AT AUCKLAND.

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14833, 26 November 1913, Page 11

AT AUCKLAND.

A BUSY WATERFRONT.

MAYOR OX THE SITUATION. "GENERAL STRIKE IS DEAD." ■■' (iPSCIAI. TO "THE 'PRKB3.'** .' ; AUCKLAND. November 25. •. Every available berth on .the- -Auckland waterfront ie now. occupied, and but; , for'the preseiioe of 'mounted .and foot "specials,", there is nothing to "indicate tb at thestrike is still in existence: ■• There, waa marked activity in the "working of the oolliera to-day, thero being six vessels discharging opal cargo.; A largo quantity of the coal discharged from the Komata and Rakanoa was carted to the Gas Works, Tramway .Company's power-houso, and many other large business establishments. •' " • "The general strike is. dead," remarked the Mayor, when seen by a representative of .the Auckland "Star" to-day. ."Auckland experience has proved that ■ as: soon as the general public, with courage ond quiet determination, decided to organise for self-protection, a" general strike must collapse. It. is safe to : say that there will not; be another general strike-in" New Zealand for a long time to come. We have paid tho price" here for an experience that will not be lost upon the whole of.Aiustralasia. . The combined action of th'o citizens of Auckland has given an object lesson of tho utter futility of -the sympatheic' strike, and one that the workers themselves cannot help but remember. The lesson will not, I feel sure, be lost upon people in other countries. We are now- told, that we are to have a sectional strike, but this eectional strike is-also doomed to failure. The Strike Committee has decided to hold up all transport, but what is the actual position? Aβ regards the wharves the strike is over, for 1000 new unionists are busy handling all the cargo there- The employexs say they will stick to these men, and that th*«y will keep their word I havft not the slightest doubt. Much as we may aJfl , regret it. this means that there is now no job for the great bulk of waterside workers who are out on strike. The eooner perhaps that this is realised by tihe men themselves the beftet it will he. for them. . "As regards the carters, I would put it to them of what use is it for 300 to stand out for th*> purpose of aiding the waterside workers, seeing that the work on the wharves is already being carried out br the members of a new union? Besides, that, what good is any carter doing by standing, out.on strike when his own job is getting further from him every day? If .the sympathiser with the watersider is-also to lose his own employment, eurely v is foolish in the extremo t-o continue out. Ono thing is certain, the wharf services and also the carrying trade is , gomcon almost as if there was no strike. . Ihe employers claim that they are quite in-.

I dependent of {ho , two ol< J «nio n .s, a»d thlt they can keep things going Sb the staff *»* ava.lable, theretore. for all practical purposes tho strike is it an end. 'I* wou,d s . eei « that the claim of the employers is pretty true. Xnt I wish to put these few facts before the striker* themselves. Would it not ho hetter for the »tnke Committee to realise the position, and let as many ot tho old hands as c-an get employment get back to work while there is a •'We'owe a duty to our employees as well as to the ratepayers wo represent," said a member of the Reinuera Road Board last evening when the question of the reinstatement of two strikers was under discussion. ''It is not fair to the men to have thrust upon them individuals who are liable at the slightest provocation to stir up trouble and attempt to lead them to strike and so forth.' . He instanced a case which had come under his notice that day of an employer (submitting the name of a striker who desired employment to his hands before employing him, and though he would not suggest that the Board should go so far as this, he thought they should follow that line to a certain extent, and be very careful in their selection of men in the future.