THE AUSTRALIAN STRIKE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume L, Issue 175, 25 October 1917, Page 5

THE AUSTRALIAN STRIKE

SYDNEY, Oct. 11 After having reached the stage of an almost complete settlement, the strike, so far as the seamen are concerned, has suddenly shown a new development. The seamen agreed that they would go back into the ships under pre-strike conditions-or rather, the Seamen's Federation made that agreement on their behalf vath ~the steamship proprietors. There -was a SdXil of argument about volunteer workers, who had been on the ships during the strike. The seamen said that they would not work with any of these men who remained. ° n ships: the companies said that any ot the volunteers who- wisned could remain on the ships, and the union seamen would work with them, where required ,or not at all To these terms the federation officials finally agreed. ■Thereupon,? the strike was declared off, and the utmost activity prevailed ia getting all the ships ready for sea. A crew was being got ready ™ Melbourne yesterday for the steamer Oonah which had been running between Melbourne and Tasmania with a volunteer crew. Some of the latter desired to remain permanently. The incoming, seamen refused to sign on if the volunteers remained, and referred/ to the preference clause. The company pointed out that they had lost the preference clause because they had gone .on strike, and reminded them that their officials had Wed to work with the volunteers where necessary. But the men were obdurate and would not sign on. rhereupon, the Shipowners' Federation met and announced -that no ships would sail until the seamen were ready to honour the agreement they had made. This morning, all ships were tied up again, and crews already engaged paid The trouble is not to last. The.Sydney seamen, who number thousands, and are very eager to getJ>ack to work ,are furious that a few hundred Melbourne seamen have caused this hold-up, and, they are exercising pressure to bring it to an end.;