VICTORIAN RAILWAY SITUATION.

Lake County Press, Issue 1064, 14 May 1903, Page 5

VICTORIAN RAILWAY SITUATION.

The strike commenced at midnight on Friday, crowds gathering at the principal stations to see the men come out, and feeling at times high, with cheering and hooting alternating. As the trains came in the drivers and firemen did not bother about taking tjhe engines to the sheiks ; Tney drew the tires on the spot where they happened to be, and when the cluck struck twtdvo the station yards were dotted with engines. It will rtquire a good many loco, drivers to char the lines for traffic. Ureal crowds thronged Collins street during the aften.oui.. Business was practically at a fi'and-

still, the strike being the absorbing topic O.ily acquainted with Milbjuruo and its train system can realist- the hOii.msness of tim situation brought about by tin; silike. Tin: efh'tt wns f-It i-arlv, when tho Government at 1.30 p in. refused ge.ods. Then the draymen und carriwia wen; forcibly reminded that they would be thrown idle by the railwaymcn's act. Even restricted service arranged by the Government is regarded a3 optimistic. The utmost difficulty will he. found in getting trains through to country districts. The Government has decided to advertise in every state and New Zealand for men. If they are not forthcoming, an effort will be made tc get men from India, America and Britain. One result of the &t-ike is an increase in the price of food. Bullocks went up with a jump to ,€ls. All fruit and fish supplies have stopped : milk has advanced Id per quart ; chad' 10s per ton ; butter Id per lb, and potatoes 10s per ton. Many of the executives are entitled to compensation ranging from .£2OO to .£565, or pensions of fiom £52 to £ll3. A large crowd gathered at Spencer street and other stations to watch the despatch of the trains, including many of the striker*, who used efforts to induce those who had taken their places to join them. Beyond this and a little hooting the proceedings wen. quiet and orderly. It was close on eight o'clock before the first suburban train got away, and very few were despatched up to noun. The country service was cancelled, and the sale of tickets stopped early in tho morning. The utual mail train to Sydney was amongst those stopped. Two accidents have been reported so far. A train being taken out by a retired driver to Port Melbourne ran off tho line, it is alleged, owing to the interlocking signals not operating properly. The traffic was blocked all tho morning. A goods train from Benella to Melbourne was derailed at A venal, and several trucks and the engine are lying across the track. Great damage was done on thfe rolling stock and permanent way and, owing to the stnke conditions, it has been found impossible to clear the line. Theie is a great block at tha general post office, and in consequence the telegraph offices were opened on Sunday. The express from Sydney arrived an hour late. It is alleged that the delay was due to the rails on a steep grade being greased. Excitement is at fever heat, and the city police forces are at their stations, a policeman also accompanies each train, but so far there has not been the least call for their services. The fishing industry is suffering severely. About 500 fishermen are virtually thrown idle owing to there being no trains to carry their fish. Later. Passengers by the express to Adelaide had an unpleasant experience. Tho train-was left stranded across the points at Stawell. Inspector Leslie, as driver, and a clerk as fireman, took charge. A breakdown and long delay occurred at Glonorehy. Another engine was procured, but it was not sufficiently powerful, greased rails on gradients also impeding progress. The train arrived 11 hours late. The secretary of the Enginedrivers and Fireinen'd Association states that out of between thirteen and fourteen hundred members not more than 15 remain in the service. Both sides are settling down to the grim battle. Tha department did not attempt much on Monday, fewer drivers being available than on Saturday, and confined the subuiban trains to a modified service on a few lines, but these ware despatched with reasonable regularity. A welcome feature of the day was the despatch of trains to Ballarafc, Bendigo, Warragal and Albury. There were fourteen passengers on the latter, while tho others were only sparingly patronised. The Government has made arrangements for the men running trains to sleep and have their meals at the Spencer street sheds, so as to preclude the necessity for running tho gauntlet of the crowd outside. The sheds ar« strongly guarded, and police keep the approaches clear. It is reported that the strikers are advised from America that £20,000 is available if required. The Engineers' Executive have received hundreds of sympathetic telegrams from all parts of Australia, New Zealand and elsewhere, and assert that their members are increasing, the men are stronger and more than ever, and that a number of those who went to the assistance of the Government have joined them. Under the circumstances they consider picketing unnecessary They disclaim any sympathy with the gospel of violence and interference of trains preached by Yarra Bank orators. The Executive has earnestly enjoined members to take no part in ac's of vandalism or rowdyism. They are acting lawfully } and should continue to do so. They claim that strikers rescued the driver from Saturday night'a scrimmage in North Melbourne. The train to Albury was compelled to stop at Watigaratta through a breakdown of the engine, and remained ell night. The line was found to bo greased on some inclines. A meeting of the soft goods trade decided that they would bo compelled to close their fa..dories sooner or later owing to inability to forward orders. The timber mills' supplier are cut oil", and Sharp and Sons and James Moore have been compelled to close, 230 hands being thrown uIK Trade generally is stagnated, and numbers of linns have notified their employes that their services will probably not be r< - quired next week. There is a great demand for condensed milk, tinned meats and fish, and prices show a strong advance. Largo shipments of wheat arriving dispel any fear of a serious rise in breadstufls. Excepting chaff, which has advanced £1 per ton, and ft rise of 2d and 3d in maize, the strike so far has had little appreciable (U'ct on the produce market. Arrangements are completed for forwarding the ni tils to c>n 1 from Melbourne by .»i.".Tuer until the thoough service is again !■;;■>in i d