LABOUR MATTERS.

Southland Times, Issue 14378, 26 March 1910, Page 5

LABOUR MATTERS.

AN niPOETAWT POSITION.

BEARING ON N.S.W. STRIKE.

By Telegraph.—Presa Association. —Copyright.

MELBOURNE, March 25, Received March 25, 5 p.m.

Mr Justice Higgins gave the decisiorl of the Federal Arbitration Court in the engine driver’s dispute. It was practically the outcome of, the Newcastle strike. The Judge found that the matter had been brought before him not because the claimants had the same dispute in three States, but because New South Wales men despair of justice from the New South Wales Boards, and in order to come to the Federal Court they had got men in other States to subscribe to the demands.-. That, he ventured to say, was riot the idea of settling disputes beyond one State. The employer in this case has shown no desire to conciliate the men. The clrcuriistances otherwise showed that conciliatory action ' was desirable, and that the employers had obtained but a pyrrhic victory. They had only themselves to blame. They were suffering from a bewildering number of Boards in New South Wales, with bewildering crossing of functions. Apart from the question of Jurisdiction he thought further proceedings were not necessary or justifiable in the public interests. Therefore he refused to adjudicate.

THE THREATENED WELSH STRIKE

MR BUXTON’S MEDIATION.

LONDON, March 25, Received March 26, 12.50 a.m.

Mr Sydney Buxton (President of the Board of Trade) received representatives of coal miners and afterwards delegates of the Miners’ Federation and persuaded both parties to agree to a further meeting of the Conciliation Board at Cardiff on Saturday.

The Times states that its sympathies are with the Miners’ Federation. Britain had already been estranged to a not Inconsiderable degree by the Welsh miners opposition to the double shift system, which is already in operation in Northumberland and Durham. It is possible that the federation will apply pressure to prevent a strike.

IMffiOCGBANTS AND THE N.S.W. STRIKE.

A CHARGE DENIED

SYDNEY, Alar. 17

In the course of a speech at Miller’s Point on Wednesday night, Air J. P. Cochrane, secretary of the Sydney Labour Council, who is a candidate for Darling Harbour in the State Parliament, is reported to have made the following- reference to immigrants ; —“He had discovered the other day, when tjie coal-lumpers and wharf-labourers were on strike, lighting for their rights, that immigrants who had been Imported into the country at the expense of the people were ‘black-legging’ and ‘scabbing’ on the wharves and elsewhere. The Government had connived at and assisted in doing this. While he was not opposed to immigrants of a proper sort entering the country, he had tue strongest possible objection to any Government bringing into the country men who would compete in an already over-stocked market against the'ir own people.” (Cheers.) The statement was brought under the notice of the Premier yesterday. “The allegation,” said Mr Wade, “is absolutely unfounded. We have had far more applicants recently for immigrants than are coming out. The demand exceeds the supply, and every immigrant as soon as he arrives is rushed off to the country, and gets regular work. Whether they are strangers or not who take the work Mr Cochrane complains of I don’t know. No doubt many persons have been attracted here from the other States by the recent strike, in the expectation of securing work- which our own men would not do. That might account for the presence of strangers on the wharves, but the Government have offered no inducement to any immigrants to stay in Sydney, and what is more, all those whom we do control are placed in the country without delay. “I would apply to Mr Cochrane the test that has often been applied before, and that is to furnish me with specific instances of the names of the persons he is referring to.”