YESTERDAY AT THE PORT.

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14831, 24 November 1913, Page 8

YESTERDAY AT THE PORT.

A QCIET DAY.

A person visiting Lyttelton yesterday morning for the first time would have failed to notice anything indicative of a Ktrike. The wharves wero well filled "with steamers and sailing vessels, and ;« bright sun made the day a pleasant one. THE PATEEXA ARRIVES. At 11.30 a.m., when the Pateena arrived, there was the usual number of people on the wharf to witness her berthing operations. Passenger traffic at present is not large, and under the circumstances it was not surprising that only a few more than forty passengers were carried to Lvttelton. The .Pateena, after landing Her passengers, icent outside the moles, and there . dropped her anchor. She Has about . three hundred tons of cargo on board, a large proportion of it being fruit transhipped ex the Willochra. She will bo re-berfhed at seven o'clock this . morning. RIMUTAKA ARRIVES. At about six o'clock yesterday morning the New Zealand Shipping Company's liner Rimutaka; with about 1700 tons of cargo on board for- Lvttelton, arrived in the stream, whero she anchored shortly afterwards. MR VOYCE RETURNS. Among the passengers who arrived ■ by the'Pateena was Mr H. R. Voyce, the secretary of the Lyttelton Waterside Workers' Union, who has been in Wellington for some days. He was ■ given a quiet reception by the waterside workers, who surrounded him when he. stepped off the ship, and questioned him eagerly abi»ut matters in Wellington. . NEWCASTLE'S ATTITUDE. When asked if he had anything to ssy for publication Mr Vojce said that .he had nothing of importance. He was only down on a flying visit, and would return to Wellington immediately. Ho was well pleased with matters in the capital city. Tho men, ho said, were standing solidly together, and only two members of the old union had accepted '" work on the waterfront under the -.re-cently-formed union. The officials of the Federation. of Labour knew just as much about the work on the wharves, and the men who were employed there, as the employers themselves, and everything was satisfactory from their point of view.' A lot, however depended upon the result of Mr W. Parry's visit to Newcastle, and, even if the coal were shipped, there was the possibility of the seamen refusing, to carry it. . LYTTELTON NEWSBOYS STRIKE. ; The newsboys at I/yttelton went on strike.at about nine o'clock on Satur- . day night. The. decision was not come to, however, 'until after all the papers had been delivered to the subscribers. The boys, who numbered about thirty,, then formed a procession and marched round Norwich quay to London street, blowing tin-whistles and throwing " Japanese bon , bons, and informing the public in loud voices that: they had gone out' on strike, and _ that no further papers would be delivered. One agent was called on and informed , that ho would not be allowed to get his newspapers from the train even if he sent his own message boy to the station to collect them. From what can be gathered from, the boys, they have taken this'action in sympathy with ! their fathers, many of whom are members of. the Lyttelton Waterside - Workers' Union. It is quite possible, ] however, that the paragraph which appeared a few days ago, to the effect that tho boys in Auckland had refused to sell papers, ".might have bad something to do with the Lytteltoa boys' attitudel •■..'•■ . LOADING OF THE DORSET. i In order to avoid any trouble in Aus- ■ tralia, where she proceeds alter leaving New Zealand, the Dorset will-not em-I ploy; any. members of the new union in her discharging operations, the.work being done by her crew and the mem- ' bers of the Railway Casual Wharf Labourers' Union and permanent employees. The Dorset has still 900 tons of cargo to unload. She should bo able '• to get- away to Dunedin on Wednesday, night. , ....-..' VIGILANT PICKETS. The strikers at Lyttelton are evidently determined not to be caught napping by-the "specials," as all day yesterday sconts were on the hills watching the plains with the aid of field glasses. - RAILWAY CASUAL HANDS. Mr A. McNaughton. on behalf of <-ac railway goods sheus r casual workers, desires to acknowledge the following gifts:—From Farmers' Saleyards. 4 sacks of potatoes; Robertson and Co. v (Ashburtou), 40 251b bags flour; Gould, Beaumont and Co., 201b box tea.; . AMBULANCE BRIGADE STATION. The St. jjohn Ambulance Brigade will establish a station at Lyttelton fo-day, which will be kept open during the continuance of the strike. The headquarters is the Fire Brigade station.