THE SYDNEY STRIKES.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 14233, 5 March 1914, Page 5

THE SYDNEY STRIKES.

HOPEFUL SIGNS. THE BUTCHERS’ STRIKES. Press Association—Telegraph—Copyright. SYDNEY, March 4. It is confidently believed in ’ Ministerial circles that the end of the butchers’ strike is in view. Messrs. Holman and Estell further discussed the position with the employers to-day, putting before them a propesal slightly less favourable. Meanwhile the employees have called a mass meeting for to-morrow morning in anticipation of a fresh offer from some retail butchers, which indicates a breaking away from, the allied trades committee. So far, no, labour is ottering in the city shops, Unionists are expressing the opinion that an attempt to run the shops by nonunion labour will fail, as all competent men are unionists and the public are already tired of moat sold in the depots. ALL SHOPS TO BE OPENED TO-DAY. • FARMERS AND SONS TO ASSIST. Received March 6, 9.30 a.m. SYDNEY, March 5. Tho master butchers state that every sliQp in the metropolitan area will be opened to-day. They allege that many volunteers have offered, including a number of Unionist shopmen. They also claim that live thousand farmers,! and their sons are ready to come from the country if needed. The men deny that any Unionists have returned but a meeting is to be held this forenoon whereat the leaders will explain tho position so far as tho offer of tho masters to reengage Unionists is concerned. STRUGGLING FOR FOOD. WILD SCENES AT THE DEPOTS. WOMEN AND THEIR HATPINS. A HALF-STARVED CITY. SYDNEY, February 23. Extraordinary scenes were witnessed at some of the distributing depots on Saturday morning. , Not on any day since tho normal supply of fresh meat was cut off has there been anything like sufficient beef and mutton at tho depots to go round. In tlie metropolis scores of families have not tasted meat for over a week, and it is obvious that ,so lopg as .the present conditions remain operative many people must, of sheer necessity, be deprived of their chief article-of diet. A foretaste of what may occur if this state of things continues was furnished at several of the depots on Saturday. People almost wont frantic in their eagerness to obtain food. ■ Hundreds of women, probably profiting by their earlier 1 experiences, wont to tho shops armed-with hatpinb, with the assistance of which they sought to force their way through one or other of the crowds. This practices was said to have been indulged in at' tho depot near Circular Quav, .where,’ when the shop was closed, and the great scramble had abated, a large number of hatpins were actually picked up on the footway outside the shop by an enterprising youngster. All the morning this-depot was besieged by thousands, carrying aloft every imaginably variety of hamper, bag and basket. Generally tlie -throng Was goodhumoured. There Wtti’o displays of tem)>er which may be very naturally expkia®d by the subsequent, discovery, though it is nyt suggested that every woman who wont to tho shop armed herself with this domestic phignard. Many fell out in the struggle, but some wore unquestionably used, and in view of this fact. It is surprising that there was no actual disorder. Many people gave up the struggle, and went empty away. One man deserved more success than he got. He was at tho shop at 7 o’clock . At 9 o’clock lie was still outside, and he had to go to work. Ho got an hour off from bis toil, and was back again at 10, but 10.30 Fate being still hard, he had to go away. He got another hour off at 11, and was. in measurable distance of the door at noon, when tlie announcement was made that “no more moat” would ho available. Philosophically he walked away, murmuring withal that ho ought to have permitted his wife to tackle the job. At the Darliughurst depot similar scones were enacted, and similar stories of the use of hatpins were told. At one period of tlie morning tlie Lord Mayor received a very urgent appeal from the police to permit the City Council's rush harriers to bo used in connection with tlie other George Street shop, and had the moat supply not given out here—-as in did everywhere—and the necessity for their use abolished, the barriers would have been brought into action. As it is, they will probably bo used on future occasions. The people struggled like serai-savages for meat, and it required all the strength and all the resource of the men on duty to prevent serious damage to life and limb. Here, as elsewhere, crowds were waiting round the shop doors long before the houi; of opening. Some were there from C o’clock in the morning, and when everything had gone the looks of disappointment that wero seen, and the words of anger that were littered displayed very eloquently the opinion- that is rapidly developing amongst the public regarding the present strike. It has already become intensely unpopular. For some time before the Leichhardt depot opened women and men crowded round the entrance like flies, and, goaded by heat and impatience, they gradually became restive. About 1000 people were clamouring round the doors when the shop opened, and though efforts were made to cope with the rush it was easily apparent that there was not half enough moat to go round. People jostled one another violently in the struggle to get inside. Women fainted and screamed; others, rather than face the stormy fought their way back to the rear with dishevelled hair and hats askew ad perspiration rolling down their faces. Both the shop doors and windows wero damaged in the melee. At the Chatswood depot, scleeetd on account of its fairly central situation, scenes borderitig upon riot were enacted. Several women fainted, and some children who got wedged in tho throng wero rather badly crushed. THE IRON TRADES DISPUTE. SYDNEY, March 4. The aspect of the iron trades strike is more hopeful. Tlie employees’ defence Committee has arranged for a small sub-committee to meet the President of the Employers’ Association, the future action of the men depending on the result of this meeting. THE OVERTIME QUESTION. Received March 5.-10 a.m. . MELBOURNE, March 5. Tlie stevedores have decided to work overtime. This clears tlie way for a hearing of the waterside workers’ case.