BIG STRIKE YEAR.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XL, Issue 13171, 3 September 1913, Page 7

BIG STRIKE YEAR.

LABOR DEPARTMENT'S FACTS,

(From our Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this day. Since the passing of the Arbitration Act m 1894, the average annual number of strikes m New Zealand has been five, but last year the total was 35. Consequently the Labor Department m its annual report describes the past year as the most notable for serious industrial unrest m the history of the Dominion. Happily, continued the report, the major portion were of a minor nature, but three disputes were of some magnitude, namely, those affecting the Waihi goldminers, nhe Reefton goldrriiriers, arid the slaughtermen throughout, the Dominion. The first mentioned was one of the most serious industrial disturbances m the history of New Zealand, and was remarkable for the fact that the dispute lay, not between employers and their workers, but between two bodies of workers, i.e., those m favor of the Act and those opposed to its principles. The most regrettable feature to Tecord was that there was much . rioting and disorder, which unhappily jended v m the fatal shooting of one of the participants. Tlie Reefton dispute may be considered as second to the Waihi trouble m point of magnitude, the industry affected being at a standstill for a period of six months. The slaughtermen's strike, which was one sympathetic dispute, and spread practically throughout the Domindon, took place when the season was at its height, and consequently must have resulted m serious loss and , inconvenience to the freezing companies and to the farmers. A tahle shows that of the 98 strikes sinoe the inception of the Act the men were fully successful m 25 cases, ' the employers m 42, and a compromise was effected m2B cases. Workmen lost £283,201 m wages, and employers are estimated to have lost £169,414. One satisfactory feature of the report, however, is the increase of 428 m the number of factories, and 7808, in the number of hands employed.