THE SHIPPING STRIKE

Otago Witness, Issue 3743, 8 December 1925, Page 33

THE SHIPPING STRIKE

RESUMPTION OF WORK. MELBOURNE, December 1. A mass meeting of striking seamen decided to resume work immediately on terms similar to those announced in Sydney. There are now only four vessels idle in Melbourne. Many of the strikers have found employment ashore, and will remain in Victoria. REPATRIATION OF STRIKERS. SYDNEY, December 1. It is estimated that on the manning of all the- ships now affected bv the strike being completed there will be about 200 men who cannot be absorbed, and these will have to be returned to England. STOP-WORK MEETINGS RECOMMENDED. SYDNEY, December 1. A meeting of the marine transport group- decided to recommend all the inter-State Labour Councils to hold stop work meetings of all "the unions simultaneously on the day Walsh and Johnson are deported. A stop-work meeting of the Seamen s Union reached no decision regarding the deportation cases other than that should Walsh and Johnson be sent away stopwork meetings should be called immediately throughout the Commonwealth, when the policy will be decided upon. A motion to bring out all the costal men was rejected. THE APPEAL PROCEEDINGS. SYDNEY, December 1. The High Court continued the hearing of the Walsh appeal case. It overruled the objection that the case had been improperly removed to the High Court. Senior counsel for Walsh then submitted that there was no legal warrant for Walsh’s detention as the section of the Act under which he was detained w*as ultra vires of Parliament under the constitution. Argument \ as proceeding when the court rose. MEN RETURN TO SHIPS. MELBOURNE, December 2. Following their decision to return to work, 250 seamen marched through the city and returned to their ships. THE DEFORTATION ISSUE. SYDNEY, December 2. A meeting of seamen decided to defer consideration of any opposition proposals to the deportation until the outcome of the High Court’s proceedings is known. It is known that the delegates who were commissioned at *the previous meeting to inquire whether kinured organisations would strike if one was launched by the seamen as a protest against deportations have submitted a report which makes it clear that the responsible union leaders were opposed to taking any im dustrial action on behalf of Walsh and Johrwon. It is pointed out that certain extremists are anxious for. a strike, but it is added that these people could not be considered seriously, as they admitted that the unions they represented would not even consider the question of striking. DECLARATION AGAINST STRIKE. MELBOURNE, December 2. A stop-work meeting of the Victorian seamen carried a motion condemning the attitude of the Sydney branch in declaring against a strike in the event of the deportation of Walsh and Johnson and of those sections of the industrial movement which had made similar decisions. The motion urged the industrial movement to take effective action to combat the deportation of the union leader*. VALIDITY OF THE ACT. SYDNEY, December 2. Argument on the constitutional aspect of the Deportation Act, which occupied the attention of the High Court to-oay, was not concluded when the court rose. RE-MANNING OF VESSELS. SYDNEY, December 3. The manning of British ships is absorb mg so many strikers, whose shim had sailed without them, that probably only a few will be left without work. Ovei 250 men so far have been absorbed in filling the vacancies caused by the members of the original crews not being available. No proceedings will be taken against those w r ho are posted as missing.

DEPORTATION QUESTION. MELBOURNE, December f* Although the militants secured c<>itiol of the seamen’s meeting, it is unlikely that any action wjll be taken by the union against the deportation of Walai* and Johnson. ADELAIDE, December 3. A meeting of the Waterside Workers’ Federation decided against any stoppage of work in connection with the deportation. SLANDER ACTIONS ADJOURNED. SYDNEY, December 3. The actions for alleged slander ami libel by Walsh and Johnson separately! against Mr Lamb and Mr E. Bavin were! allowed to stand over, as the two plain-! tiffs are in custody as the result of the proceedings under the Deportation Act. STRIKING SEAMEN. AUCKLAND, December 3. Most of the British seamen who went on strike and were left behind at Auckland are still here. A few of them have shipped on other overseas steamers Twelve joined the Otaki, which sailed on Monday for Wanganui and Wellington, and about the same number signed on the Hororata before she departed for London on Tuesday. So far onlv six have been sent away as distrissed British seamen. They left Auckland for London by the Raranga on November 24. Besides those who have gone to sea some have obtained labouring w r ork in the country, but the majority are working around the waterfront in warehouses, or at cargo work on the wharves. There are about 260 of the strikers in Auckland, including 98 still in gaol, comprising 25 from the Tainui, 38 from the Athenic, and 35 from the Otaki. The Athenic’s men were sentenced to two months’ hard labour, and those from the Tainui and Otaki to three months’. The Athenic’a men will be released next week and the others in January.