The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 1888. LABOR AND CAPITAL IN CONFLICT.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1925, 22 August 1888, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 1888. LABOR AND CAPITAL IN CONFLICT.

The impending strike of miners m Newcastle, Australia, has given rise to grave forebodings as to the consequences it will entail upon the colonies and particularly upon New South Wales and Victoria. The latest news to hand is that the miners are adhering to their intention to go out on strike, and that on the 27th of this month the coal miners of Newcastle to a man are to lay down their tools, and will refuse to return to work until their demands are acceded to. Some of the consequences of such an action may be briefly noted. Trade .will be paralysed ; coal will rise to ransom prices ; the large cities of Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide will be without gas, nnd generally m divers ways will the influence of the miners' action bo felt. New Zealand coal has already gone up fifteen shillings per ton m Melbourne, and endeavors are being made to procure a supply of five thous and tons per day of New Zealand coal, to supply the Melbourne gasworks. The Victorian Government have been assured of a sufficient supply of coal from Tasmania to keep tho railways m operation, but it may be taken for certain that if a strike really eventuates m Newcastle, it will extend to every colonial mine of importance. Lord Carrington, Governor of New South "Wales, has been asked to mediate m the labor dispute, but acting on the advice of Sir Henry Parkes, the Premier, he has decrmed to interfere, This, m a great measure, is matter for regret. In his capacity, as representative of Her Majesty and the Parliament of New South Wales, he might have had much influence m settling the question at issue and saved further trouble. The disturbance m the relations of the miners and the mine owners has been going on m a small way for some time past. While paltry local disputes were going on among the miners there aroße a wharf laborers dispute. The Wharf Laborers Union m Sydney demanded fifteen pence an hour for lumping bags of stuff, and other Trades Unions supported the action taken. At the same time it was intimated that a stand would be made by the Maritime Union on the question of employing Chinese labor on board steamers. The Alameda was due m Sydney late m June laßt, and notice was given that unless the Chinese crew was removed the vessel would not bo unloaded. Later on this threat was further pushed and the agents were notified that unless the members of the Chinese crew who did not belong to tho Union were discharged they would neither load, unload nor coal the steamer. Regarding tho wharf laborers demand for higher wages it was not long before shipowners gave m, but the determination of the Maritime Union was upheld respecting the Alameda. Even the Postmaster-General of New South Wales informed the Oceanic Steamship Company that the retention of Chinese crews on the Mail Steamers was likely to militato against the renewal of the contract for the carriage of the mails to San Francisco, but this instead of improving matters so far as the men were concerned only made the shipowners more obstinate. The next thing m strikes was soon heard of from Molbourno when tho Printers Society demanded an increased rate of pay, and were successful m obtaining it. Meantime tho Alameda difficulty was approaching no nearer to a settlement, aud the offer, that if tho steamer wore unloaded, coaled and loaded again the captain would undertake to return with a European crew, was rejeoted with scorn, and so the game went on and the steamer lay undischarged. The owners then assumed the high hand and attempted to discharge the cargo on their own account. So far they were successful ( but a number of the crow were replaced by moiabers of the Seamen's Union and the steamer was disi charged. While this was going on news of a Shearers strike reached us and again the men were successful. At present a rather serious ono is on which is not likely to be so amicably setttled. Finding themselves rather m a minority over the Alameda's discharge, a conference of delegates from Colonial Seamens' Unions was held m Sydney on July 18th. The proooe.dings were private, but as to their nature the subsequent action of the local Unipn $oon revealed, jfc N^ice was served ou

the China Steam Navigation Company t that unless the Chinese portions of their 1 crews were withdrawn from their i steamers the Union would refuse to \ load or discharge their vessels. Foi- i lowing on this it was said to be believed m shipping circles that unless the I difficulty were overcome, or if it assumed important proportions the Australian coal trade with Hong Kong would be almost cut off and the necessary supplies obtained from Japan. About July 30th the discontent among the New South Wales miners increased, and the Maritime Council being m sympathy with them brought matters to a head. The Maritime Council decided to support the miners against the masters and join issue against capital. It was reported that a general call out of seamen on coastal vessels was to be the first move towards compelling the shipowners to give m to tho demands of the Seamen's Onion and the Maritime Council. It was, however, difficult to ascertain the facts of the case as the men kept strict silence as to their intentions, and the means they were likely to use to compel the masters to conform to their views. The principle cause of the difficulty was m conrcction with the Northern Steam Company Auckland, The Seamen'B Union having discovered that the Shipowners' Association had subsidised and assisted the Northern Company, who. had reduced the rate of wages, called a Conference of delegates to discuss the matter. They were determined to bring affairs to a crisis and invited shipowners to meet them to settle the dispute. Ihe shipowners declined, but expressed a readiness to submit the disputes at issue to arbitration. The seamen were adverse to this, and subsequently the owners agreed to confer on the questions of over-manning vessels and overtime m working. The owners made a proposal that time for time should be allowed with eight hours' work only, m tho twenty-four, for the ordinary rate of pay. The latter proposal led the Seamen's Union to suspect an attack on the eight j hours' system and the prevailing rate of wages, and although the owners denied any such intention the Union wbb persistent m its suspicion, and gave notice to all Unionist seamen to withdraw from their vessels on a certain day. The Mariposa was lying at the wharf undis- \ charged, and the consignees determined to have her unloaded by themselves un- \ less the llnion gave m. The owners of several lines of steamers, when they saw the feeling of the men decided to withdraw Chinese labor from their boats as , soon as it could bo replaced with European labor, but m the meantime so great was the seriousness of the impending strike, that coal shares became depressed and business was generally threatened. The Maritime Council de- i clined to allow the cargo of the Mariposa to be landed or even the exhibits intended for tbe Melbourne Exhibition. Following on this stern attitude the owners drafted a letter couched m a conciliatory tone to the Seamen's Union which left the dispute open to further negotiation. While negotiations were ponding between the seamen and owners, the colliery masters gave notice m their mines that coal must bo hewed and blasting discontinued, and this causing much dissatisfaction overtures on behalf of the men were made to tho mine owners by the Miner's Conference. These, however, were declined. Following up the course of the labor disputes we find that the crew of the Mariposa commenced discharging the steamer for the owners strongly guarded by the police. The Seamen's Union still held a strong card to play against this action m the fact that they could prevent the steamer being coaled. They were much astonished to find therefore, that m spite of their combination, not only was tho cargo being discharged but a supply of coal had been secured. This cargo was purchased on behalf of the American Consul at Port IHawara. The Company who supplied it declared they did not know for what it was intended. The Maritime Labor Council disbelieved this, and warned the Company that if it were put on board they should look upon that company as adverse to the employment of white labor. Then followed the calling out of the seamen on the IHawara Company's boats, and general uneasiness prevailed. Melbourne at once deemed it necessary to have a strike on her account as well as on August 4th, four hundred iron-workers refused work unless higher wages were paid. Then came newß of the strikes in ' France and the rioting which followed and England was not behind, for the match girls of Bryant and Mays m London •• went out " and only returned to work at increased wages. The chainmakers, m btaffordshire, followed suit. They felt they were working for "starvation wages" and really there was great distress among them. Returning, however, to the Australian labor disputes the Maritime Council fixed upon September 12 as the date when all Chinese crews must be replaced and it was resolved to take a vote of the members as to whether the strike should be proceeded with or not. The Miners' Association, at the same time, having failed to come to terms with the managers of the mines, gave fourteen days notice of a general strike, and at the beginning of larat week we had information that the men were likely to be true to their word and that the outlook was gloomy indeed On the 27th of this month— Monday next— tho miners, to a man, are likely to stop work. Five thousand three hundred men will bo affected by the strike. On the 14th of this month vessels representing 80,000 tons were waiting for cargoes of coal only half of which can be supplied before the miners "go out." It was anticipated that should the Maritime Council support tho miners, the strike would extend over a very lengthy period. The Sydney Chamber of Commerce endea- \ \ vored to mediate between men and masters, but were not at first successful. \ It was stated that even those miners : who were not affected would assist those ' who were with money, bo that the ' strike would be a prolonged one. After ] an unsuccessful appeal to the Governor i the mediation of the Chamber of Com- « merce was accepted by the miners, and ' the managers, and the result will be j looked for with much anxiety. While ] these deliberations are going on, news 1 comes of a further difficulty with the l Shearers at Brooking, New South Wales, j over which bloodshed is feared. ] We have thus brought before our * readers a yiew of the different strikes 1 1 | wbioh have plaoe wifoiu tlw Un. , 1

two months ihe majority of them have been successful while the others a-e not decided yet. We see how the threatened strike of miners has been re i ceived here and the influence it has had respecting the prices of coal. I The Australian seamen's trouble and the difficulty with the miners are of serious import even to New Zealand. Should the demands of the miners not be acquiesced m and the men go out on strike, it is not improbable that this colony's miners may become affected, and the spread of tbe feeling to our shores would be most disastrous. Strikes are apparently common to every country, as m the short retrospective view we havo taken, more than one nationality has been effected. Whether good or evil will result from the defiance of the employers cannot yet be ascertained. We are inclined to think that even if the men get their demands satisfied such precautions will be taken for tin future as will prevent a repetition of the nnoasiness which has prevailed m the publio mind for some time past.