LABOUR.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16725, 7 January 1920, Page 6

LABOUR.

MARINE ENGINEERS' STRIKE. (Br CiH»—Pr«4M AMnfiatloc—CopjTtiAtJ (Australian Diid N.Z. Cable Awociition.) (Received January Olh. S.IO p.ni. N SYDNEY. January 0 Shipowners are complaining of th« allegod inactivity of the Shipping Controller in connexion with the engineers' trouble. Tlio ships of the inter-State companies are under the control of the Shipping Controller, and owners are powerless to make any move towards a settlement unless instructed by him. With a view to petting the Niagara away, tho Union £.£. Company, which is not controlled by the Shipping Controller. has offered to concede the engineers' .demands, subject to the con ditions made in the final settlement- he tween tlio Controller and tho .Engineer?.' Union. The offer lias been declined, but negotiations are proceeding. Hopes of a settlement of tho marine engineers' strike, which wero centred on a meeting of engineers and interstate delegates in Sydney on December iDtii. were disappointed. The men rejected tho Controller's offer of an approximate increase of j>er cent, on existing rates, ami decided to insist on their lull demands, which in some grades are considerably more. The Sydney decision makes it appear that the struggle, which is having a disastrous effect on intcr-Stato trade, is likely to be prolonged, and to entail widespread unemployment in Victoria. Coal supplies in Victoria are unusually shori. and severe restrictions at tlio end ol the present week are foreshadowed. Already many hundreds of waterside workers, carters and drivers, coal lumpers. and storemen are unemployed, in addition to seamen, firemen, rooks, and stewards.

The present position is that while the Victorian niemners of tho Australasian Institute of M:irine Engineers have agreed to accept tlie terms offered by the Government niul return to work, nii-mbers of the New South \\ ales branch have rejected the offer, and have prevailed upon the Melbourne inen to support their dwision. Tho Government's offer consists of the payment of slightly over the New Zealand rates, which are from £2 10s to £S a month higher than the rates nf pay at present obtaining on the Australian coast. Tho original demand, which is now being insisted upon, is for increases ranging from £3 los to £19 over tho existing wago rates. It is believed that tho Melbourne delegate to tho Sydney meeting (Mr P. M. Corby) was authorised to urge the acceptance of the Controller's offer, and tho hopes of settlement were basod on the possibility of tho Melbourne point of view being accepted by tbo branches in other States. Tho New South Wales brnnch has throughout the striko been regarded as tho most militant section, and apparently tho "all or nothing" view taken by tho branch prevailed at the meeting last night. Tho ''moderates" believe that the men's case is «> good that they should accept what is offered, and rely on the strength of tlioir case to obtain more in conference afterwards. Tho services of seamen, firemen, stewards, nnd cooks on all stoamora_ "held up" in consequence of tho engineers' strike, have been dispensed with. There aro now nearly 1000 members of the Sydney branch of the Federated Firemen and Seamen's Union idle. It is estimated that throughout the various States over 12,000 men, including engineers, teamen, firemen, cooks, stewards, watersido workers, and carters, aro out of employment in consoquonc© of tho engineers' strike. Included in the total are about 4000 unemployed at Sydney. It was stated at tho rooms of tho Victorian brnnch of tho Marino Engineers' Institute yesterday that the demands of tho men had boen granted on steamers under 100 horso-powor trading out of Melbourne. Chief engineers hayo had their pay raised from £23 to £35 12s a month, with corresponding rates for other grades. LTTHGOW IRON WORKS. SYDNEY, January C. Messrs Hoskins, Ltd., havo dosed alt thoir works at Lithgow and elsewhere, rendering 3000 employees idle. Unless the increases in freights ore suspended it will bo impossible to reopon the works. GO-SLOW STRIKE ENDED. BttISJTANE, Januarv 6. The go-Blow stoke at Townswillo has ended. [On December Bth, tho watersido workers at Townsville decided to adopt the go-slow policy until granted an inereaso of a penny an hour for handling special cargocs.l