OUTWITTING THE STRIKERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19141, 6 October 1925, Page 9

OUTWITTING THE STRIKERS.

SHIP LEAVES MELBOURNE. SEAMEN LEFT LAMENTING. WAGING A LOSING FIGHT. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright. (Received 10.5 p.m.) A. and N.Z. SYDNEY. Oct. 5. The White Star liner, Suevic, sailed from Melbourne for Sydney in the early hours of this morning. Tho preparations for her departure were made in secret, and the strikers were completely surprised. The striking seamen were puzzled by the development, as 16 members of the stokehold complement had joined their ranks. They therefore thought the vessel was tied up. The only hope of the strikers now is that tho waterside workers will declare the vessel "black" on her arrival at Sydney. The 17th anniversary of the eighthour day was celebrated to-day by the usual procession through the streets of Sydney. Large crowds were attracted. A feature of the procession was the inclusion of the striking British seamen, but they evoked little enthusiasm. MARINE WORKERS. POORLY-ATTENDED MEETING. SOUTH AFRICAN SITUATION. (Received 7.5 p.m.) Reuter. LONDON. Oct. 4. Only 30 members appeared at the meeting called by the Amalgamated Marine Workers' Union to consider tho cablegram from the strikers in South Africa. The meeting was abandoned. Mr. Havelock Wilson said he would have been prepared to attend had t" . meeting been held. The result show; .! that the strikers, as a body, were a dead force. \ A message from Capetown says the Sophocles, which had been held up there since the beginning of September, has now sailed for Australia. NOT UNION MEMBERS. MAJORITY OF THE STRIKERS. HAVELOCK WILSON'S CHARGE. Reuter. LONDON. Oct. 4. The president of the British Seamen's and Firemen's Union, Mr. Havelock Wilson, has sent a message to the president of the Wate le Workers Federation in Sydney as .lows: "I am much impressed with ur statement advising the strikers to return to fight out the trouble in England. If you desire to test the bona-fides of tho minority, who are conducting this strike, demand an inspection of their union books. "You will then discover who and what they are.. If they say they left their books at Home, do not be bluffed. Tell us the number of their books and we will cable their financial position. If this course is adopted I believe tho trades unionists of Australia will receive a terrific shock. "We have inspected the names and addresses, of thousands of men in six ships on the South African coast, arid can only discover 12 members of the union. The truth is that many men on these liners have been a drawback to us for the last five years. Demand a show of the books and you will know the true position." TYPICAL COMMUNISM. BRISBANE LABOUR LEADER. VINDICTIVE STATEMENT MADE. A. and N.Z. BRISBANE. Oct. 5. Mr. Carrigan, president of the Queensland branch of the Australian Seamen's Union, said he had no doubt a move was going to be made to create a stampede among the British seamen. Referring to the steamer Port Hardy, the lines of which he said had been cut and which had been taken out of the harbour and anchored 14 miles away in Whit Sunday Passage, Mr. Carrigan said efforts had been made to ship coal to the vessel from Brisbane and Maryborough to keep the refrigerators going, btit no vessel should take coal to her. Any vessel that did so would be declared "black." If he had his way tho Port Hardy would be towed back to the wharf with her cargo rotten. He hoped the cargo would go had and that the engineers would get fever and fall over the side and die. Referring to the steamer Port Auckland, Mr. Carrigan said they were determined to put the screw on and see that no vessel went out of the river. Congestion was part of tho game they were playing.