AUSTRALIAN SITUATION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume L, Issue 15481, 12 December 1913, Page 8

AUSTRALIAN SITUATION.

CHARGES OF DESERTION. j LABOURERS AND THE TAHITI. •By Telecraph— Association—Copyright. (Received December 11, 9.30 p.m.) Sydney, December 11. Tho wharf labourers say they will not work the Tahiti, owing to the fact that she touched at New Zealand. The combined conference of the unions is still sitting. Mr. W. M. Hughes says he has cabled to New Zealand asking whether the published statement that the strike is on the verge of collapse is correct. The Union Company to-day withdrew the charges of desertion against the lofuas crew, who return aboard under an agreement to forfeit their wages during their absence from the ship. Mr. Barry, the Wellington delegate, denies the Wellington press reports that Mia strike is dying out. The Union Company has decided that the Makura will take tho Vancouver run instead of the Willochra. Sho departs on lliursday. The Labour Council has decided to grant special financial assistance to the New Zealand strikers. It is understood that Mr. Holman has received a reply to his cable to Mr. Massey. Mr. Holman! however, is busy electioneering, and Mr Masse y s reply is not yet availableMEN FOR THEMAKURA. CREW FROM NEW ZEALAND. fflr TELKGItAI-n.-PMSS ASSOCIATION.]' " Dunedin, Thursday. About 20 men left Dunedin to-day en route for Sydney, where they will man the Makura. It is understood that other men will be picked up on the way to Wellington, and tho full crew bo "sent across on tho Maunganui. CRY FOR ARBITRATION. PRIME MINISTER'S REPLY. " NOTHING TO ARBITRATE ABOUT."

.BY TELEGIUI-11.-srECIAL CORRESPONDENT.]

Wellington, Thursday. t Ilia Leader of the Opposition, Sir Joseph Ward, Bart., hod a little to say this evening about the strike when he was speaking on the Workers' Compensation Amendment Bill. I„ reply, the Prime Minister mado a statement of interest, ■Sir Joseph Ward: I wish to .ask the Prime Minister if we are to part as a 1 arhament before we deal with tins strike matter in an effective way? I am not going to speak about the strike now, but 1 do propose to speak about it when the Labour Disputes Investigation Bill i 6 before the House.

Mr. Massey: That's your proper opportunity.

bir Joseph Ward said there ought to b* some opportunity given for considering 'a settlement. He asked the Prime Minister to give some assurance that an effort at settlement would be made. The Hon. W. F.. Massey replied some timo later. "The hon. gentleman," he said, " has suggested that resort be had to arbitration. We hear it every day, wo see it suggested in print every day, that even now resort should be had to arbitration. I should like to ask the hon. gentleman what is there to arbitrate about? I would like to ( ask the hon. gentleman to go back to the position of five weeks ago. What was the position five weeks ago? People were panic-stricken, business was at a standstill the ports of the country were dosed, and there were neither exports nor imports. Compare that with the position, to-day. The ports are open, business has almost got back to normal. Mr. Russell: What about the coal mines?

Mr. Massey : It is true ' that the miners are still out on' strike, and I regret exceedingly that we, with ou r enormous supplies of coal at hand in this country, have to go abroad for coal. But apart from that there is no getting away from the fact that the improvement in the position in the last five weeks has been wonderful. Sir Joseph Ward : My point is that the thing could have been settled much moro effectively five weeks ago. Mr. Massey. said that he had tried at the beginning of, the trouble to effect a settlement, " I went the length of humiliating myself in a way that I will never do again," he said. If a method of settling strikes by legislation 'had been possible it would have been discovered long ago and put into operation. Sir Joseph Ward 'said lie disagreed entirely with this opinion, and he would explain later. Mr. Massey: I would ask the hon. gentleman to remember that some thousands of men havo joined the arbitration unions. What are you going to do with those men in the event of arbitration? The hon. gentleman does not answer, and no one else can answer that question. What has taken place has given me and some members of the Ministry some of the most strenuous times we have ever had in our lives. I would not go through it again for anything the hon. gentleman could offer me. I may say that nobody will be better pleased than I when this unfortunate industrial trouble is at an end."

LITTLE SIGN OP STRIKE. CHRISTGHURCH CARTERS WORK. fBY TELEGRAPH.— ASSOCIATION.] CimisTcnußCH, Thursday. Very littlo work was being done on the wharves this morning, heavy rain causing cessation of loading and unloading operations on all vessels except the Waliine, Canopus, and Kowliai. « t There is nothing in the city to indicate that any industrial trouble lias occurred. There are busy times in the railway goods sheds, where great accumulations of cargo landed from oversea steamers at Lyttelton during the pact two weeks are being uealt with. The carriers are kept fully employed in delivering goods to wholesale and*'retail houses in the city.