LABORERS' STRIKE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 109, 28 October 1911, Page 5

LABORERS' STRIKE.

THE POSITION IN AUCKLAND. ' 600 MEN OUT. By Telegraph—Press Association, v. Auckland, Last Night. " The laborers' strike continues. No further striking was demanded by the officials of the Federation of Labor today. The men employed by the City Council (it the waterworks, about ten casual hands, ceased work this afternoon in response to a command made on the previous day. This gave a good nuStiber of people the impression that .the executive was pursuing the^work of-, bringing men out, but early in the day the Laborers' Union met, and, having discussed fcfye position, decided not to act further until the matter had been talked over with the Mayor. The Mayor was met accordingly, and heard very fully all thej ar-. guments advanced by a deputation, htaded by Mr.. R. Semplc. Mr.. Parr,-prom-ised to summon the Drainage Board on Monday at the earliest possible mlpment, and the deputation carried the menage to the union. ' 1 The union ifiet and decided ilia. no further extension in the striki: should be made until the board's decisjfin ii announced, but on Saturday afterno n a demonstration will be made at the Jrey statue. Altogether about <Soojmei are out. They include none but ittfeinlwrs of the General Laborers' Union,, and of these only men employed oh, public works. ' The effect of the strike is not nearly so serious or immediate as it would W been had the public transport service been affected, but some of the cannot suffer delay without injury,-and in one direction at least there is a-cer-tain amount of sting in the action, for the disposal of the city's huge,daily output of organic refuse is crippled, and a return has had to be made tqVthe old system of dumping it where it'will do the least possible harm consistent with convenience. It was common talk in town to-day that the Federation 6f Labor fully intended to call on the' Tramways Union to cease work, and perhaps upon the waterside workers as well,-and even fixed the time for the to cease running. No such was taken. , _

The direct cause of the strike was, the action of a few who totfk' a sub-contract under a cont'fa9tor 4°' n g work for the Drainage Board.' ciple of sub-contracting, in the sons*! of the co-operation of workers on piecework, especially in competition with others paid by the day, is opposed by organised labor, and the occasion was seized to force this position upon the public so that the public bodies would declare once and for all that they -will not allow any sub-contracting. Only one issue has been placed before the Drainage Board, through the Mayor, and that is the abolition of the principle. The union met this evening, .'and decided not to call out any more men till the Drainage Board meets on Monti av, but the men now out are to remain out.