WELLINGTON ITEMS.

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14839, 3 December 1913, Page 10

WELLINGTON ITEMS.

ALMOST NORMAL CONDITIONS.

(press association telegram.) WELLINGTON, December 2. Rain to-day interfered a good deal v/ith work on the wharves.

The new Waterside Workers' Union now has a membership of over 1700. Of these about two hundred are working at sea temporarily, and an equal number have returned to their homee in , the country, 6O that 1300 are available for work on the wharves. It is said that nearly 200 of the old union have joined the "new body, and are at work. Tho new drivers' union is now 280 strong. Seventy members enrolled today, naif of whom belonged to the old union. Tho Charitable Aid Board is already feeling the effects of the strike. The bread distributed is now double the quantity usually given in relief, and tho demand upon other articles given to the needy poor has also greatly increased. : Messrs ~R. Hannah and Cos. boot factory will gradually resume work, starting from to-morrow. The large number of men and women employed by the firm "were compelled to be idle through tho strike "holding up" largo quantities of leather and other materials required in the work of manufacture. Plenty of volunteers are offering to man the stokehold of the Home liner. Opawa, aud it is expected that the vessel will get away to-morrow at noon.~ At a meeting of the bricklayers union last night, a secret ballot was taken upon the question of removing the embargo at present placed on material which has; been.. handled, by the newlyformed unions.. .' The- vote was in favour of the embargo remaining.

(special to "the press."} WELLINGTON, December 2: All tho State coal landed from the Poherua is being.kept for steamers. The stock is very low and the depots supplies are restricted to 3cwt. ,to each applicant: Soon' it■:will Be necessary to refuse orders. There is plenty of firewood and.coke.in town. • . ..-.;."

A plain Vi'gri of the normal character of the waterside/strike, at.present is that there were no horsemen in the Square to-day. At the entrance to the wharf- at midday ~twoimounted regulars werothe sole sentinels of the wharf en» trance. Mounted "specials" were absent, from "the Square io-day, for tho first time since the beginning of November. ■■.'.■''

Private messages received here ' this morning convey more reassuring news as .to the attitude of labour in Sydney than IB suspected here. ' '. It is reported, that the Strike Committee has reprimanded Tom King, chairman of the. Central Strike Committee and treasurer of the ojd Watersiders'Unjon,.for. his. remarks on November 25th against a "general strike." King said at the open-air meeting that he had always been an opponent of the general strike. If strikers won they practically lost, because it took the" organisation a. long time to recover its position. . King has resigned. • Albert Anderson, a wharf labourer on etrike, was sentenced to a month in gaol for assaulting a shipping , cjerk working on the wharf on October 24th. Ho was also ordered to find two snretiee of £25 each to keep the peace for six months.. Anderson was also committed for trial for taking part in.a riot.