INDUSTRIAL UNREST

Otago Witness, Issue 3029, 3 April 1912, Page 27

INDUSTRIAL UNREST

A STRIKE SETTLED. LONDON. March 25. The British motor cab strike has ended. The men are awaiting Sir G. R. Askwith's decision on certain points. RAILWAY STRIKE IN STAIN. MADRID, March 28. Four thousand railwaymen have struck for a 25 per cent, raerease in wages. DISPUTES IN AMERICA. PATERSON (New Jersey), March 26. Sixteen silk mills have closed throughout the State following on the demands of the workers for increased pay. As a result, 7000 workers are idle. There are 20,000 idle workers in the Massachusetts cotton mills from a similar cause, the owners having decided to shut down until all differences are adjusted. A RAILWAY DISPUTE. NEW YORK, March 26. The managers of 50 railroads east of Chicago met the locomotive engineers in conference on the questions of increased standardisation and wages. A deadlock followed, and a referendum vote will be taken on the men's action. If their action is upheld a great strike is threatened. AMERICAN MINING DISPUTE. CLEVELAND (Ohio), March 29. Unless the coal miners and operators agree a complete shut-down of the works, involving half a million men, has been arranged for Monday, when the miners' agreement expires. So far the men refuse to resume on the old scale of wages. If a shut-down occurs the men will lose a million dollars daily in wages: The prospects of a settlement are poor. NEW YORK, March 30. As the first step in regard to the stoppage of work in the anthracite coal regions the Miners' Union has ordered out 170,000 men, the order to become effective on Sunday night. THE NEWCASTLE CRISIS. SYDNEY, March 27. The Newcastle Conciliation Committee lias commenced the consideration of the afternoon shift question. The men contended that working till midnight led to physical wreckage, inconvenience to the domestic circle, the prevention of the enjoyment of the rights of citizenship, and increased danger from accidents. The proprietors replied, dwelling on the commercial aspect. They said the result would be a serious diminution in the output, and affected contracts, which would cause many men to be thrown out of employment. April 1. As the Abermain colliery is idle in consequence of a dispute over top coal, the committee adjourned. THE LITHGOW DISPUTE. SYDNEY, April 1. At an aggregate meeting the Lithgow strikers decided by a small majority to accept the proposed agreement. A ballot will be taken. ANOTHER STRIKE IN ADELAIDE. ADELAIDE, March 26. The municipal carters are striking. They demand 12s 6d a day. The council is not willing to grant more than 12s. The scavenging and street watering are seriously interfered with. A STRIKE SETTLED. ADELAIDE, April 1. The strike of the phosphate workers has ended. The organiser of the strike announced at an open-air meeting that the men had been beaten. BUTCHERS' ASSISTANTS ON STR IKE. GISBORNE, March 26. The operative butchers in the retail trade struck at 3 o'clock this afternoon. Recently an award was arranged on the Auckland scale, but the masters declined to sign it. The men intimated that unless the award was signed before 3 o'clock they would strike. Thirty men are con- I cerned. j A conference was held between the men and the masters. Mr Westbrooke, Inspector of Awards, attended the meeting, and endeavoured to effect a settlement, but was unsuccessful, and the men ceased work at 3 p.m. The shops, however, were opened shortly afterwards by the master butchers, by whom the business will be carried on in the meantime. There does not appear to be any prospect of settlement at present, unless the masters concede to the men's demands that their agreement should permit of their affiliation with the Auckland Union. Another conference will be held to-mor- j row morning. March 31. The butchers' strike trouble is still un- ; settled. One of the employers has signed the agreement, and as a consequence his men have offered to resume work. He, however, declines to accept their services until the whole trouble is settled. GREYMOUTH WHARF LABOURERS. GREYMOUTH, March 28. A meeting of the Greymouth Wharf i Labourers' Union was held last night, |

when delegates to the conference with the Union Steam Ship Company recently held in Dunedin gave a detailed report. Messrs P. C. Webb and J. Glover, representing the Federation of Labour, were present. The delegates' report was ac- ; cepted. and the members present were unanimous in accepting the Westport award. The agreement was signed this j afternoon, and it is now anticipated that everything will run smoothly. DISCUSSION BY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. CHRISTCHURCH, March 27. At the quarterly meeting of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce to-day the members discussed the question of industrial unrest, and arrived at the following resolution :—"That this chamber thanks the Auckland Chamber of Commerce for its action in ventilating the subject of industrial unrest, and it recognises that the problem involved is the most urgent before the people of New Zealand, and endorses the suggestion of the Auckland chamber that the Government be asked to appoint a Royal Commission, consisting of commercial men and labour leaders." The president (the Hon. H. F. Wigram) moved the first portion, and said that personally he was not satisfied that a Royal Commission would do much good. _ He had great hopes that a public opinion might bo evoked which would strongly discountenance the strike form of industrial warfare. He held these hopes in regard to New Zealand particularly because he believed that there existed in the Dominion a better feeling between employers and employees than in any other part of the world. If both sides could be brought to share the opinion that the strike is a barbarous method and an anachronism inconsistent with our free institutions the way would be opened for the consideration of other means of settling industrial disputes. Other speakers considered that a Royal Commission would give an opportunity to Labour to represent its side of the question, and the motion was agreed to in addition to endorsing the suggestion that a Royal Commission be set up. COMBATTING LABOUR'S DEMANDS. PALMERSTON N., April 1. A special meeting of the Manawatu Employers' Association was held to-night to consider a motion by Mr C. B. Beattie, which was amended and carried as follows, after a couple of hours' discussion : —" That this association recommends the following course of action to the consideration of the Employers' Federation : That the federation draft such amendments to the existing labour laws as may be required in the vital interests of employers, and demand that the Government, supported by Parliament, take immediate steps to protect employers' in the manner indicated by passing effective legislation within a reasonable time, and to take such other steps as the Advisory Board of the New Zealand Employers' Federation consider advisable to meet recent developments of the organisation against them by completely organising, for the protection of commerce and industries, in the interests of the community the full strength of the employers of New Zealand. Mr Pryor (general secretary of the Employers' Association) and Mr Scott, of the Arbitration Court, who are here in connection with the sitting of the court, addressed the meeting. Delegates of farmers' bodies had been also invited. It was made clear that the Federation of Labour, and not those bodies which respected the agreements, would have to be fought. Tt was considered that as the Labour organisations had four highly-paid lecturers and 20 organisers out, the employers must take a leaf out of their book and actively organise and consolidate.