STRIKE AT WAIHI.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIII, Issue 16, 16 May 1912, Page 6

STRIKE AT WAIHI.

THE TOWN AT A STANDSTILL

(Per Tress Association;) AVaihi, May 15

The town is quiet. A special meeting of tiie Borough Council was held yesterday afternoon to consider the borough’s position with regard to the strike. The Mayor said that if the strike continued lie did not sec how the Council could carry on in the matter of ways and means. The town'

clerk said that he understood the hank was willing to finance the sanitary and gas services if they were reduced to the barest necessities. The

general opinion of councillors was that tiie strike would last some time. It was decided that all maintenance and formation hands he discharged, including the foreman and all the gasworks hands, except those absolutely necessary. All carters, stoneworkers and co-oporative contractors are also to be put off. The sanitary service is to be retained and also the library. It was decided that the street lamps should be put nut at 11 p.m., to conserve the gas supply. It was reported that the warehouses had decided to restrict the credit of AVaihi tradesmen, and the latter will demand cash over the counter for all goods, ft is understood that the matter of the strike is now practically in the hands of the Federation of Labour. It is quite on the tapis that all the unions under the Federation will he implicated. As the borough cannot continue its payments to the hospital, an appeal will he made to the Government for help. The hospital is full. The union is preventing the carriage of material to both the mines and the batteries. Pickets are prevailing on the starters to step work. The Grand Junction has its machinery at the station, but is unable to remove it. The stricke continues to be conducted in an orderly manner) Frequent meetings of the union officials are being held. PUBLIC HEALTH MENACED. AVaihi, May IG. A menace to the health of the town is threatened by the stoppage of pumping operations owing to a congestion of the part of the town drained by a service of concrete channelling, washhouses, kitchens, and urinals being drained into the channels and the mattier taken into the Ohinerauri River. The channels had been kept clean by diverting water from the mine into them. The same amount of water from the borough service would reduce the town supply to a dangerous limit. The borough is doing its best- to keep tr.e channels sluiced out, hut it the strike continues for any length of time an epidemic may result. It is estimated that the money in circulation in AVaihi is affected to the extent of £6OOO per week. Shift bosses and tally clerks are patrolling the mines night and day. Affairs at the neighbouring mining districts of Thames and Karangabake are reported to be quiet. Tire miners at both places belong to the Thames Miners’ Union. It is stated that a section of the Karangahako miners are showing a feeling of unrest in sympathy with the AAnihi miners, but so far there are no serious indications of trouble. In reference to the stoppage of coal going to the Grand Junction tike Borough Council would have taken it to the gasworks, being led to believe that no objection would be offered to its cartage. The union, however, objected during cartage and the bulk of the coal had to remain. Efforts were tnen made by the Mayor to have the coal taken to the hospital, hut the union held it up.