on business long in that way, because in the cas» of ships it often happens that they have to be got away to time. Let me put another case. Supposing eighty men are wanted, and the unaon sends down eighty decrepit men, who are not capable of doing the work. As things are these men camnofc be 'sacked' as incapable. Yet they will not suit. The employers have to insist on freedom of contract, to take on men, who will be suitable for their purpose, but the union stands in the way. Every business man, every employer, every squatter all over Australia, is behind the employers in this trouble, aaiid we intend to fight now. unicai has gone too far. "It was stated two or three days ago that the coastal shipping companies were willing to get rid of 230 out of their 300 free laborers, ■and take on oinaon men in their places; but those 300 men are going to be stuck to. There is no faraAt to find with them, they are competent for their work, and they are worth keeping. This fight is going to last until we have our way. We will have freedom of contract, and employ whom we please, not whom the unions please." Another gentleman, connected) with the deep-sea shipping, was also seen. He largely repeated what has already been said, and mentioned that he had received very encouraging reports as to the number of free laborers offering. The supply of free laborers was not enough. Seeing that vessels of the three companies intere-fced are laid up, men from other boat's might man the ships. Engineers could ako be got. This gentleman's concluding words were :

"There are some clever men in the employers' union, and some very determined ones too, just as there are in the labor unions. It must be remembered, too, that the free laborers who were working for us have formed a union of their own, and out of 300 men there are already 80 members of it."