AUCKLAND TRAM STRIKE.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16853, 5 June 1920, Page 8

AUCKLAND TRAM STRIKE.

ENTIRE SUSPENSION OF SERVICES. NO SIGN OF SETTLEMENT. (rp.FJS ASSOCIATION TELEGRAM.) AUCKLAND, Juno 4. ! The entire suspension of the t-ram-wav services in Auckland continued today. aud the present indications are that tho citizens may have to do without this great public convenience for a I protracted period. No disposition has 1 vet been shown by the City Council on the one side, or the Tramway Union on the other, to cme together in conference, in order to endeavour to arrive at a solution of thepresent deadlock, i The services of Mr I\ Ihlly, Conchation Commissioner, have been m this connexion. Onlv the conductors and the motormen in the tramway service are on st-a-e None of the other tramway emu'ovecs have folbwed their load, nor nave any of them been thrown out ot emmovmcnt. Pending a settlement of the dispute, which has deprived them of trams, the citizens are i°r the most p:~trt walking to work, and accepting the position with the best prace pots;oie. \\ iih tno nno weather conditifiis prevailing, their unaccustomed exerci-e is not rendered unpleasant," but should the strike be protracted, and the weather change to winter conditions, tho nuHJic in"onvenienre will be doubled. Scores of motor vehicles have been placed on the road, and residents in the suburbs are patronising them freely, in spite of tho fares charged, which are fairly high. POSITION OF THE JOCKEYS. (special to "the Pr.ESS.") AUCKLAND, Juno 4. As is generally known, the action of tho tramwaymen in refusing duty on tho race c;;rs yesterday was at tho instance of the Transport- Advisory Board, which has declared race Meetings "black." Now that tiicy find themselves out of employment by reason of their quixotic action, tome of the motormen and conductors arc "philosophically regarding the cessation of work in tho light of a holiday. By far the greater number, however, are deploring the fact that tho jockeys, on whoso behalf they aro sacrificing thoir good billets and recently-increased pay, aro _ still working at their trade. This j>oint of view was impressed upon the jockeys' representatives to-day at meetings of tho local committee of tho Transport Workers' Advisory Board.

It was announced by tlie gener: manager of the tramways that the) 3 > would be work to-day for any of tfc men who performed their duties i usual on 1 hursday up to the timo c the oomplete cessation of the trannva service. As a result of this intimj tion, between 20 and 30 men reportc re for duty at the Epsom barn early i le the morning, and about hair a doze >n turned up for work at the Ponsonb jy barn. For some reason, however, the; all changed their minds and ultimatel left the depot, nNEWSPAPER CONDEMNATION. m jj" (special to "tite press.") n- AUCKLAND, June 4. Both the morning and evening new? papers very roundly condemn the trarr , y ways strike. The "Herald" says 11 "The rei-ords of industrial disputes i: l- New Zealand might be searched in vai: for an incident surpassing in folly tlx 1- tramway strike of yesterday. Tin J. whole tramway service has been sus n ponded, not because the men feel an; i 0 grievance in relation to their employ >f ment, but solely as a result of a jockeys 3. dispute, which ought to have been con i. fined -to the racecourse. Thousands o t Auckland citizens will walk" to work to ] f day in a state of amazement, simpl; beoauee 'they -will be at a loss to 'braci the relationship between the jockey and the tramwaymen. They will b puzzled to know ivliy motormen am conductors should sacrifice their owi . wages mid victimise their fellow-citi zens in a cause which does not np parcntly prevent oven the agitafm; jockeys from earning fees, and whiel has no effect in easing the crush at th< _ totalisator. There is no possible ox planation, except that tho tramway ein ployess, or a number of therrt, hav< i been misled into the belief that som< , principle of unionism. is at stake. I j this is so, it is a pathetic commentary on tho whole proceeding that th< | jockeys themselves either do not re cognis9 the principle or are not dis posed to fight for it." The "Star" Fays: "Who owns the Auckland tramway system P Is 3fc the tramway employees or' the citizens of • Auckland? That is the question r.t issue in the strike which, with no justification whatever and with a callous and even cruel lack of consideration for • the community, n section of the tramt way workers pjecioitatcd yesterday. A less defensible strike was nevsr dci elared in any country." HEAVY SUETJUBAN TEAIN TRAFFIC. (press association telkceam.) AUCKLAND, Juno 4. The suburban train traffic "was very heavy to-day, in consequence of the tramways strike. It has been estimated that this morning tho trains brought about 2CCO more passengers into the city than is usually the caso. Tho Railway Departmment placed additional carriages on all the suburban trains, and on both the main line and ,tho Raiparu line. The extra accommodation was speedily oecupiod, and many people had to stand. A busy ucone was witnessed at the Auckland railway station this evening, when the great rush for the homewardbound trains sot in. During one hour a thousand tickets over the average were sold. The Minister of Labour (Sir William Harries). in answer to an enquiry tonight, said: "I have instructed the Conciliation Commissioner (Mr Hally) to offer to mediate between the parties to the tramway dispute. My idea is tint he will wait upon them for the purpose of r..srertainif:g whether he can be of any service in assisting to bring the trou!>!e to an end." The Minister a r l"V-:l that the Labour Department was collecting full particulars of the circumstances which led up to the strike, and when tliis was completed it would be submitted to him. The origin cf the trouble is explained as follows:—About seventy trnmway men. acting, it is snid, on the advice ' of the Transport Worker;;' Advisory Don I'd in Wellington (the executive of tho Transport Workers' Federation of to the cfiert that all rating j was "black" until the joekevs wore re- ; instated, refused yesterday morning to run the "specials" that generally ply between Queen street and Remuera for the convenience of race-goers. Nothing happened until the time came for the afternoon jh'ffc to go on at 3 : ! o'clock. Included in the 'shift were some of the men who had refused to take the "specials" out in tho morning. When they reported, thev say, thev were toH by the tramway ofPcials "t 'oarns that there was no work for thrrn; in fact, they were suspended. Other men told off to trk" over the j dut'es of the men who had been sus- i pended. refused, and tho whole servica | gradually came to a stop. 1 The trains carried a big proportion of the big race crowd back from Ellerslie. and many travelled in motor cars and

buses, but many hundreds of people who had gono out by tram were compelled to walk home. STATEMENT BY CITY COUNCIL. WEEK'S NOTICE TO OTHEI? TIIAMVTAY EMPLOYEES. (tress association telegram.) AUCKLAND, June 4 Tlio City Council considered tha tramway strike to-night, and appointed a special committee to deal with the matter, with full power to act. This committee sat immediately after ' the Council meeting, and subsequently issued the following statement:— i (1) The tramway service has censed ; to run on account of a section of men having refused duty yesterday, and the remainder failing to take out their c;irs this morning at both denots. (2) When the men refused duty yesterday or failed to take, out the ears this morning, tho Council had no option ' but to lay up the cars and give n week's notice to the other employees affected. (3) The Council must insist on retaining control of the service, and cannot I resume the sen-ices until this position | is adequately established.

(!) The Council in the meantime is compelled to give a week's notieo to all traffic and other employees whose services aro not needed owing to the stoppage of tho tramways. THE POSITION LATE LAST NIGHT. NO NEGOTIATIONS FOU SETTLEMENT. (press association telegram.) AUCKLAND. June 4 Tlio local branch of the Transport Workers' Advisory Board has been sitting to-day to consider tho tramway strike and tho jockeys' dispute, representatives of tho watersidcrs, seamen, trannvaymen, drivers, and railwnvmen being present. Tho conference broko uo late tonight, and will bo resumed to-morrow. Tho secretary said ho had nothing to communicate to tho Press. No negotiations for a settlement had, however, been commenced. Tho Tramways' Union meets to-mor-row afternoon. Tho position at a lato hour to-n'gbt, thorefore, was that the tram strike was still on. No other sections of the Transport Federation had joined the strikers, and the jockeys had not indicated any intention of refusing riding engagements to-morrow.