LABOUR TROUBLES

Waikato Times, Volume 88, Issue 13464, 19 April 1917, Page 4

LABOUR TROUBLES

THE HUNTLY MINERS. (By Telegraph—Special to Times). HUNTLY, Thursday. A secret ballot will lie held to-day, but most of the men are not i n favour of a strike, and are waiting for the West Cuast result. At the last strike an open ballot calling off the strike, resulted in 12 voting for and 250 against resuming work. A secret ballot was then demanded, and resulted in a majority of 85 for resuming work, showing the 1 enefit of the secret ballot. The miners are working as usual today, but a statement of their future action i« expected to-night. The Pukemiro men are still out. HUNTLY, Thursday afternoon. The men held a short meeting this morning, a i:d decided to hold a mass meeting to-night. _ I understand that there is a majority' cf one on the executive in favour cf the continuance of work. CHARGES AGAINST MINERS. SOME CORRESPONDENCE. The fallowing is some of the correspondence upon which the charges against the arrested miners are based: The against John Wesley, sn., was that on February 19 he published a seditious utterance by the following words in a letter: "Then the new Government War Regulations: So soon as we ask for a few pence more to get bread and butter the war j;ods says we will save the exploiters by passing War Regulations to demand by any other way or means sedition, treason. Are you leaders going to kneel to it? Are the rank and file going to kneel to it? I say 'No.' So we must fill the gaols. Damn them; yes, damn the gaols. Star the ball and go in—soo—soo at a hit in gacl. Let them take 150 out of each mine in the New Zealand mines. How long will it last? What an insult: Ask for bread. Sedition. Capital has run the last lap. They go slow. We must fight for less hours, not wages. All the great economists say, 'Short hours.' Get to six, then five—then the boot will start to pinch. Get to E. W. Alison aii(j W. J. Ralph. You all have to hit Alison down. The whole mob wants to get to him in a fair way. Good day. Rest regards from Mrs Wesley and all at home. Fight—fight—you b s fight. My back is on,the mend this two days. I don't ses where Jones, Cummings, Seddon, left for conference, but see tcp of this page. What price being of the exploiter class? Amen. Best wishes to all comra:!es. Your comrade in the fight." One of the charges against J. Jones is that, on March 7, he published a se lit ous utterance at Huntly in the following words in a telegram :—Arhuckle, secretary, Miners' Federation, Runanga. You should wire all unions to act upon our arrangements immedi, atcly bringing pressure to bear upon to grant conference. Issue being delayed by you not entrusting some of the work to Coppersmith or executive members. Write particulars to Kaitangata district. Forward refei". ences to employers immediately. Huntly, Te Akatea, Pukemiro acting effectively . Meeting here to-night. Write urgent what you going to do.—Jones." James Cummings, secretary of the Te Akatea Coal Workers' Union, is charged that on March 16 he published a seditious utterance in the words:— "Some of our chaps were up before the Appeal Board in Hamilton the other day and got a pretty rough time re the go-slow, the chairman remarking that if things did not change they would be liable to be called Up any time. (Just so)." John Winnard, president of Denniston Coal Miners, is charged that on February 26, at Wellington, he encouraged the continuance of a seditious strike by sending a telegram to Thos. Helson, secretary of the Denniston Coal Miners' Union, containing the following words: "Conference put off till Thursday. Employers wanting to force us to Arbitration Court. Told them we would not go. Get a final decision Thursday. Think we will come out on top. Restriction doing good work. Tell men stand solid." Other letters seized indicate that the "go slow" policy was encouraged aud fostered by some of \he arrested men in their official capacity.

WATERSrDERS ON STRIKE. (By Teleerraph.—Press Association) WELLINGTON, Wednesday. A steamer was ready to discharge 1000 tons of railway coal this morning, hut, though there was an ample supply of men, none accepted employment. The vessel lieg idle at the caal wharf, with her hatches battened. The coal was hewn and loaded by union labour, but the men Here ttaie that officially ii must be regarded as "scab" coal, being intended to take the place cf supplies usually furnished by miners on strike. Another phase of the waterside feeling ig the decis on to hold a meeting to consider knocking, off all work at 5 o'clock because oUO watersidcrs depending on services will be unable to tec h;,me if they work later. COAL-SAVING TIME-TABLE. WELLINGTON, Thursday. Another cut in the railway service is announced. The Department has canrelied the specLl train arrangements fcr the Maaawatu ia:es, which are to take pla-e on Apiil 25 and 26. It has a so cancelled special trains for all similar githerin^s. The Railway Department will be ready to announce its "coal-saving time-table" in the course of a day or two. In the staff-saving scheme already published it was calculated that a reduction of about one-third had been made in the number of train miles to be run. The coal-saving scheme provides for a reduction cf one-hilf. Among the curtailments to lie made are the few remaining evening trains, it is not the intention of the Department to discontinue at once the lunning of the diningcars on the express trains. That change will I e allowed to stand over until the staff-saving time-table is introduced early in May. There may even bo some further delay, because it is expectid that the Department will have to enlarge the diiiingrooms at the stations, where stops fo refreshments will be made. SUPPORT FOR THE GOVERNMENT ACTION IN WESTLAND. (By Telegraph—Press Association). HOKOTKA, Thursday. A representative meeting of the farmers and others adopted the Geraldine scheme lor the control of soldiers' form's. ••' ■ ; " \ At the end of the meeting the telegram sent to the acting-Premier by the' Federation of Labour was referred to, and a resolution adopted unanimously to nofuy the Premier tnat the Westland district is behind the Government in its de-sire to see the Notional Service Act fully carried out. The u'isdom of the country, as expressed through Parliament, passed the Act, and the desire wag to have the Act fully enforced. On carrying the motion the large audience sang the National Anthem. j

STRIKERS FINED. (By Telegraph-Press Association). AUCKLAND, Thursday. The president (T. Phinev) and % members of the Freezing Wol' , Union, empkycd at Southdown works i cha-ged wth taking part* in . £ ' without taking the steps required by law, we:, fined, tho president £lO j the others £5. ' 1 RA CE MEETING ABANDONED. (By Telegraph-Press Association). . OAAIAUU, Thursday. Owing to the Railway Department's teuton not to carry ,acehorses tho committee of the North Otago Jockev Club,has decried to abandon the proposed meeting, to b e held next week. WAIKATO FARMERS 7 RESOLUTION At the meeting of the Waikato Exeeu;tr" " th « * ar r m * lV l r "ion this morn. ing, Mr t McGregor referred to the. stnke and suggested that the farmers should assure the Government of their -support in keeping up the supplies tor the front. The men who we.it on strike at the preset time were ho said, just as much enemies of their country as were the Germans, and he or one was not going to sit down and leave the men in the trenches at the mercy of such men. He moved : ''That this Executive meeting mishes to assure the Government of the loyal support In the present crisis, and that it will do all in its power to assist bv all lawful means in the successful earning on of essential industries, so that supplies and shipping should not he stopped. The delegates to be asked to call their branches together to further consider fc he matter." Mr Thomas seconded. Mr Seavill pointed out that there was a big principle involved, and he could see no end to it. It was not a tpucstion of working conditions or wages. Mr Hiram Hunter nad Informed the Acting-Premier that the strike could he stopped immediately if the Military Service Act were repealed. The Government could not give way and neither "ould any man who realised his dutv to his country. Mr Grundy (Matahura) deprecated the apparent desire to place all the blame on the miner. In his opinion the Government and the employers had combined to provoke the strike by the arrest of the miners. He did not think the strike would last long. The motion was carried unanimously. Mr Grundy then moved that in the ' ent of disputes between employers -nd employees in essential industries. the Government should nationalise the industry, was lost on the voices.