WELLINGTON TRAMWAY MEN GO OUT.

Colonist, Volume LIV, Issue 13329, 1 February 1912, Page 2

WELLINGTON TRAMWAY MEN GO OUT.

CARS CEASE RUNNING SUDDENLY. WIDESPREAD LAIJOUU CO-OPER-ATION. POSSIBLE TYING UP OF COAL SUPPLIES. l United Pkers Association.] Vv'e!iir.gtO!i, Jan 31. Shortly before cue o'clock to-day tho secretary of the Tramway Employees' Union (Mr A. Sutherland) (■Uiiic to the tramway' head office in Harris street, and left with the electrical engineer, ,ii;d iramway manager (Air Stuart Richardson), formal notice from the executive of tlio union, that the. cars would bo held up between 2 p.m. and 4.30 p.m. this afternoon. The lei tor contained an enquiry us to where the manager would like tlio cars to be put in the event of a. resolution to leave work. The engineer, prior to the. arriral of Mr Sutherland with the document notifying the holding up of the. cars, received a communication from the union secretary by telephone informing him of the proposal to stop the cars for the period named. .Mr Richardson formally entered and recorded an objection to the course proposed by the men. lie replied that he did not recognise the right of tho men, on any pretext whatever, to leave duty. It would be entirely without authority, and would conio within the nature of a strike. With regard to the place whore ho wished tho cars to be left in the event of tho men persisting in their unlawful procedure ho informed -Mr Sutherland that ho desired that the cars should be returned to their respective sheds. The acting-Mayor (Councillor .f. Smith), was with Air J. K. Palmer (Town Clerk) during tho greater part of the morning, and an informal meeting of a few councillors took place in one of tho rooms of the Town Hail. Councillor Smith went homo before the arrival of tho message from tho Tramways Union secretary notifying the intention to hold up the cars. It is understood an emergency meeting of tho City Council will be called to-

pother soon to discuss ways and moans. A report on the situation,

ir.nl tho possibility of maintaining a limited service to the outlying districts will then, it is believed, he placed before the Councillors by the management. Tho service may bo said to be constituted by a few cars into town in tho morning, an attenuated, city time table, and probably

some cars out of town back to tho suburbs. Sonic effort will probably be made to maintain tho skeleton of a service on these lines, will) such assistance as tho management may procure from volunteers, and their own staff.

Thero 'in:; >,:•</;) an extraordinary rim on bicycler; lUiiing iJio strike,

ii^'iiiy iir.jis i;i t!'.'1 to-.vn )i;r. inj^ orders l'i:r the hire of bicyclon booked up for throo weeks. These arc mostly from jifople v.Jio lire in the subiii-bi. I'riviitu persons lvavi- i-.iso arrane;od for tho ruiiiiiiij; of "Xj;i-cssns from vnrlona points to the city in tiie event of th'j cars ccasinji ninuin;; for any lengtii of time. There are 42 taxi-moto, cars licensr-d in the city, and there are in addition about 450 other private motor vi'hicKs which no dr>'ibi at at pinrh might bo pressed into service.

By 2 flV'ook iVs ,".ftornoon many poopla wc:-e iinticipaHnf; pon;^ cx- < itement, and fjioups .stood at strategic points Oil tins ip'iiiii roule Ihws with ej'ps interestedly fixed on tbo cars . mr-Kii!^'. irortliw;trd at Lamlitou station, 'ii.j cars quickly jyilud up on 3:i>!.j,!'.r. o strf-yt, 'i'iiorndon Esplanado, niiil Vs'aterloo Quay. A crowd was there cliattinji; and smokii)R and watching tho movor^onts r>f conductors and niotornuin, v.-ho vwo indifferent to the curiosity which they were exciting, They stood about in clusters waitinp; for a "quorum" for the meeting at tho Trades Hall. Membors of tho Trades Hall and Labour Council could bo seen here and there in conversation with the tramway men. Somo of these appeared to be in a merry mood, though a feeling of tenseness was in tho n\v. Thu me:-.

;:ro>i orally wore an oxprossion of poniWlont'i;, partly based no doubt on tho rnunsure of siippoit T.i*nn::scrl by the two rival labour organisations, Tho New Zealand Labour Party, and Tho l\v\y Zealand Federation of Labour.

Steadily the cars eamn in, and none wont out, and the army of the men in blue sorgo increased from mitiuto to

The story of the Stars—Ask for MarteH's Three Star.

minute, and the eager interest of tho crowd grew more noticeable. Shortly after three o'clock tho men filed into lino and proceeded to tho Trades Hall, 1 accompanied by several union secretaries, and about 600 people. As they passed the Government printing i office they wore cheered by tho men.' They were also cheered as they passed the wharf labourers' waiting room. The procession was quiet and orderly, and practically no remarks were passed by tiie tramway men. At t.t« Trades Hall hundreds of people were | gathered. The men tiled upstairs, without a demonstration, to the meeting room. After tho men had assembled in tho Trades Hall it was found that tho room was too small to accommodate the parties interested, and they went in a body to the King's 'iheatre.

In the course of the discussion tho president of the Union strenuously exhorted the men to observe orderly conduct. The deliberations were not open to tho Press. The .strike committee, which consists of tho secretary of tho Tramway Employees' Union, and representatives of other labour organisations, in an official statement following tho meeting, states that tho power houso staff will cease work at midnight tonight. They have decided that no coal shall be carted for the powerstation or other corporation departments, including the electric light, destructor, and the supply of current for industrial purposes. Tho men working on tho wharves will refuse, to handle coal intended to bo used for these purposes. Drivers will refuse to cart, and if needs be the seamen will decline to transport it. The committee will, if necessary, approach tho miners, and ask them to tie up the coal supplies of the Dominion.

The City Council held an emergency meeting to-night, and after deliberating 2!s hours, the deputy-Mayor stated that there was nothing to communicate to the Press, except that tho whole matter would bo discussed by the Tramways Committee at 10 o'clock to-morrow morning.