THE POSITION IN AUCKLAND.

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

THE POSITION IN AUCKLAND.

MARAMA FULLjy LOADED FOR AMERICA. STATEMENT BY THE STRIKE COMMITTEE. - (PSXSS ASSOCIATION TELDGRAU.) AUCKLAND, November 23. The painters and timber workers' unions have officially d-edaied the strike off. There wae a busy scene around the mail steamer Marama throughout yesterday, when sling aften slin;< of was being lowered into her bo)ds continuously. She lifted a big consignment of produce for Vancouver. Captain Rolls, master of cao Marama, stated to a reporter that ho liad never seen such smart work accomplished before. The vessel cleared the Queen's wharf four minutes after 5 p.m. She is a full ship as far as her '.-argo carrying space is concerned.

Yesterday the Wanaka took in ronl supplies fro.n the LLorancj and fiiiishe , : 1 up loading ihree thousand tuns of general cargo ior southern porta. A crew has been secured for the vessel consisting of masters, officers, aid others willing to help, an! -l\a jails tomorrow.

The incident of the crew of the Makura threatening to lejive the ship in Sydney, because her cargo was discharged by tho Union Company's permanent hands, was referred to •• this .morning by Mr Adam Nixon, president of the Seamen's Union. That was just the sort of complication, he said * that he had feared would arise in connexion with the present trouble in New Zealand. The Australian seamen were keenly sympathetic with the New Zealand seamen, and there was imminent danger of a big maritime etrike, in spite of the strenuous endeavours of tho opcials to prevent such a disastrous state of affairs. "The stories of tho strike being broken/; , said Mr Bloodsworth yesterday, on behalf of the Central Strike Committee, "do not affect the attitude that has bedn taken up by unionists." The fact that a number of men had gone back did not affect the actual strike, ho added. The men had registered their Tesentment against the attitude that had been taken up by the Employers' Federation and the Government. Those who were good unionists were still on strike and wero likely to. remain so. The strike would not be broken until the "special" constables wero withdrawn from tho waterfront, nor would business be normal until it was able to be carried on under normal conditions. The "vital" unions in the movement was as strong as ever. Negotiations were proceeding, both in Auckland and in Wellington (though very slowly in Auckland), towards effecting a settlement. The Strike Committee was in- daily communication with Wellington, and was assured that the strike there was as strong as ever, so far as what might he termed the "vital" unions were concerned. A delegate had been sent to Australia and another to the southern towns to explain the position, and financial and other assistance was assumed. A strong factor that had yet to be reckoned with was the seamen, who had given an indication of the lengths to which they were prepared to go. In connexion with the ropoited numbers of employees who were stated to have resumed work, Mr Blo<»dxwoTth fxplair-ed that these included apprentices and a number of others who were in no way under tho contiol of the unions.