The Marlborough Express. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. MONDAY, JUNE 19, 1911. THE SEAMEN'S STRIKE.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLV, Issue 139, 19 June 1911, Page 4

The Marlborough Express. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. MONDAY, JUNE 19, 1911. THE SEAMEN'S STRIKE.

it » would appear,; by our English. 6atilegtanis,Vthaji the seamen's, strike, reported to have broken out at various i ports m the United Kingdom, may • spread to Continental ports. Eveil should the strike be confined to British ports, its effects- upon maritime commerce cannot fail to be most seriously, distebifi^r The blocking of !fche,-Atlanti© fcrale *y_ the -refusal of: the 'Liverpool, seamen and firemen to ;' 'sign on'? iimst; spell untold incon-'----vemence to the public^ and stoppage, of y passeijger: traffic mean® also st disturbance' ln> \ the' regularity with which I}he y'ocean mails are carried. SoutK African -trade will be senously irijniired should the UnionCastl© iineirgsicqase^tinning, and the Australian j.aiwi) New Zealand trade stands also in danger of grave interruption.;/ The ijiianimity which the strike is b<eing supported by sea--men firemen at'■- the v great coalsupplying. J>orts of Cardiff, land, ■; and . Shields is of peculiarly serious iporjtenk-fo^ without coal su^plies, the4;.;wh»le/ steamship trade of Great Britain must suffer a tempor^ary' extiactJori: * The men, it would seem, ate determined to exact certain concession^from'tlie: sliipoWners, and. the latter,, oh their partj are equally determined,.. aotjoi-ding to recent adviceis, td'withstaiid the pressure which is being brought upon them., We are not-pjrepai'id to say that the new scale of i^age« 'demanded by the unions is eitheih,.reasonable or exces-' sive| but-speaking.: generally; there1 can be little1 .'dojttbt thai the wages usually, paidSto seal airing men are.^iot fairly corirmensujrate, with the continuous labor which- has: to; be! perfof-jiied, nor ( with th&'p^ltils^necessarilyattendant upon, slssilariittg life. Th^ shipping wnipanies , no doubt declare that fhtey 6ann^/po|sibly pay< ther;.^g®?; 4ei^anded;;;::bu^;it:% ait opjen; secfejb;. ;thS§ '^si^i^fm^' )bi'ay)e: -been; ■■aiia-jare^ '■nates!.- IDmY'-^hiil ':"otHerv da-y"; ",i^e;-read: :^ th© ': wm M^avm, : beeri' proved '^f * sbniethmg like 700,000, and it.' is difficult to: blalite the se.amen, jif they-'consider that whea sucH a. nu^e.ai^jpunt of money is left by "a shipowner^; the profits of shmowning axe, sufficiently large to admit of higher,' mte^ of wages, j In the meantime, shipowners •and".sea-ri men, quarf^llirig: ovei v tHe wages questiohjtßritisE trade must suffer to no: siQall; ex|«n^;r Should :th^ Gernian; "companies^succeed in^inducing their jseamen tcj.taikel no part in the .strike, a laijge prdportioh of Great Britain's: o<Je"a,iircarrymgl;|tirade mustj for a time at least, - be^-transferred to German; ports. Oii ,ihe other hand, should tHe compdhi4s*"w<iK>s i e steamers trade out: of Hamburg -and Bremen find; themselves confronted with demancls similar 'iS- Mtos^; made by the striking: British, :seanienj^; and ,be unwilling to grant such;demands, not only British trade but■•'the.;whole trade of Northern Europe will/ibe injuriously affected: An interjn,s^onal;, shipping' strike has long, been, t^eatened;' out, such a! strike isdi^jl)^ to organise, and even when commd^gd'j,'rcan be. maintained only^"witn 'f ,fo;r.. sectional interests and jealousies are all atgaiMfet any united action being long -.continued.'. From what we hear Ithere. is no gteat darigerr-no visible ddnger,: at feast~of <fche Australasian ham© snip^ihg trade' being affected by;; the striliej arid it is therefore ■no^iik^l^^a't^tliie':- export trade of Australia and New ■ Zealand- will suffer any 7 seriousiMterruptioii/ But should the struggle*;cbhtinue. at the various British :ports,these Colonies cajinot fill to -be i^ojifectly affected1 thereby, and the Jiridgress of the dispute between owners and< men must therefore be. very cai'efully and anxiously jvatched frtim this/end.;," The whole. civilised1 wofld, ia , now so dependent upon _Fapid and regular steam communication xhat a'Seamen's' strike of any v far-reacMjig:;'extent' '.must lirievi^bly cause urit^d inconyenien<!e, and fihan- ; cial loss. ,lt is extremely and specially the strike should have taken' place just before the Coronation festivities! in London. Mnl, all ipixibability the; men are counting upon, the extra incbrivenience and loss which, will be caused \ by the strike taking place at this juncture to assist ■them 1 in compelling the ovyners "to grant theif demands. It does not follow, however, that these demands will be-granted, for the '.proposed increase in Wa^es must mean all extra annual expenditure 'of hundreds of thousands of pounds to the shipping companies,, who will naturally not give way without putting up a strenuous resistance. Previous strikes of a similar character have collapsed very suddenly; but it would be unwise to count upon this.happening in the present case. The, present outlook of affairs is, most... disconcerting in every wiay-' "; _.• '•..''■"• ' . ■' • •