COST OF STRIKE IN NEW SOUTH WALES.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LII, Issue 50, 28 February 1918, Page 8

COST OF STRIKE IN NEW SOUTH WALES.

_ GOVERNMENT'S BILL £98,000. According to a report by Mr Holme, TJnder-Secretarv for Labour and Industry, laid! upon th e table of the Legislative Assembly last week, the total loss to the New South _, Wales community as a result of the recent strike was between £3,400,000 and £9,0C0,0C0. It was estimated that some .73,500 employees were directly involved in the active participation in the strike, and that fch e wages forfeited amounted to not less itian £1,700,000. A great number of employees were indirectly affected, but it was not considered that any useful estimate could be mad 6 in this- connection. Tie work which was done by emergency labour had to be taken into consideration in any computation of general loss, tut the emergency labour forces reached a maximum of only 7400 .persons, as against a maximum of 68,000 strikers, and the effect of this work was regarded as at least neutralised Jby the loss to those persons who were involved in involuntary- unemployment as one of the indirect results of the strike. i The direct cost to th P Government as a .result of the expedients- which it adopted as a means of counteracting the effects of th e strike was approximately < £98,C00. but th e figures could not be given ctefinitelv because certain accounts remained'- unclosed and could

only b e estimated. The cost of recruiting national workers in counfrry centres, travelling to the concentration camps, and returning them eventually tptheir homes, was £24,485, or £3 5s lOd per head. The cost in respect of administration, medical services', commissariat, sanitation, and transport of the thre e Government camps was £41,908, tne cost perman per week being:— Cricket Ground- Camp, £1 15s 9d; Taiqmja Park Camp, £1 10s Id'; and the j Sailors' Home, Newcastle, £1 12 s 9d. Thp, average cost of the three camps tinder these heads was £1 13s lOd per man per week. The cost of equipment of catmps was £5243. The. amount of premiums paid for •workmen's compensation insurance was £433 6s 6d, and certain ex gratia payments in the way of compensation amounted to £3O 13s 7d. The Government had provided £20.000 for *Ve Telief of strike distress, a fund established? and administered by th e combined unions amounted to over £23,000. and the Lord Mayor's fund provided £5931.