LABOUR.

Timaru Herald, Volume XC, Issue 13265, 20 April 1907, Page 3

LABOUR.

THE COLLIERY TROUBLE! United Tress Association—Per Klectric Telegraph—o'invricrnt. SYDNEY, April 18. A meeting of the.Co:l Lumpers' Union will be held to-day to consider the. action of the Board of the new Associa ion formed by the coal-owners and stevedores, to join which the men will have to sign an agreement. Thi Tailoresses' Union has decided to start a co-cperative clothing factory. STARTLING DEVELOPMENT. HUNDREDS OF MEN CEASE WORK. SYDNEY, April 19. -The trouble in connection withfcoaling the mail steamers, and the subsequent action of the colliery-owners and stevedores in establishing a bureau, culminated in the members, of the Coal-lumpers' Union taking concerted action, 800 who were engaged in various vessels refusing to work. A mass meeting of the men affected was held during the day, when it. was resolved that during "tho present lock-out no meniber of tha Coal-lumpers' Union shall engage, in Employment for any member of th-i Sydney Goal-owners' Association, as their conditions are contrary to tho recent arbitration award. It was also resolved that no member shall work for any stevedore who employs bureau labour; and that if all stevedores and colliery owners outside the Coal-owners' Association give a written guarantee that they will not aid the Association during the" lock-out, the members of the Lumpers' Union will work in conjunction with them. The officials of the Lumpers' Union state that there is every desire on the part of tha men to work in accordance with the Arbitration Court award, but they could not b'< expected to work under unbearable conditions which are not equal to those of oth r organisations. It is also claimed that the present action is an attempt to break up the Union. OPENING 1 OF THE- BUREAU. PLENTY OF MEN OFFERING. "SYDNEY, April 19. The- Steam and CoUiery-owners' and the Stevedores' Association opened a bureau lurincr the day and pa-ted a notice for ■coal-lumpers under an individual agreement, wages to be Is 6d per hour, and full pay for smoke ohs; also notifying that ali the conditions of. the award of the Arbitration Court would be carried out, the .employers having no desire to reduce wages or in any way reduce the status of tho.e employed in coal-lumping. L.-rge numbers of strikers congregated round°th3 bureau, but beyond occasional jeering and arguments with men seeking employment there was no demonstration. ' The* employers' claim that meal are applying freely" for work under the new conditions, and that they are sanguine of being able to conduct the bunker trade of the port without great loss of time. Both sides appear determined. The employers stated that they have secured 200 men through the new bureau. It is estimated that the strikers will lose £2OOO in weekly wages. The strike practically affects all the steamers coaling at Sydney, and will probably drive many vessels to - other port:; to coal '.unless, a speedy settlement, is arrived at. The Now Zealand and other steamers, 'which coal at Newcastle, are n«>: affected. The Yorck finished coaling with her own crew, and the Japanese mail steamer is also utilising her own crew. . BREACHES OF AWARDS. . Per Press Association. THAMES, April 19. Price Bros., foundry proprietors, were fined £5 at the Arbitration Court for breach of award in paying men less than the ra'e stipulated in the recent engineers award, paying men 8s instead of 10s". For accepting less than the rate fixed by the Court the men were ordered to pay the costs of the case. ta——— mmm milium