Dozen Unions Turn Out.

NZ Truth, Issue 438, 15 November 1913, Page 2

Dozen Unions Turn Out.

Cooks and Waiters Want Weekly Holiday.

"AH Quiet Along the Potomac."

(From "Truth's" Auckland Rep.)

; Up till Tuesday last the ..following unions had. come . out on strike: Carpenters, Carters, Hotel and Restaurant .workers, Timber workers, General laborers, Furniture workers, Harbor Board employees,'. Painters, Enginedrivers, Bricklayers, Brewery and Aerated Water' employees, Shipwrights and Tinsmiths. Roughly speaking, 8000 men 'and women have come out on strike, - a.n.d thus it wag by Monday morning that Auckland was involved IN A GENERAL STRIKE. The trams, 'through a lack of coal, badceased running on Saturday, which' meant that an additional 1 700. mien wore idle. No matter if the Tramway Company had had plenty of coal on hand the tramway men would have been out. They had intimate^ that such was their intention the moment the "cockles 1 ' went to 1 " the water-frontC Despite all the provoking tactics adopted by the cockies and special 'constables, the men on strike m Auckland have showa admirable power. Daily press accounts are greatly exaggerated and highly colored. So iar there has been nothing m the shape of riot or disorder, and we have yet to witness our first scene r.f violence m the city. Work, jio.called, is going on—but, oh, so slowly; the traditional "snail's pace" Would beat it. Lorries laden with goods go through the city streets under police .protection and are also attended by " cockies." Such precautions are absolutely unnecessary, as tho work- ' ers have been strongly advised to avoid as far as possible giving the authorities any occasion to repeat here the scenes which have' taken place in* Wellington. News of the arrest of Messrs. Young-, Semple, Bailey, Frascr and Holland was not altogether unexpected. In fact, surprise has been expressed that the, leaders were not given the "square deal' before this. In connection with the arrest of the Wellington men, Detcctive-Sergt Scott this morning arrested at the Trades Hall Thos. Barker, organiser of the Auckland Branch ot the Industrial Workers of tho World. Tho charge against him is that m Wellington on October 2H he made use of the ioliowIhg seditious words: . ,' You should husband your resources to cope with such a sltua-' . tion as wouM make Wellington a second 'Johannesburg. > You. d«> not know the momSnt when such a situation may arise. The strike . will probably affect not Wellington only, but the whole Dominion. ' The employers of New Zealand arc not more civilised thai those 'of other countries, whilst they own , the workers' bread they deny the workers the right to work for , it, and when trouble arises they will not hesitate to give them a feed of lead. Every economic { question is settle-1 by force, and itls a question of which side can ,uso the most force. Accused was remanded to appear at Wellington on Wednesday next ball; -being allowed, self m £200 and on«r» surety of £200; which was forthcoming. ■■•,- ' ' - " ..'■..', ;■ ■ A ridiculous rumor was s^prea'l 5n the city this afternoon that Tom Long, the well-known secretary of the Auckland Cooks' ♦ and Waiters' Union, had been arrested m connection 'with t. v ie financial affairs of his union. There is no justification for tho assertion. Long Just now is busily engaged In conducting 1l strike of his union for a weekly holiday. This is the sort ot thing that the leaders have to put up with. On Wednesday afternoon the workers m Auckland commemmoratod the first anniversary of tho death at Waih I of Frederick Evans, who was a victim to th*j "square deal,"' when the j "scabs" took possession of tho town of Waihi. A nrocesslon was formed and over 2000 strikers and sympathise crs inarched to Victoria l>ark, tfhere they were addressed by Messrs, W.ew-. ley Richards, Scott Bennett, Mick Savage and several others.