STRIKE OF RAILWAY LOCOMOTIVE MEN.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XLIV, Issue 14044, 29 April 1920, Page 8

STRIKE OF RAILWAY LOCOMOTIVE MEN.

(Per Press AaSwaation.)"- * ' ' I

Mr~, MeArley, secretary;of.the liocc-niotive.Kijgihc-drivers',' Fitenieirsy, and Cleaners' Association, states that every member of the Association' in the Nortn Island has lcftworl* ;"Tte inen/ J •-hesaid, "will not.go back until.there is a reasonable prospect of "/-"their, demands for higher wages and improved conditions being conceded by the Government." The Evening Post has learned that fio far the Association has not. been informed what steps the Government intends to take, and that unless something is done quickly it is. felt there will be considerable difficulty in holding the South Island men to their work:'lt is also stated that the South Island men arte anxionslv awaiting developments inme. Xorth Island, and are prepared -to act on word from the Executive*of the Association. Asked to state briefly what the demands of the melt, were, Mr MeArley said- "The men want -a. standard wages award for loco men a • throughont the world. They also want unproved conditions, and these cortditiona mast l>e Rtated in black*and white, in plain language, and signed up by both sides. The Executive has not yet been approached in reference to mannine/ the Prince's train, but I can state that the present crew will take the train as far as Taumarunui, which is tlie end of its run." .•-"-...■; Interest centres at the moment upon, the actions of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants. Its menijhers are stated to be in absolute ■ synV pathv with the action,of the E.F.G.A., and "it is certain that they wrll. do nothing to aid the Government in overcoming the difficulties raised by the strike. The Society's application under the Labor Disputes Act for a ; tribunal to hear its claims has been, lodged for some days, and members are said to-be restive at the delay on the. part of the Government in taking action following on the application: No details cf the. ballot taken hj-the Society upon the strike question are available vet. but the General Secret lary (Mr'MaclO stated this morning that the ballot was overwhelmingly in ' favor of striking. \ . When the news of the intention? of the engine-drivers to strike, became known, the New Zealand Welfare League, which had already interested itself in the dispute, sent the following telegram to Mr MeArley, Secretary 01 the Union : "The Welfare League deplores the possibility of a lightning strike by' your members. Apartfrom the great inconvenience to the public, and the dislocation of all Dominion business, such a lourse would be condemned by" thewhole public . and would militate against the ■ equitable adjustment of your members' claims. The.time of the Princes' visit renders .the strike especially in6pportune. We urge- you to consider your jzrave , responsibilities. The League is in favor of a fair and just- consideration 'of your demands, but if you persist in striking, must £iippoit tin- Government and the public. The League feels satisfied that the whole community" will take that W\v. jr- action is postponed during the-> Prince's visit you would secure the ap- • proval of the whole country, and their nelp in getting a full consideration and fair settlement of your claims. Although you man have reason to think that del:ly in dealing with the epiestion - has been excessive, we are satisfied that the above, is the wiser course in yr.ur own interests. The League will vigorously press on the Government the coiisideration_of your demands. At the same time, tne League has sent a. copy of the above message to the Prime Minister, with the following addition addressed to' Mr Massey himself: —'We earnestly urge that no delay takes place in the adoption of some course; to "determine the men's grievanceJ: We cannot see any objection to setting up a Labor Disputes Committee, under ' .that an assurance from you that this will be done, will avert, or at least- • postpone the immediate strike and give time for proper adjustment.' " AUCKLAND, April 28. If the railway strike is prolonged .-.eriou.s results will follow. The Auckland city tramways, electric light', anrl power, as also the gas supply, are <ieI'ciidmg en coal arrivals largely b> iiani, the stocks being very low. A few trains are running on suburban lines to-day, it is stated, by departmental foremen. ' •• • Kailwaymen express the utmost indignation at a report- from Rotoxua thai die lire box on the engine of the Royal train had -been tahipered. with.. This engine i.-. now. in ilie. Auckland shea ready to run. What happened was tht tailing down of a defective fire bar. Hie engine had been inspected, and tht ' man responsible would not be a-mat. concerned in the strike, while the delict could easily gone unflCticed. All the members of the locomotive branch of the railway . ceased work as directed by the Executive, and the "railways of AucKhind province are £>raetieally at a islandstill. A few tmburban M-ains were run to-day, but- these were (jinte unable to cope with the passengers \Clio work in the city. In view of the ' very grave effects ol a strike-'upon the industry of the city, the Mayor has been asked to call a meeting of the business community to discuss the isituation. In the meantime, however, he*is in communication with the Prime" Minister with a view to ascertaining the position as regards the pay of railwaymen and the- crters of the Government.. The Auckland Piovineial Farmers' Union is also communicating with Mr Massey and the Locomotive Association with 11 ri rt nee to the menace to fopd supplies as a result of the holding up of ..it primary products. The tramways and electricity iservicco are already tiiiealoned through the lack of coal. -No gr.cus traffic is being for tne lew trains wliich are running. CHRISTCHURCH; April 28. Though no definite information is available, it is rumored that the. rail-way-strike .is likely to extend to tht .South Island in 24 hours. ' "Until w,e know/-what is going tc happen in the South'lsland, we cannot attempt in draw up an emergency time-table, ' said the District Traffic Manager to-flay.; '-'lf the men here dc go out, of course we willj do our test. I think' we will be able to keep a few trains. running on the more important .suburban lines, including Lytt'eltdn, 1 but ail that depends on the number of men who will remain loyal.-" At pre.senf I have no information whatever on the poiut." The reporter was informed that even, jjsrthout a strike a severe curtailment?\of the existing services was bound to come in- Canterbury. It was stated that in the Christchurch yard the number of .shunters is fourteen or fifteen below normal' and that in Lyttelton all shunting lias been ■ done for .weeks by porters.

DTTNEDIN, April "28. The dramatic denouement of the railways seems to have created surprise - even in the inner circles bere, and as lo what the issne was that was put to the meeting of local men on Sunday no hint pan be obtained that it portended action.- It is considered possible that the South will, follow the attitude of the A.S.R.S., which ha s declared for the method provided by the jailor Disputes Investigation Act. Itis generally held, however, that a division of ;view over the method of procedure will not affect, solidarity now that tha i.ssue'has been-forcedr One of the lending officials of the A.S.R.S. states that the- responsibility rested: now piitirclv jvith the "Premier and<Wr McVillv, ; the General- Manager, and: their willingness f.o meet the three" Societies a-conciliatory spirit.; i ._.■"•■;■• The local train st-ryice is running on tune, and there was.lift rush by visitoi-s tfuday to'get home: ; ' ■*•-:■' . ; ROTORUA, April 28. - The railway .positibn is uppei-most in the.public mind'tbrhigh't, ancl if* effect on the Royal visit is the subject of misch conjecture. The Ministers had \a long conference this evening: and discussed the situation with the GovernorGeneral, at a meeting- at -which the Geneivil Manager of Railway was ; pre- .. The result ""was-'rirdt" disclosed. The jxisition of- tlie'Rbyal party, however, is like Mnhomet's cOffm—rather in the air, pending announcement as the result of r understood that there is no likelihood of; the Prince*^nd-hi ir: 'Vnrt'-' : s v trnnsjiorfc over the 'railways tcrniptrdi but as the niat'tei- is one of; such national' importance, it maV be. npcossary! to go .bonk", to! Anckland.: V'henef to pfocped Renown, and res.um,e the •programme■--

froui„ that point. of rua." d re'" becoming "appreliensu e concerning the food buppfieh. The Cham- > bei ot Commerce to-night "waited on the Mnnstei with the suggeßt.on that some foim of rationing should, he instituted The president (Mf McLean.) po'ntcd out that the normal population this time, of the year 15 "3000. ,but lias vnou swelled" to Iwtween 10,000 and 12,000, including IJaons and the outlook is really senou* Tfiev feared that w hen the shops opened to morrow there \ will be a nish, and that the aAadable stocks will be snapped up +0 the dtsadvantaae of nwnv people. The Mimsterb promised to a«sikt in anv wa-v possible. A _train com eying 300 sea-«_ men and marines from the Renown, with the ship's? band left at 11.20 tonight for the locomotive men hating agreed to take these through. At midnight it was announced that arrangements wore being made to carrv the Roval-pam back to Auckland tomorrow, but the Ministers aie reticent as to further movements, evidently hoping it possible that Mi Massev, 011 rear lung Wellington .to-morrow, will bft able to arrive at a Settlement with the railway men that would permit the North Island projnamme to be carried ont as onginalh planned, though, of course, there may be a delay of a dav 01 so This, however depend* on the lesult of the negotiations It is expected that theie will be no difficulty on the inn to Auckland, which is the home town of the tram men hero who ire • naturnlh anxious to get back. ■Difficulties have been irereased bv fact that the Amalgamated Societ\ of . "Ra.lwnv Sei-vants have joined the loco men on strike, but the authonties are still hopeful _ , „„ NAPIER April 2R Mi Afn=fie\ on his wa\ bom Rotoru 1 to Wellington \ia Napiei hn arnved at Irpolme (10 p m ) about two houio rrein Napier Th< loads aie vci\ bad 'Dip Hawke'- "Ba\ Herald commnm(aled with Topohue Hotel b\ telenhone, ,mcl was mfoimed tint Mr Ma=<-e\ ha« no -f iteineiit to be issued till he reaches headquarter GISBORXE, Apnl- 2fi 'lhe northwaid iailwn\ inn is usual this morning, +he local staft having ictenod no achice legaidmg the sti ike TAFMARUNUI, Apnl 28 The locomotive lailwnvmen.stopped at midnight but completed the duties 111 The station is hwnih stocked with goods and theie aie thnU trucks of sheep and cattle. HAMILTON Apnl 28 Mr A. E. Denny, councillor, for the Frnnkton district E.F.0.A., interviewed, said: "Every man in the Frnnkton distnct is out One tram will he allowed to depart with stock in .the morning for Auckland. The position is that we have broken bounds and taken control, and our executive council has to see us ■through.-; The executive has boon holding the men in check since November, 191.7. The work is getting heavier and the hours longer. Men are repeatedly on duty 20 •hours. No provision is made for meals, and the men . cannot tolerate it any longer. The position has become unbearable, and the breaking vpoint has been reached. It is absurd for the head office officials to say they kiiow nothing of the matter. They have had- repeated conferences witli, and been.'-warned by, the executive, that if something were not. done the men would break away. We r.tcognise how serious is the situation from the public point of view, and are not asking the support of any other organisation. All we want from the * public is to see that we get a fair go. The latest information is that the tour of the Prince of Wales will be completed as far as this district is concerned. Outside that we cannot speak. The strike will be conducted in an orderly manner, and, whether we win or lose, we will at least have, taught the' Department that Ave will in future fight for our rights., Mere arguments on their sjdewill not suffice. They will have to come down with something solid. Laborers outside the service are receiving up to Is 3d per. hour, and tradesmen 3s fid, while engine-drivers with twenty years' service are receiving Is lOjd. They have to work all holidays, and have absolutely no social life: Ini fact, an engine-driver 'at Frankton Junction is seldom at home in the evening, and seldom has a hot meal with his family. We want to emphasise that we are not asking,for wages on a- cost of living basis, but claim'that we perform a highly skilled service for the Government and people of this country, and we want' jiay commensurate with the services Ve perform." ■ . "1.

WANGANUI, April 28. Interviewed by a Herald representative re the strike. Mr Veitch, while expressing the view that a serious mistake had been made in precipitating the strike, particularly while the Roval visitor was in the Dominion, says that 4; e has' seen the disaster, coming for several years, and session after session he had ventilated the causes in Parliament. He regretted that his'efforts had fallen on deaf ears, his complaints being regarded as party attacks, rather than an honest attenmt to avert impending trouble. Such is . partv politics; to which New Zealand owes its many present difficulties, and he says that the chief reasons for the strike are*tlue to'the fart that after a number of years of patient endea"vof by constitutional means, they have found the working conditions becoming more and more irksome. The depletion of the staff by <?nristment,~and afterwards by the large,numbers of resignations, has imposed long, working hours on the remaining men ; who are feeling, the effects of overwork. Mr Veitch" sav-S the only solution i s to increase the wages to a standard which will prevent further resignations,' increase .the'-wages of-juniors in order to induce voting men to undertake railway work,-, pnv vide honsiiisr accommodation and a more sympathetic understanding on the part-of the Administration.

A stop-work meeting.of the Enstown .branch of the Amalgnmated Socie'% of Railway Servants held this morning. ->»orh f';i\-i,refj the advice of the chairman to carry on pending instructurns from, the Executive at Wellington. The men intimated that they would cease work immediately, if any attempt were made to force them GREYMOUTH, April 27. There is great interest here in the railway strike. A large stop-work meeting of the State coal-miners was held this morning,/and after an address bv the president: of the TJnicm (Mr P. £~' Webb),, the meeting passed the following resolution, with , cheers :— '' That this'stop-work meeting of State miners endorses the action of the New Zealand Locomotive Drivers'. Firemen's, arid Cleaners' Association in striking ifc increased wages and more humane conditions of employment, and we pledge ourselves to support them, both morally and financially, recognising that tliei'r fight is our fight, and their victory will be our victory, whilst their defeat would beahe defeat-ef the workers throughout the. country,"* Tt was resolved to have the terhis-of the resolution telegraphed _to the secretary of the. -Locomotive Men's Society (Mr McArlev)-, the secre-ti-17' °,- t,le Federation- (Mr Arbuckle;,: and the Minister of Railways (Mr Massey). • The WesTlarid Timber Workers' Union Executive, lat si: meeting to-day, passed a resolution similar to the. coai-minrfi'. Upholding the action of the railwa.vmeri and pledging moral and firianciar support. The Executive .ilsoi directed the secretary to wire Mr Massey as follows 'At a special meeting of our Executive to-day I was instructed to wire vou thai the "VVestland Timber Workers' union supports the railwavmen in their just deihands, and calk iipon Cabinet to grant the same to save a New Zealand wide industrial upheaval, or otherwise to call Parliament together at *mcc and fine the House of Representatives a. chance of settling the dispute." ' PALMERSTON* N.,' April 28. An urgent meeting ol the craniovees of the Manawatu section of the* Post and Telegraph Officers'' Association was ■wu 1 i ii th r°"?boiiD -with" enfhusitem the following resolutions Were carried, unanimouslv :—"That- the Ministry be given twenty-four hours' notice to meet our Executive? and further in the event or. our demands being sidestepped, that stop-work meetings be called through-' out the Service to decide on further action. It was also- heartily resolved to support tiie*Tailway emplovees in their •%uggle f o r justice, and ojrer-onr supj™** , ."Keen feeling was evident' throughout ihe meeting, which closed with cheers forU-he rhilwaymen. '-' m =: - "