THE MELBOURNE STRIKE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LIV, Issue LIV, 14 August 1920, Page 7

THE MELBOURNE STRIKE

~.sa&3- —— £15,000 LOST IN WAGES END OF SIX WEEKS’ STRUGGLE Summing- up the results of the Melbourne gas Avorkers’ .strike, Avhich ended on Wednesday last, after,a- struggle extending over six weeks, a Melbourne correspondent says mai the strike has cost the gas \v or leers <B 15,000 in loss of Avages alone, and since June Id. the Avorkers generally have lostover £200.000. On the other side,, the men have agreed to resume Avork on a Avage of 13s a day, payable on a. weekly, instead of, as formerly, a daily basis. - In add ■ tlon, tho mawim- paid over the basic wage for skilled Avorkers v ill be increased by 20 per cent. Ihe increases will bo paid retrospectively as from May L These gains hoAvever, are in no sense the result of the strike, for they were all offered by the companies several days before the dispute Marred.

On June 4, ot an informal conference, before Mr Justice Higgins the companies agreed to nv. reuse tbt; basic wage to Us, and at a further conference, on June S and p, two days before the men ceased work, they a 1 so agreed to increase by 20 per cent, the margins of the higher pair! workers, to pay tlv* increases re ha- specti vely, as from May I, and to pay all wages on a w.eckly, instead of a daily basis. One point that it may be Maimed the men have gained by striking is that which provides for a periodical revision of wages every three.months in the light of the cost of Jiving figures published by the Commonwealth Statistician, but whether this will prove a gain to .them or the companies will depend upon whether the cost of living continues to rise.

A valuable site iu Customs street east, Auckland, belonging to David Nathan’s Trust, Ltd., lias been proclaimed Crown land By tin' Government, the object being to erect upon tlie ground a building to be occupied by tixo .Public Trust. The ('rootage to Customs street is tioti., and Fort street skirts one side for a distance o! rLit. The property is the only trochoid in Customs street- —all the rest- of tho land belongs to the Harbour Boardand its value is estimated at about Cl of) a foot. Negotiations- to purchase wore opened some considerable time ago, the sellers demanding £30,000. After the uMtal bartering (says the 1 Auckland Star) that figure was reduce.'! to CAT,(Kid, a sum which was more or less agreed noon. Thefealter. however, tl-" < bivi-rnp’eat no a. ("itl’erent attitude, and applied tie,' Public Works A.et. under which they proclaimed the property (Town land. By ibis -step tho sellers wore deprived of anv hold on the Government which they might have possessed m regard to He .figure of Kid. ami' they may new have to launch noon a protracted compensation claim to obtain Mieir price, in anv case, the Goyernment- have power to withhold navment, for a period of live years. The aoplicatkm of the powers conferred bv flie Public Merles Act in tin' present case is so unusual that some explanation of why a departure has been made ■Tern ordinary procedure should certainly bo made by the department.