Manawatu Evening Standard. MONDAY, APRIL 5, 1926. THE AFTERMATH OF A STRIKE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVI, Issue 106, 5 April 1926, Page 6

Manawatu Evening Standard. MONDAY, APRIL 5, 1926. THE AFTERMATH OF A STRIKE.

It would almost seem that there is at last a possibility of the strike tactics, so long pursued by the Australian Seamen’s Union, being abandoned in favour of the saner policy of arbitration on disputes when they arise. That, as we pointed out the other day, is the policy of the new British Labour Party styling itself the Pioneers. It is something to the good to find Messrs Walsh and Johannsen, the firebrands of the Australian Seamen’s Union, at loggerheads, the one denouncing the other, and the older and more experienced labour organiser (Walsh), so far repenting of his former attitude that he is found in the position of a suppliant at the Arbitration Court, applying for the re-registration of his union—an attitude in which he is supported by the Melbourne unionists. For reasons best known to himself, his Sydney colleague, Johannsen, is opposing the application on behalf of the Sydney union, and relationships are consequently strained between the two factions—the Sydney seamen led by Johannsen who is, by the way, Walsh’s assistant, and the Melbourne seamen who stand by Walsh himself. We cannot, of course, pretend to foresee the outcome of the business, for both men are fighting hard for supremacy, and it is quite possible that the Australian Seamen’s Union may be split in two in the conflict, the Sydney union having turned Walsh down, together with his re-regis-tration proposal and the Melbourne union being as strongly opposed to Johannsen. Disaster would thus appear to be threatening the union from within. From without, they have experienced the first serious reverse that has befallen them for some years past, if we except the de-regis-tration proceedings, successfully taken against them by the shipping companies last year. When the coastal seamen went on strike a few weeks ago the companies determined to fight their way through the trouble with the aid of volunteer crews. The seamen seem to have treated the idea that their services could be replaced by outside labour as one of those improbabilities which it was not necessary to take seriously. They probably overlooked the fact that there were a large number of British seamen, who had been betrayed and left stranded in Australia, as a result of the encouragement given to them by the A.S. Union last year, when they were called out

on strike. They had also made a rod for their own backs by refusing to admit the stranded seamen to membership in their union. The blunder they thus made has been attended with unfortunate results for the Australian seamen, who cannot now reasonably find fault with the British seamen looking after themselves. Thus, by one of those ironies of fate which are actually retributive in character, Australian strikers have been replaced by British strikers, who were led into making the false move they took by promises of assistance which failed to materialise. The position now is that the Australian strikers are left out in the cold, as the coastal companies have shown that they are quite,able to do without them, whilo the volunteer crews continue to hold their positions. The union has declared the strike off and instructed the men to get back to work as best they can, but the last word resting with the shipping companies, the strikers are being politely told there are no vacancies, and that The companies have no need of their assistance.