NO STRIKE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LIII, Issue 15, 20 January 1919, Page 2

NO STRIKE

RUMOURS OP LABOUR TROUBLE DENIED. THE “ONE 810 UNION” IDEA. When seen by a Christchurch Star reporter, regarding..the rumours of. the possibility of a strike in the near future,. Mr H. Hunter, who is secretary of the ■Federatiqn~of Labour, said that many of the statements he had recently read regarding the alleged trouble that was brewing in ’ the industrial world made his blood boil. “The: . 1 statements, believe me,” said Dir Hu., .or, ‘‘do nos come from Labour sources, _ there nrvt. the sliehtest foundation m fact

for them. The whole trend ot tne modern movement is to strengthen the position of Labour, particularly on the lines of preventing strikes. Those who take a prominent part realise the essential need of a strong and well-dis-ciplined i -organisation, andi this tendency practically eliminates the possibility if <'tvikf>s.” , . Mr Hunter continued that tins was the explanation of their desire to get all labour organisations Jinked _up into one body. When this was achieved no one unit could strike without involving all the other units, and it was obvious that, his tended to prevent many smal disputes developing into something more serious, as the matter would have to be very carefully considered by all the organisations involved. Ho did not know whether those who had been so anxious to make statements about coming labour troubles were real.y desnous 7 such things happening, but many recent happenings_ certainly fasted such a construction being placed o their attitude. The action of the. majority . on. the City ‘ Council, which was obviously Intended To_ deprive La)iom of anv ‘representation on the, council, y/as ' w ‘step ■of - a -very irritating nature ■is far as Labour-was concerned., An'otto-: .cVuse :of distontent:' was-, tk,!»»: ner in which -the returned .soldieis had been treated by employers. _ “There seems to be an opinion strongiv Held amongst the- rank and file .ot empSoyms,”’ Mr tiunter continued, ‘.‘that'there is. going do .be a. period ot unemployment within the next dwelwe months. riiid* they will be ablb _to tilkf advantage ot Hie opportunity, t t wilt present itself to reduce wages and cxend working hours heedless to say, any move in that direction will be strongly combatted by organised Labour, § but as far as any idea of any systematic effort to,bring about a sttiL is concerned nothing, in that direction has been done or ever , considered. Another prominent Labour man .was seen by a reporter, but be stated tha , although he was cognisant of the doings of the movement from peg end of tbe Dominion to the other, he had heard nothing whatever about any strike. “The whole thing is absolutely preposterous,” he added, “and_ I. think that -it ~is simply another scheme ,to dair-• go /the movement.” " i ’ ■ Mr." J. Roberts, secretary of the Waterside Workers’ Federation, said that he had nothing ,to say about Die matter, and it was a question that his organisation, and not he himself, would deal with. J