THE STRIKE.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVII, Issue 79, 3 December 1913, Page 7

THE STRIKE.

AT AUCKLAND.

WORK PROCEEDING QUiETLYv

LOYAL RAILWAYMEN.

[Per Press '/wooiation.l Auckland, December 2

The position in Auckland remains unaltered so far as tlie strike is concerned. Work on the waterfront pro ceeds as it' nothing had happened, and but for the fact that there is not sufficient seamen or firemen to man the coastal and intercolonial boats, and that there is a shortage in the ranks of the more skilled and experienced Carters, the conditions would be just the same as at ordinary times.

During yesterday afternoon and today there has been a large number of*applications from members of the old Waterside Workers' Union for -work on the wharves. Each applicant for work is required to give particulars of his last employment, and the reason why he left. After three days have elapsed he is balloted for by the members of the new union. With last night's and to-day's figures, the total number of applicants is now over 200. The attitude of the railway servants in Auckland towards the strike was defined on Saturday evening. A requisition, signed by 19 members, was •nade to the secretary, asking that a special meeting should be held to discuss the matter. About 70 were present . Propositions were made that a levy be struck and that voluntary subscriptions should be collected for contribution to the strike c und, but this was rejected by 60 votes to 8. A motion expressing sympathy .vith the strike was also defeated, wily a few members voting for it. It vas decided that, if necessary, assistance should be given to those members if the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants in Lyttelton and Timaru who have been rendered idle )wing to lack of work on the wharves where they are casually employed.

IN DUNEOIN.

DEVELOPMENTS PROMISED.

Dunedin. December 2

The Strike Committee has found sureties to keep the peace, and the nen were released to-day. It is estinlated that fully 150 Arbitrationists .rill be working on the wharves toI norrow. At a meeting of the Waterside Workers' Union this afternoon, six members of the Strike Committee isked to'be allowed to resign. This ■■ vction. was voluntarily taken by the lommittee as an act of good faith to 'he bondsmen. The resignations were iccepted and a new strike committee ippointed;. IT: ,i. "T. , Messrs Mackie and Jack,; represcntng the Auckland I>railch of the Searum's "Union,; and Messrs J. Bakerand T. Shepherd, Wellington delegates, .ar--ived from the ..north .ttHtnght..,. To r • norrow. they .will .attend aj meeting of 1 ;eame,n.a,'t present, in Di/nedin, when :ome, important cjeyelopnien.ts "M f 6 ex-" pected. Tliere are fully 400 seivmdn' in ■ Dimedin. Some sixty locai and ■ountry specials returned home yesterday from camp at Tahuna Park, it teing deemed that their services are 10 longer required. Over 100 men ire still in camp.

mii .1.7 IN THE SOUTH.

I.YTTELTON ANDOHRISTCHURCH THE PORT KEEPS BUSVi ! A CHARGE DISMISSED. Christehurch,December 2. Matters 1 in Lyttelton to-day "were igain uneventful, and work proceeded : on the waterfront uninterruptdly. The fleet in port to-day 'was reduced V the departure of six steamers, the Kairaki, Opouri, Uetone, Pateena and Cygnet, and the Wakatu sailed last night, and the big Tyser liner left at 6.30 this morning for Dunodin. The Kairaki, Sygnet and Wakatu had full cargoes, and the other steamers were partly loaded. The latest call of tile Canterbury Drivers' Union to its members, to "stand solid by the union" and cease work, appears to have fallen to a large extent on deaf ears—evidently a case of "once bit, twice shy." The actual number who responded to the .'all is not known, but employers of drivers in the city reported this morning that there was no lack of men offering. There was an unusually large crowd at the Magistrate's Court to-day when E. J. Howard, F. C. Ellis, J. WcCombs,H. Hunter. J. Thorn, I). G. Sullivan, and P. Lurch, alleged to be members of the Strike Committee, were summoned to show, cause why they should not be prosecuted under section 11 of the Law of' Libel Act, 1910, for the publication of a defamatory libel in a publication called the "Christehurch Strike Bulletin," dated November 26, under the heading, "Scabs, Male, and Female."

The applications were heard separately in camera in the Magistrate's | room, the press not being admited. \ The -Magistrate said he did not mind newspaper representatives l>eing present, but the inquiry was but a preliminary one to see whether there could he a prosecution, otherwise if the prosecution were ordered, it would mean two public hearings instead of one. Defendants Howard, Hunter and Sullivan denied all knowledge of the offending paragraph. Under the circumstances Mr Bishop had no alternative but to order that no warrants he issued, and informations against the remaining defendants were withdrawn. Probably, however, acetion will be taken against the printers. Mr Bishop, in examining defendants, described the paragraph as "absolutely vile and abominable." He hoped the respectable portion of labor, both axbilTahonist and federationist, would take public opportunity of disavowing any responsibility for such an abominable and vile paragraph.

Defendants said this would be done. They expressed their disapproval of the paragraph, which they said they 'id not authorise and did not see until it was published. They did not know who formed the Strike Committee. The original Strike Committee had been dissolved on November 24, two days before the publication of the paragraph. It was also denied that the Strike Bulletin was circulated after the paragraph in question was discovered, the shoot being withdrawn. The result of the. inquiry was received with cheers by sympathisers who were waiting outside,"

flif Wellington.

EMPLOYERS' MESSAGE.

COAL SUPPLIES TO HAND.

Wellington, December 2. The Employer's' Federation to-night dispatched the following cable message to Mr Holman, Premier of New South Wales:—

"The Wellington Employers, Farmers and Citizens' Defence Committee desires to give an emphatic denial to the statement of the Federation of Labor representatives that employers in th£ Dominion jure opposed to organised labor, and wish to assure voii that, on the contrary, they are encouraging and supporting the registration of workers' unions under the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act, and desire to impress upon your Government that as all cargo is being handled by Arbitration Unionists there is absolutely no ■ reason why Australian Unionists should refuse to (work New Zealand ships at Sydney or elsewhere,; or to precipitate the crisis indicated in to-day's cables as being imminent. That being the case, it ! is hoped you will use every endeavour to have the embargo on New Zealand vessels removed without delay. The committee will gladly supply you with any information on reqvbst being made." . A similar message was sent to Sydney to Mr Hughes, M.P. Two more cargoes of coal, totalling about 15,000 tons, will leave on their 'voyage to New Zealand within a few days. This coal is coming from Calcutta, and is as being very lair quality gas-producing coal. It is due in Wellington about the middle of January. Fifteen thousand tons of Transvaal' coal, which is already on the way to Wellington, was; allotted to purchasers by the Defence Committee some days 'ago. Already orders have been received for a large portion of the Calcutta shipment.

AUSTRALIA'S ATTITUDE.

SYDNEY WATERSIDERS.

fßx Elkotrio Telegraph—Copyright:

[United Press Association.] (Received 9.15 a.m.) Sydney, December 3

Two thousand wharfmeh were present at yesterday's stop-work meeting, all wharves being idle. Proceedings were at times tnrbulent and discordant. A large section resented confining the war to New Zealand, desiring, that a general strike be called and threatening further trouble. At ah ordinary meeting of the Wharf Labourers' Union to-night, Mr Hughes was besieged and importuned by angry unionists and after the meeting they condemned the decision as contrary to the principles of unionism. ,*

As a result of''the meeting the Ulimaroa and Riveriha lie tap indefinitely. , , , ; ,,;■) ~-,,,..., 'The Union Company, despatches vessels to Tasmania and Fiji, and anticipates 'despatching , the Manuka ,to Wellington on Saturday. \ . The' Whakatatie' ulid the Indrapnra comntei ci»d ■ discharging, ito-rflay." ' All other : ;desp-s6a phrfls _ar : e relieved of trouble for-the present.,.;, ; Hecklers of Mr Hughes demandej whether if with two .Union boats along- , going tb NewfZealand and the other to* Tasmania they had to work the latter which meant working; with scabs. They wanted to know if they, were not fighting the Union ompany. Mr Hughes replied that they must work everything excepting vessels to or from New Zealand. They were not dealing with companies but with ! plains. ' Thd' : fceetin'g j had- (d£i; cideth not to work New Zealand boats and that'iwas alh '■' /{ \i 'i i Ainid.iihoots the. turbulent section declared, that thje was not unionism,, ono man crying put, that.if they 'had to Work with scabsl"here would not be enough bandages m ] Sydney to tie them'

READY.

MR HUOHES' MISTAKE.

THE RED FEDERATION AIMS.

(Received 9.45 a.m.) Sydney, December 3. It is stated that if the strike area widens and the primary products are held up large .numbers of farmers are ready to mount their horses and ride straight to the metropolis and load their own produce into ships. Mr Hughes considers the conferences recommendations which were cabled by the New,-.Zealand Employers' Federation eminently reasonable, and practicable for the settlement of the dispute in New Zealand, where it arose.

A conference representing various unions interested pledges itself to loyally abide by the decision s'of the proposed independent arbitrators and tinmen to resume normal working conditions as soon as the arbitrators are appointed. The "Sydney Morning ; Herald," commenting on the attitude of the turbulents says,: "While unionists havo decided to restrict the area. of

the disturbance the future is by uo means clear."

The "Herald," commenting on the conference's decision, says the Federation of Labor was established in order to crush the principal of peaceful arbitrament in industrial disputes. This attitude, which fraught such disaster on the community and which New Zealand employers partially fought with success, and still resist, it is this which Mr Hughes and Ins colleagues were encouraging in the decision whereto they stood.sponsors. The "Telegraph" says: "The strike has reached passed the stage whereat the Government can reasonably heap pealed to by the community for guidance and protection. We are presented with the remarkable spectacle of a Government supine and nerveless, while a self-constituted parliament of unionists u.sctisses wlicther there shall be a general or only a partial strike."

The Maunganui anchored in Neutral Bay. The mails, passengers, and their luggage were landed in launches. The Waipori and Kapapo (the latter trimmed by Union Company's clerks) have finished loading coal irom Newcastle, the former departing for Wellington and the Kakapo for Tasmania, The barque Northern Chief is being trimmed by the crew, the usual trimmers declining to work aboard.

LONDON'S POSTMEN.

DISCONTENT SPREADING. MALCONTENTS' METHODS. (Received It. 10 a.m.) London, December 2. .The spreading of the demand by the postmen for an all-round fifteen per cent increase of pay instead of the Government's offer, has caused anxiety as to what may happen at Christmas. There are ominous signs of dissatisfaction in London. It is reported that two typewriting machines at the Central Telegraph Office were dropped from the topmost landing to the ground floor and smashed, and also that important telegraph apparatus was tampered with. Time-books recording operator's temporary absences and also many desk keys have disappeared. The malcontents advocate that the proposed strike should assume the form of working according to the rules, as it is believed these are so mutually contradictory that the whole service will be* speedily reduced to chaos.