LABOR DISPUTES.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2094, 4 September 1890, Page 2

LABOR DISPUTES.

LoNBONj Sept. 2. The Engineers’ Society proposed a levy of 5s per week in aid of the Australian strikers. Tbe United Labor Council will discuss tc-morrow the question of rendering pecuniary assistance. The Trades Congress at Liverpool is attended by 460 delegates, representing 1,500,000 unionists. Chicago, Sept. 2. Eight thousand carpenters in the city have struck, demanding an increase of wages. ■■■■', Washington, Sept, I. Congress has forbidden the importation of contract labor.

Sydney, SepT. 2, The unionists boarded the German skip Chemnitz to-day and turned the free laborers ashore neck and crop, several of them receiving rather ‘nasty falls. A howling mob surrounded tbe steamship Rodanto, about to sail for Brisbane, anjT stuck up cabs going to the steamer. The occupants were then cross-examined as to whether they were, a portion of the free crew engaged to take the ship away. Some who refused to give the information asked for were unceremoniously dragged from their vehicles and had to seek refuge in flight. At a meeting attended by 1600 employers and lending business men this afternoon the following resolutions were passed unanimously with marked enthusiasm That the 1 time has arrived when it is absolutely necessary that all employers of labor, capitalists,’ and others directly or indirectly interested, should form themselves into an association' for mutual defence ; that this meeting approves of the formation of an Employers’ Defence Committee of Australasia, and that a committee bo appointed to draft a scheme and invite eo-opaiation in all the colonies; that it is desirable that .all employers not members of the union at once join, and that all interested-directly or indirectly be called upon to express their sympathy in a practical manner ; that as the shipowners and others connected with maritime labor are fighting the battle of all employers against sggresj sive unionism, it is agreed to subscribe to a fund to assist them ; that this meeting condemns the system of boycott practised by the representatives of the Trades Unions, not only against employers but also against union, and. non-union fellow-! workmen,': as a. violation of personal liberty, -and antagonistic to , the. best interests of the Australasian colonies.” j After September Bth the Gas Company will cut off the supply between sunrise and sunset. 1

The Miners’ Conference have decided to call but all the Illawarra miners, but allow the Lithgow miners to continue. Four strikers were to-day charged, with breaking their contracts by leaving the employ of the Lambswool Store, and were fined £lO each and costs, or in default fourteen days’imprisonment. . , f At a meeting of the Association of Colliers it was decided to close the mines indefinitely. ; Messrs Dalgety and Company have engaged sufficient free laborers at £3 5s per; week to carry an the wool exportation. , . Melbourne, Sept, 2.

Lawyers’ clerks have offered their services in a body, and the legal profession, has subscribed £3OOO to the employers* fund. Dalgety and. Co., of London, haye cabled sending £lo,oo® to the same fupd. ; The employers, pastoraliats, steamship owners, and colliery proprietors next week; consider proposals emanating from the Trades Hall for a conference.

The city was again lighted by gas las*: night. Brisbane, Sept. 2.

Arrived—Union Company’s steamer Rosamond from Napier with produce.: The market is now pretty well stocked,; and prices are falling. ! Auckland, Sept, 2. The scons alongside the Australia last night was a very animated one, Lawyers, merchants, soft goodsmen, and storemen worked Tour-boar shifts at ' both hatches, and the cargo was all out eariy this morning. Great enthusiasm was shown by a large number of people who were willing to work but could not find room. The crowd was kept back behind barricades erected by the police. The Kamo coal miners at Whangarei have been ordered to refuse coal to the Union Company’s boats. The officers of the Arawata gave twentyfour hours' notice to-day, and leave the ship to-morrow. The officers of the Australia struck to-day, and the officers of the Orowaiti at Onehunga strike this ofternoon.

The Huntly coal : miners are all out because of the refusal of the directors to pledge themselves not to supply coal to the Union Company. A mine-owners’ meeting is now being held, but it is private. Sept. S.

Things are quiet in town. There is a general strike in the Waikato coal mines, the Tauin Reserve, Taupiri Extended, Taupiri, Ralph, Huntley, Miranda, and Waikato Coal Company’s mines being closed . Between four and five hundred miners are idle.

It is stated that the Frozen Meat Co. are m di&oultiea through the supply of coaf running short in the factory, where there is a quantity of frozen meat stored for shipment Home. They are endeavouring to obtain fresh supplies. It is believed that the flour mills will be stopped through want of coal j also the Union Oil, Sqap, and Candle Works. The unionists haya consulted lawyers respecting the legality pf erecting barricade* pn the wharves.

A very large meeting of merchants and importers yesterday afternoon pledged themselves to prevent by every endeavour the community being reduced to starvation by the unionists’ boycott, and tp protect the men who loyally support them in thp present crisis. The meeting have published this, decision, signed by a large number of merchants and importers in Auckland, Napier, Sept. 2,

•UouU Dean, who look charge of the launch Ahuriif 'during Captain Tonkin’s illness, was last night expelled from the Wharf laborers’Union. The members pledged themselves not to deal with him (Dean is a small storekeeper) or to speak to him. Threats of personal violence to Dean having been made, Captain Tokin, in defiance of the doctor’s orders, got up and took charge of the Ahuriri while she was the Waihora. Sept. The \yaverley Fa'rmera’ Union passed a resplutiop to the effect that ioTfie event 1

of the railway employdi refusing duty’ the settlers here offer their services to keep the line open in thia district. Wellington, Sapt. 2. The Butchers’ Union have given tha Gear Company notice nob to supply the Union Company, and storemen are instructed not to handle any goods to or from the Union Company's steamers. They wid be called out if asked to do so. The stewards ef the Union Company’s boats in port have given notice of their intention to leave the vessels after clearing up dinner to-day. Volunteers " and free’' laborers are handling the Wanaka’s . pod . Tenguln’s cargoes, and an endeavor will be made to got the former away for Lyttelton and the latter for Taranaki and; Onehnnga soma time to-riight. In an interview with the local Press Mr , George McLean-denied that there was any truth in the 1 statement that the compiny was under-manning their boats. The risk was too great to permit it. Asked whether the Union Company would cat loose, from Australia if the men didj hs said such a proposal might come first from tbe unions, and if it did he would be willing to lay it before the Owners’ Association, The company had no quarrel with any one, and would be qhite willing to take the officers and men b»ck, so long as there were vacancies. In any settlement being arrived at now there wnn'd have to bo some modifications in the demands of the unions, which meant constantly inursasing wages, and wou'd eventually land tbe company in the same position as the Grey Valley mines. Ho believed tbe officers, if left to thetnselvos, would bo back tomorrow. The Railway Commissioners have deter* mined that those emp’oye>a who break the terms of their engßgements, and refuse to perform railway duties s» provided nader the rules and regulations which they have formally undertaken to observe, shall' be dismissed from tbe service. ’ The' Government railways he* 6 ; have about 10 weeks’ supply of coal on hand. - ■ , - The directors of the Goar Meat Company have.decided to continue supplying tbe Union Company’s steamers with meat at all hazards.' j The Railway Commissioners hays Issued the following rule under which the plate* layers and, others are engaged and work on the railways. The rnle provides- that every’ person will, as far as practicable have epfCific duties assigned to him* but when required shall dp any other business which the business of the railway require. \ Non-union crews Karo been obtained for. the Wanake and Penguin. , , ■ A number pi!,‘High School boys have been engaged-lumping on tha wharves to* day. . .1 A'large number of Maoris have offend their services to the company to discharge and load their vessels: ! 1 1 In the event of the Railway Servants ' Executive calling out 'members of the society, Mr McKeirow is confident that a I sufficient number of - employes withstand I by the Commissioners to enable ..them to carry on a reduced service, and ho says '■ that a large number of applications for employment have been received by tha Commissioners.

7< / , -r;d' 7/ Bept. B,* Acoeasions to the Masters’ Association con* tinue to come in, and more are expected during the day. It is expected thaoffioers will return to their ships. 1 n Christchurch, Sept. 2. About 800 men altogether,are pnßlrifejy in Lyttelton. Clerks from the Union Bank at Christ church ere loading.the Colac. The manager. of the railway asked the clerks to stand by the Commissioners, bat they declined, and a general strike of railway hands is‘on the cards. il The third batch of permanent hands, including tlie tally clerks,' storeman, and others, who were working at the .Tekepp, were called ont. ..One railway man, a storeman, stayed. Clerks and farm hands are now working in the trucks. A' large .meeting,, of the Chamber of Commerce 7 this afternoon passed the fol* lowing resolution : “ That the Chamber, while regretting the circumstances:which compel themtto take are prepared to fin'd labor to carry on the.trade of Lyf* telton, provided that the. Commissioners are prepared to continue to deliter cargo alongside vessels in pO't.” _ . Several more offers of assistance to load ships have been made by farmers. Other business firms have givt-n notice to their hands on account of the stoppage of trade. One of . the railway men on s'riko has stated that if they had been treated with a little more consideration by the officials at Lytle'ton : the result might possibly have been different, but he thought that it was time something was dore yrhen cleiks were ordered into the trucks undes the threat of knowing the consequences if they refused, notwithstanding the statement of Ihe Commissioners that each man was to b 0 kppt at his usual employ* ment, Westport, Sept. g.

The seamen paid off from the Mahinapna left by tire Charles Edward tc-night for Wellington. The Navals Band ployed them to the wharf, where a jarge crowd assembled. Everything is quiet. Dunebik, Sept. 3. The Port Chalmers branch of The Wharf Laborers’ Union condemn the action of the Harbor {Board in allowing theip Iqg to ponyey o ppuriinioo cypw t(J the To Apaq, apci if’ the ««W rpndpv further assistance to the company step? will be taken to prevent them being supplied jwitb coal. . This morning the crews of the tugs gave notice of their iotenion to come out..

Everything about the wharves and town was very (juiet to-day, and nothing at all Oj3CUff7ods The Rotorua, Rrupnpr, spjJ. Peninsula are all hid up. The cojppany have received the following certificate from the Collector of Customs: —“I certify that fffty (§0) men wore shipped on board tjje s.p. Te spap on M on(,a fh ®ept, Ist, in various pipacftiee, and that a ,|9 r ffP majority of those men ahpwpd hy tfcP production of certificates and discharges that they were (competent for their situations for which they were shipped. C. W. Chamberlain." . r Mr Justice Williams and Sir Robert Stout have consen'pd to apt with the Mayo iu trying to effect a settlement of the dispute, . . At a meeting of the Butcher** Union ft, was resolved to give the contractor for sups plying meat to the Union Company twenty.four hours’ notice that all butchers will refrain from handling any meat for thecompan>’d bo>ls. The Union to night decided to vote £SO £or tbo strike defence J

litVEBCARfiTLIi, Sspi. 3. ... When the non-unionistsreached the Bluff .the anion iwharf labourers were working cargo, and the free labor was accordingly withdrawn. Propositions, of a nature not divulged, have been made by the laborers, and will be considered by the employers this afternoon.

THE RAILWAY HANDS. New Pltmo pxh, Sep. 8. The railway men here received a telegram fromlbe Maritime Council wanting to know if called out; will they strike From what the men gay their idea is that the strike should not affect Taranaki. It is generally beiieved that the railway hands will be loyal to the Railway Commissioners. WOODTILLB, Sept. 3

The Postal Department have arranged with the coach proprietors here to run continuous through’mail services night and day, between , - Napier and Wangaani and Woodville and Wellington via Wairarapa, in the event of a railway strike. . . The Railway sarTants.here have intimated to the officers of Railway Union their desire to break off from the Maritime Council, other- ; wise they must leaye the Union. WeIUSSTOW, Sept. 3.

The Railway Commissioners have sent a reply to the Christchurch Chamber of Commerce accepting their ofier to supply labour with thanks, and instructing the manager accordingly. . . , .. The Railway Commissioners notify that toe permsnenf-way men who were called on in accordance with theterms of their engagements to carry or handle goods |fat Lyttelton, after being allowed 12 hours for deliberation, have finally declined to. obey the rules and regulations of the department, and therefore have been paid eff, to the number of forty-four, by order of the Commissioners. NELSON, Sept. d. It is understood that the railway hands are prepared: to’strike if necessary. _ • CHMSTeHmacH, Sept. 3. The railway * bands called eat here had read to them a formula asking them to return to work. They replied would abide by the instructions of tha society. .

SIR ROBERT ON THE STRIKE. (Otago Daily Times.) At the meeting last Monday in Dun* edin Sir Robert Stout explained how the officers of the ships in Victoria waited for

months to get a conference with the companies, and owing to the, fact that the owners would not notice them they were at last forced to join the Iradea Hall. But that Trades Hall had nothing to do with the seamen, and up to the commencement of this strike in Australia they had bad not been affiliated with the seamen of New South .Wales. The officers went to the Shipowners’ Association, and how did that association meet them? They said, “ We will not confer with you; we will not listen to your complaints ; we will not discuss them with you ; we will not consider them unless you disaffiliate yourselves from both the Trades Hall Council of Melbourne and that of Sydney." Ke asked them was that fair ? (“No.") Why should not the employers have considered their request ? What harm was done by the officers affiliating with their fellow workers, arid why should they not combine for a common purpose and-a*common end f The trades councils then backed them up, and the seamen of NewlSouth Wales—to their credit be it said-r-gare it as their opinion that the officers were right, and they said. If vour request is not granted, we will go with you.”—(Loud applause). That was the origins of the Australian strike, and that alone. Let them see how it affected New Zealand: It had bean said that the strike Vhadk been by the officers of> ¥ ew Zealand .uniting with the Maritime- iCbunoil of Seamen. Nothing of the sort. He?knew when a difference arose between : ihe Marine: Officers’ Association* of f Wellington and the union Company that the company did not object to n the Maritime Council coming upon the scene with the object of settling the dispute. TbejHon.G. McLean and Mr Ritchie, who were representing the Union Company in Wellington, were anxious to settle and mike considerable concessions to,the but he thought that some of the things .requested in Iho officeis ..letter, forwarded to the company by Oaptais Highrnan, were unreasonable to ask. Well, hat did happen ! How did this strike affect 7 the Union Company ? The Waihoria;: was discharging cargo in Sydney, and she was stack up on her arrival in Melbourne. The Union Company then came, io 'he Maritime ’.Council, in New Zealand, sod what did the Marilime Council do | They sent a wire, approved of by the representatives of toe Union Company in Dunedin, asking this : that so long as the Union we'ir manned .and .'worked by union labor they ought not. to be asked to come put, and they ought not to be asked to join the strike.'’ (Hear, - hear.) What was the resuM ? The wire was attended to and the p»igQ....disshaiged that was shipped in Sydney, apd tfie vessel left, and there was nb more trouble about her. How did the thing arise! ' He ! would tell them how it arose. ' The * Taraw era W's in Australia, and if the Union Oompiny had done as was dona in the cafo (f 'he Waihora, and Had ailbwed the vofsel to be discharged.by union m<*n, the trouble would not have ari-en. But the agent of the Union Company in Sydney insisted upon working the vessel with non-union men, and tjie seamen had nothing hfi H*’ *p m “ CHnnot wO k with noß : unioivßts, and therefore we fnust strike. (Applause.) JJe said, therefore, th'4 thp tfhol* c*ut>e of Vie dispute bad arisen by the aciion of the Union Company ; and he charged the company with that they chose to practically invite a strike, or a lock-out, as he would call it, knowing what was ahead of them; He'said, therefore, thit the blorao o| the tf'ike and of a 1 jLhp trouble in our piidst, of the injury' that had been inflto'ed'’ not only upon f;he seamen, nbl only upon the officers who had pome out—and nobly come out—hut the wjiq’e tropble had pome qpqn their merpbanti.. ehop’d jjl ppon t|,e proper pVdpidera, aP d ,lloße P ers were * hofe e f the Union Pompany. (Loud applause.) That' was the history of the strike, and therefore if anyone told them that the seamen had done anything rashly, that they had not been forced into their present position, they nvgfct tell them theory he had told them : «pd he phaMenged any, one ‘thfpe to say font hi§ story was not a correct one. Wb»t the unions felt a present was this : that the who e system of unionism was attacked, and it was useless to blink the Lot that there were men in 6ur..«id»V*nd tl,er , e were men in Australia who «<ro at the back of the Shipowners’ Association and who wished

to crush out uoionirm. He said that they could up, more, pul down combination amongst the woiking men than they could roll back the;Paoiffo Ocean with Mrs Partington’s mop. (Laughter and applause.) And no man was acting the part of a true citizen who, recognising that, "’did not do his best to bring together the employer and emploj so that there should b® amity between them ; and also do his beat to bring about some spirit of conciliation and moderation on both sides, in order that tins labor dispute might be settled. , (Hear, hear). If a society was to exist it must carry public feeling with it ;* it must carry the moral feeling of the community with it; arid if it did .that n ° combination of capitalists on this earth ever could oppose, labor backed. up by public opinion. (Loud applause).

MR J. A. MILtAR ON THE STRIKE. Mr J. A. Millar‘spoke at the same meeting as Sir'Robert Stout. He said that from the outset they allowed the vessels to run and continue the trad© of the colony. They . told the Union Com* pany they would pursue the same course with all boats if they allowed their own men to do the work, but the company! would not do so. They put blackleg; labor to work along with union labor on, the steamsra, and the result was that the., beats were lying there now, ana were likely to remain there until doomesday unless the blackleg labor were removed. (Applause). When the Wairarapa arixyed here the seamen were withdrawn, and the company were informed that if they did not put blackleg labor. on .board there would be no interference with the coastal trade. No reply was given to that at the time, and the matter was understood to haye been left under consideration. The reply was contained in an advertisement in next morning’s paper for seamen, firemen, and trimmers for the Wairarapa. There was no course open then but to withdraw the union men from every boat as it came in. The capitalists never imagined for one momen t ' that‘labor was so united‘as it was. They expected that some of the seamen might come out, but they thought that the officers would remain loyal. ‘ Within three days, however, from the first telegram instructing the men to stop work there was not a union man at work from Auckland to the Bluff, They were forced into the position however, of calling 'out every unionist connected with maritime labor or to stand defeat, and he did not think there was any unionist in the colony who would blame them for saying they would not stand defeat. They were ready now to meet the Union Company or any employer over a table, end discuss the difficulty, but they would not take any terras that might be submitted to them. They would not allow any person to discuss their right to ama'gamate as any person had to take a share in a company, and they meant to retain that right. Apparently the power of the Government had been brought to bear in connection with Ibis dispute against them. (Cries of “Shame.”) With regard to the position of the Government, ho had received a telegram that oyeniag stating iliat 200 of the permanent railway men had been sent to Lyttelton to load on the wharves. (Groans.) He could not accept, nor wou'd he attempt to accept, the responsibility of any delay to the traffic that might result fiom that action. (Loud applause.) They had tried to prevent a strike, but the Railway Commissioners seemed to be an irresponsible body. The question would, howr ever, be solved before many days passed; over their heads whether the Railway Commissioners were the servants of the people or the masters. (Loud applause.) Ho could speak for the members of the Seamen’s Union that they had come to him, not in ones and Jtwos, but in ships’ crews, arid had said they would not take; one penny of strike pay for three months rather than go beck to the ships. Then money would ,be sent.. when it wasrequired —which it would not be for three months in New Zealand—from Hop's, Antwerp, America, and other parts of the world, and that support was to be equally divided amongst all the colonies. If, however, they could cot get salitLction from the Government —if the Government were to assist the capitalists—he for brie would not • leave his money in the banks to pay “ blacklegs” with, hot would withdraw every shilling of it in gold, no matter what the consequence might be. He that the departure of the Te Anau that day was . a disgrace to any colooy with the complement of men she had. She had gone away, he asserted, with 16 hands, s}l told-r-U of whom were clerks out of the office. (Groans.) The Tskapuna was laid op, and the company could not run two ships in the country. Referring to the strength of the labor organisations, he stated that there were on the roll of the Maritime Council 22,000 competent men, and outside them there wore over 40,000 members of different trades affiliated to the Trades and Labor Councils. The trades’ unionists had not gone into this dispute blindly, lightly, or without consideration, and it had come to this : that the Union Com? pany either had to lock out union men through pressure from the other side or they had to secede from the association. Thev were afraid of the association, and they were afraid because of public opinion to lock their men out, so they employed blackleg labor to copapel tjmqx to go out. In pouplusion, he s«pl ho to seq some other method tffan str kea'of settling difficulties. Jf employers would only open their eyes to iffn fact that united labor must be recognised, and if they would meet them, like men, to discuss matters, then he said with confidence that the days of strikes would be passed. (Loud cherrs.) •