SYDNEY GAS SUPPLY

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 6997, 10 December 1909, Page 7

SYDNEY GAS SUPPLY

THBEATENED STOPPAGE AS OUTCOME OF NEWCASTLE STRIKE. TEN DAYS* LIGHT LEFT. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright (Received December 10, 0.25 a.m.) SYDNEY, December 9. The situation in regard to the Sydney gas supply has undergone a change. Owing to the coal lumpers' strike ilio Gas Company secured 3SOO tons which were lying alongside their jetties awaiting discharge. If. however, it attempts to employ non-union labour to move the oaal the Gasworks Union has notified that it will order a strike. ThovJompany has only ten days' supply of gas on hand. SOUTHERN OWNERS READY TO RESTART MINES ON MONDAY MORNING. SYDNEY, December 9. The Southern mine owners, in ro» spouse to the Government's invitation, havo stated that they will havo theirmines ready, to work on Monday morning if the men caro to return. MEN WILLING TO WORK ACTING-PREMIER HOPES FOR A SETTLEMENT. | SYDNEY, December 9. ' The Government's invitation to owners and men to work the mines nan been published. Mr Lee, Acting-Premier, expresses a iiopo that the parties are still comings together, and adds that, failing this, it would .bo easy to supply tho public with coal to-morrow. Ho understands tho Southern and Western miners are willing and waiting to go to work. They only want tho consent of the* Strike Congress to return. They havo no grievances. Ho hopes wiso counsels will prevail in these districts. Tho Lord Mayor has submitted to tho Premier a scheme of mediation by compulsion. Mr Wado could not soo his way to act upon it, as he considered it amounted to nationalisation. Ho declared the Government could not work the mines on trust, hut would protect life and property if they wero worked by tho owners. LEADERS AT VAEIANCE MEN FOOLED WITH TALK OF MEDIATION. SYDNEY, December 9. Mr Hughes expressed an opinion ill favour of the Government talcing over tbc mines as a temporary expedient. Ho believed the men would be willing to work .for the Government. Ho, at any rate, would advise them to do so. Mr Bowling, addressing a meeting nfc Wallsend, declared that Mr Hughes's leadership had boon a failure. Tho men had been fooled too long by talk of mediation, and would havo to fight or crawl down. SUPPLIES STILL GOOD A STEAMER SOON TO BE RECOMMISSIONED. SYDNEY, December-9. Both imincrs and mines continue worldDg, turning out a good supply. Tho railways are also securing consider* able quantities of waste slack coal from other sources. The Union Company is recommissioning the steamer Paloorta. She will bo dispatched to Tasmania shortly. A GOVERNMENT ORDER:. (Received December 10, 0.25 a-Jm:) SYDNEY, Docembor 9. Mr Lee, Acting-Premier, announced in tho Assembly to-day that tho Goi vornment had cabled for a supply of 5000 tons, of coal from abroad.' Ha did not stato whero tho ooal was to bo obtained, but it is supposed tho sonnca of supply is Japan. WHARF LABOURERS MUCH UNREST AMONG THE MEN. SYDNEY, December 9. A mass meeting of tho Wharf Labour-, ers' Union is called for Saturday, ta consider tho members' attitude towards the strike. There is much unrest among the wharf labourers. At a meeting last night, it was decided to ask all tho wharf Labourers who are members of the naval and military forces to resign therefrom. SPEECH BY PETER BOWLING STRIKERS AND THE TEND. CONGRESS CHAIRMAN'S MISSION IN LIFE. In a recent speech in Sydney, Mr Peter Bowling, chairman of the Strike Congress, '.said the affairs of the people of Australia were in the hands of a far more efficient power, a far more effective power than Parliament—a. power that considered the welfare of tho people more than the present Government. There must be misery and starvation — no great battle was ever won withoutIt would not be a victory without sacrifice, at least not to kirn. (Applause.) "I believe, honestly," he added, "that R> far as mildne;* of disposition and- unwillingness to fight the proprietors ia concerned, there could not be found a milder or more unwilling person than myself. But I have been forced to do it. (Cheers.) This was the first time in tho history of labour in any country in the world that a trubt had been met by industn-

ally organised labour, and had gone under to it. That had been done in Australia this time. (Applause.) In America the thing was attempted, but they only tried when tho trusts were strong enough 'to throttle them." So far as tho combination of labonr industrially was concerned it had aceomplishecf something that had never beciv acomplixhed by any organised industrial union before. It did it simply because tho men amongst them were keen enough and wise enough to bide their time.

It had c»3t the unions .£IO,OOO to keep men that the vend have crushed out of employment. Again and again they Itad advised tho men not to fight, always with tho promise that when tho time ramo they should fight solidly. Tho end of it was that they came right down on the top of tho proprietors when they least expected it. (Applause.) Somebody had suggested that I may be a can-did.-i.to for Parliament. "1 would nice JcCM) a year ins well as anyone," ho said, "but 1 would ask you to defer putting me into Parliament until I am no use. Then put me into the Senate." (Laughter and applause.) Ho had expected opposition at the outset of this struggle, and lie got it. In Newcastle the men u-itf hot favour the idea of striking at first, but they were Unanimous now. Tho congress that mot in Sydney were at first not very much in favour of it, but now they were convinced, too. They had indoud convinced everyone except tho proprietors, and the only thing that would convince them would bo to see tho miucu' re-started.

Referring to the miners' mines scheme, Mi - iiowling observod that he did not wish to mislead anyone into thinking that this would oiler a solution of their difficulty. Tho position would not bo altered until the people owned and controlled and worked the mines for the use of the people— (applause)—and this could bo brought about not so much by politica'l action as bv organised labour industry. Too much attention was paid to recording a voto at election time every throe years or so, to tho almost entire neglect of the essential part of unity, without which industrial organisation was useless. To that work he had devoted bis life. Ho then went on to explain how, for many years he had been studying in Newcastle to seize the psychological moment of action. As matters were now, he declared, it was useless to talk to the men of judicial arbitration.

"Why/" Mr Bowling said, "if I were to go to tho Newcastle miners and say to them that Justice Higgins would come to decide their case, and see that they got justice, it is doubtful if I would escape with my scaip. Any attempt to order or coerce us into arbitration will meet witE' absolute failure. Before, the men were not sufficiently educated. Now thev are educated." "They had been educated up to the necessity for the supremacy of unionism," Mr Bowling continued, "and they have said 'We arc ready when you tell as.' Do you know what that i 3 the forerunner of?" he asked. "It means that the miners are now really classconscious, that they will not vote industrially or politically, but as oiassconscience demands; that when tho call is made to them they will respond, not to oomo out on strike, but to take and hold what is their own. (Applause.) Do you mean to tell me that I would waste my time organising the miners to fight for Is a day when the landlord can put up his rent and the baker raise the price of his bread? What nonsense and humbug! I think more of my time. If that were all I was fighting for I would be better and more usefully employed at home nursing the children, and. I would ■be far Tjetter engaged giving the 'missus a ro3t. My ultimate object in. life is what I have explained to you. I may not live to realise it. but by God, 111 fight for it till I die."