THE UNION STEAMERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 8353, 5 September 1890, Page 5

THE UNION STEAMERS.

REGULAR SERVICE RESUMED. GOOD WORK AT LYTTELTON. THE BOYCOTT AT WELLINGTON A HARD CASE.

AFFAIRS IN AUCKLAND. No further developments in regard to the strike occurred yesterday. The only Union S.S. Company's vessel in harbour, the Arawata, proceeded with her discharge by free labour steadily and quietly. The carting difficulty has not yet been settled, and employers and volunteers wore yesterday taking the place of the regular drivers. A committee of importers met tho heads of the labour organisations to confer re the food supply of the city, but no arrangement for averting the anticipated scarcity was arrived at. So far as can be ascertained, the estimated number of men on strike in Auckland, including all in the city and the miners up country, is about 1500. FKLLMONOERS, TANNERS, KTC. A special meeting of the workmen at the above trades was hold in Crosher's Rooms, last night, —Mr. Wixen occupying the chair. The Secretary (Mr. Lees) pointed out to the men present the object of the meeting. He said that there was a shipment of bark on board the Wairarapa, one of the Union Company's boats. This bark had been landed by non Union labour, and therefore the Union Carters had refused to carry it from the wharf. Now, if this could be carried to the different works by nonUnion carters, the action of the strikers would be frustrated. The case, was submitted to the Trades and Labour Council, and they decided that should any of this bark come to any Union factory the hands employed there musl; bo called out forthwith. They must refusse to handle goods that have been handled by free labour. The secretary had warned the employers to this effect, and until last night not one bag of bark had been removed. The Trades and Labour Council were prepared to pay the fellnionffers a fair share of the strike funds raised. Last night a load of the bark was carted from the wharf bound for Warnook Bros., but remained in town during tho night. When this load arrives at tho factory every Union hand is prepared to cease work. Pickets were then appointed to watch the different tanneries to mark any man who carted or handled goods from any of the Union S.S. Co.'s boats.

northern rollkr flour mills food supplies.

The Northern Full Roller Flour Mills, Fort-street, have stopped through want of wheat, throwing 16 men out. The Quaystreet mill is also within measurable distance of closing for the same reason. The American barquentine Carrie L. Tyler, now nine days out from Lyttolton, brings nearly •200 sacks of wheat for this mill. Mr. S. H. Matthews, on behalf of the Northern Flour Mills, had an interview with the Trades and Labour Council yesterday to see what was to be done with the wheat on the vessel coming into harbour. He said thed'-sctors stood out of the dispute, and were only concerned with keeping the Auckland public supplied with flour. They had not used free labour, and proposed that their own Union carters should take the flour to the mill. The Council promised to consider the master, and expressed themselves anxiou* the people should havo food supplies. Mr. Matthews then pointed out that they had a vessel lying at Lyttelton with timber which might be unloaded by the Udon and the wheat shipped which had bren already secured. The directors were Anxious to furnish food supplies to the [•eople, and they would leave with tho labour party the responsibility if they were not permitted to do so. The Council agreed to telegraph South to the Maritime Council, and telegrams have since been received notifying the vessel at Lyttelton is being unloaded, and will bring on grain. Seeing that the supplies are nearly out, and that flour mast be obtained, arrangements were made at Lyttelton to send on a quantity by steamer to keep up the supply at all hazards. A quantity of wheat has been bought from the mills at Canterbury, and only awaits shipment. All the wheat in Waikato and at Tauranga available was purchased at 6d to 8d per bushel in excess of the standard price, and the rise in flour has arisen through the mills paying double for their coal, one and a-half times more for freight, more than double for cartage ; extra insurance has to be paid, any extra hands engaged in stacking. Prior to tho strike the Northern Roller Flour Mills had reduced the price of Hour 2os per ton, of which the people got the benefit, as only the ordinary 2.J per cent, trade discount was allowed. In some instances the bread has been raised in town ahead of the rise in flour at the mills.

THK CARTERS , STRUCK.

Tho carters of Messrs. L. 1). Nathan and Co., who refused to go out when called on by the Union, have been relieved of duty by the firm, as they are not disposed to subject them to possible maltreatment if they carried on their duties. The men themselves say they are perfectly willing to do their duty if called on. They went to the authorities of their Union, and state that they find that though they were called out, no provision was made for their maintenance, and that they could not be guaranted even 5s per week. One of the men has six children, and he complains that lie should be kept from working for them while the Union practically tells him lie must keep thoin us best he may. Two of the carters we saw state they intend to stand by their employers, and they believe their comrade who was absent shares thoir views. Their position is, that if the carters of the other merchants will join them in doing their duty to the employers they are willing to go on at all hazards, carrying the goods of the firm to and fro. These carters have boeta eight to ten years with the firm. A meeting of the carters on strike and their employers was held yesterday at the New Zealand Insurance Buildings to discuss the present situation. The best feel ing prevailed between masters and men. It was admitted that the men had no grievance, the strike being forced upon them owing to the position of affairs in another country. Eventually it was decided to hold another meeting to-dny at twelve o'clock, when the men will again be invited to be present.

NUMBERS ON STRIKK. The number of seamen in town on strike from tho Union Company's vessels are about 130 seamen and 20 cooks and stewards; of lumpers, 400; carters and expressmen, 300. In Waikato and Northern districts, 400 coal miners. In one way and another, it is computed nearly 1500 men are on strike. A LAISOUIi DEMONSTRATION. We understand that there is likely to be a labour demonstration on Saturday afternoon. There are at present a large number of men on strike in the city, and the half-holiday would also give facilities for the sympathisers to attend. THE ARAWATA. The only vessel of the Union S.S. Company's fleet, in port yesterday was the Fijian packet Arawata. In the afternoon she proceeded to the Sugar Works to put out her sugar, which work was carried on steadily with free labour. The Arawata's Union crew, who came out at Auckland, their proper port of discharge, were signed off the ship's articles at the Customs in regular style. The officers, as per previous notice, left tho vessel today. DEPARTURE OF OFFICERS. All the officers of the various Union vessels who have struck here during the past few days, will leave for Wellington by the s.s. Penguin, from Onehunga, to-day. Notwithstanding their action in leaving their vessels in several cases with insufficient notice, the Union S.S. Company has granted them all free passages to Wellington. ARRIVAL OF FREE LABOUR. A number of seamen and firemen engaged by the Union.S.S. Company in Whangarei _and surrounding districts arrived in town yesterday evening. The company's agent at Whangarei reports that he has had numerous applications, and can send up fifty more men within a week. As the company now has more free labour here than are required for the work in this port, a batch is to be forwarded South by the s.s. Penguin to-day. RKOULAR BERVIOE RESUMED. By advertisement elsewhere the Union S.S. Company announce thab they are now

in a poeition to resume their intercolonial and coastal services, and the date and departures of various steamers for the South, Sydney, and Melbourne are given for the next week.

ACTION Or THE BOTCHERS , UNION. The Messrs, Hellaby Brothers were yesterday carrying on their butchery business as usual, notwithstanding the threat of the boycott being applied for supplying the Union Company's steamers with meat, in fulfilment of their contract. The following correspondence explains the present position :—

To the Editor: Dear Sir,—We shall feel obliged if you insert the enclosed letter received by us from the Butohers , Union, and point out to you the grave injustice to us. \Ve have always paid our men well, and they are satisfied, and when the Union was formed a little while ago, we increased all their wages, and many of them now get more than the Union acale. Our business depends largely on our export trade, as we ship large quantities of preserved meat and corned beef to the Islands and all over the colonies, and if we are to be blocked like this, it not only means a loss to us, but to the port of Auckland, as the trade will be driven elsewhere. We are also under a very heavy bond to the Union Company should we cease to supply their vessels with meat, and therefore we shall be compelled to carry on our contract at all risks. —We are, etc., R. and W. Hki.laby. Auckland, September 3rd, 1890. Messrs. R. and W. Hellaby : Dear sire,—l regret to have to notify you that, in order to complete the block of the Union Steamship Company's boats I am instructed to inform you that we shall be compelled to call out your employes, should you continue to supply any meat to that company during the present dispute. We hope to bring the matter to a speedy issue, but it is imperative that we make a complete block. Hoping all will soon be satisfactorily settled, I remain, yours respectfully, F. K, Bust, secretary Auckland Federated Butchers' Union. CAPITAL AND LABOUR. As there appears to be a good deal of ignorance in certain quarters as to the conduct of the Union Company to the seamen of its fleet, it may be well to give the average of the wages paid to some of the ship's crews on going out on strike at this port : —Waihora and Australia, £10 per month (including overtime); Orouaiti, £9 and Pukaki, £8 10s per month. Donkeymen :— Waihora, £15 2s (including overtime), or s!s per month more than a first-class chief officer; Pukaki, £12 19s 4d ; Orouaiti, £12 12s 6d ; and Australia, £10 per month. It is alleged that the donkeymen on the Monowai last month drew £17, or only £3 less than the Union Company's captains of the second-class. It will be seen, therefore, that so far as the Union Company is concerned, it has nothing to grieve over as to its treatment of its servants.

Turning to the working claspet in Auckland, it is a curious fact that during the past month the nurabor of new accounts at the Auckland Savings Bank was above the average, there being about 330, nearly all the depositors boing working; men. Another curious fact is that in not one single case during the whole of tho strikes has any workman in striking complained of illiberal treatment, but on the other hand there have been many cases of men .','oing out with 10 to 20 years service, expressing to their employers regret at going, tneir desire to continue work, but that they had no option but to obey the orders from the South, if their lives were not to be made a misery to them. THE TRADES AXD LABOUR COUNCIL'S LATEST MOVE. It will be seen by an advertisement in this issue that the Trades and Labour Council have made another move. They propose to ally themselves with the farmers to establish in Auckland a produce co-opera-tive store. The Council requests the growers to abstain from assisting the Union Company, directly or indirectly, during the present struggle. The Trades and Labour Council appear to be making "a new departure" in the way of setting up in business. At the interview between the manager of the Northern Roller Flour Mill, yesterday, and the delogates over the wheat difficulty and the block of the mill's grain vessels at Lyttelton, the delegates suggested that tho charter parties be handed over to them, and they would bring or procure wheat for Auckland. The manager declined, as the directors of the mills desired to do their own business, and had already bought their wheat in Canterbury. A suggestion that the Council should get the wheat for the mills from Adelaide, Droved equally unsatisfactory. CASH PAYMENTS. We understand that at the Remuera cattle market yesterday Mr. Buckland cautioned the butchers against further extending the retail credit to their customers in consequence of the present industrial struggle, as it was very possible that he would require cash payments each market day for the stock purchased before delivery was given. It appears probable that cash payments will bo the order of the day for the necessaries of life, and this will inevitably moan vory great privation and suffering to many.

THE KNIGHTS OF LABOUR AND TUB STRKKE. A large mooting of tho Knights was held on Wednesday evening in tho Cook-street Hall. A long and interesting discussion took place on the present industrial crisis, and subsequently the following resolution was carried unanimously:—"That this assembly, while fully sympathising with tho Unions in maintaining their principles, especially those of association and combination, regrets the extreme measures being taken, and thah this colony, just emerging from an era of depression, should become involved in an industrial war, which cannot but result in disaster to all concerned. This assembly earnestly suggests that tho matters in dis.pute should be speedily referred to arbitration, so that the colony may be relieved from the present disastrous conflict." It was decided that the attitude to be taken by the Knights should be strictly neutral. IN THE COUNTRY. ,[by tkleoraph.— own corrkspondbnt.] Cambridge, Thursday. The all-absorbing topic of conversation here is the question of the strike. Opinions are very much divided on tho merits of the point in dispute. It is generally recognised, however, that a far greater question than that of wages is at issue, that the dispute has resolved itself into a trial of strength between labour and capital, and the result will decide which party shall in fnture reign. At the railway station this afternoon, quite a busy appearance was presented, numbers of farmers having brought in potatoes for shipment to Auckland, to take advantage of the present high prices. One farmer at Pukerimu has, it is stated, 30 tons of first-class potatoes for disposal, and has forwarded a large quantity to town.

Hamilton, Thursday. The stoppage from work of seventy-one men employed in various ways by Messrs. Coates and Metcalf's flax mills, hero and at Te Aroha, which commenced with the discharge last night of ten hands, and will finish by the closing of the mills in a day or two for want of coal, lias brought the consequence of the strikee home to the people of Hamilton. Feeling runs very strong on the action of Unionism, but ultimately the labour market here may not be congested by the non-employment of bar-Is in certain branches, for a few have already loft, and others are arranging for leaving, to join the band of free labour in Auckland. The butchers raised the price of meat Id per lb yesterday, and it is to be hoped that the farmer will feel the benefit of that, though many doubt it. Already Messrs. Knox and-Ridler talk of re-opening the weekly meat auction which was carried on here for many months both in eummer and winter at the time when cattle were low, and butchere' meat disproportionately high. Unfortunately the stock of coal was never lower in this township that at the present time, and the dealers were literally —tJike them all together — found with less than a ton on Hand when the stoppage of supply came. Orders sent to the Taupiri and Huntly mines were expected to be fulfilled yesterday, but the expected trucks did not arrive*. The miners out on strike intimated that they were quite willing to go into the mines and get out coal for the local requirements of W aikato, but they have stated that they were met by the managers and owners with the reply that the latter would not be dictated to as to whom they should or should not sell their coal. There are, however, a ).<vrge number of persons in the district who sympathise with the Unions, both workingmen and others. Perhaps the greatest sufferers will be the farmers, who just at this season are looking for consignment? of manures to arrive from Australia.