AUCKLAND TRAMS
I SERVICES STILL SUSPENDED. ; j | NO SUPPORT FOR STRIKERS. ! (tress association* telegram.) ! AUCKLAND, June 5. : A heavy downpour of rain to-day ; added greatly to the inconvenience ; caused by the trafnway strike. Queen J street was more than usually full this ! morning, owing no doubt to the influx | of people who intended going to the races at Ellerslie. Before ten o'clock, however, the raccs and all sports were postponed. In the afternoon the city was practically 'deserted. Queen street businesses generally report good business; attributed by some to the fact : that country people once in the city are i forced to shon m the main streets. I Extra train facilities have "been pro- ; vided to meet the heavy passenger traf- ! fic from the suburbs. s In connexion with the offer of medii ation by the Minister of Labour, who ! asked the Conciliation Commissioner i (Mr P. Ilnlly) to get in touch with the i parties with a view to effecting a settle-; ' ment, difficulty arises from ihe fact ! that the tramway men are not* ■working' ! under an Arbitration Court award, but ! under nn agreement between the TYa.ni- ! ways Union representatives and the | City Council. Mr Hally interviewed I the' officials of the Tramways Union this morning, and the position of affairs was' explained to him. I NOTICE TO OTHER EMPLOYEES. {• Tramway employees _ were to-day : served with the following .notice:— ! "Owing to the motormen and eonduc- | tors having ceased work, the service is I entirely suspended, and the department j regrets that it has no other course open ! to it than to give notice to other em- ! ployees that their services will not- be I required, as there is no work for them. I You are hereby notified that your services will not be required after Saturj day, 12th inst." A copy of'the following resolution, carried by the Newmarket Borough j Council, has been forwarded to the i Mayor of Auckland: "That the Newmarket- Council strongly deprecates tho action of the tramway emnloyecs concerned in tho present strike, particularly in view of the fair and reasonable treatment accorded them during the recent wages dispute, and desires to congratulate the Mayor of Auckland on the stand he. has taken in the matter, at the same time assuring him of the unanimous support of this Council in any action found necessary in maintaining the efficiency and discipline of the soi-vice." Other local bodies interested have adopted a similar resolution. "DISCIPLINE MUST BE UPHELD." CITY COUNCIL STANDING FIRM. (PItESS ASSOCIATION TELEGRAM.) AUCKLAND, June 6. There is still no sign of tlie termination of the tramway strike. None of the motormen or conductors applied for work during the week-end. The Mayor and the special committee of the City Council which was set up to act in conjunction with him in the matter, make the following official announcement : — "Tho Council is standing firm in its decision, to require that discipline and authority must be upheld, and this is 1 fundamental to a settlement." The Tramway Union and the Auckland branch of the Transport Workers' Advisory Board held meetings_ yesterday to further discuss the situation., No decision was arrived at with regard j to future action, tho meetings being adjourned. Members of both organisations met again this mofning and this afternoon, when Mr .T. Roberts (national secretary of tho Transport Workers' Federation) was present. Up to 5 p.m. no decision had been arrived at. , JOCKEYS STILL AT WORK. While the tramwaymen are on strike, ' the jockeys for whom they struck are at work. This situation is unlikely to be altered, judging by statements made ' by' representatives of tho Association on Saturday. Tho position seems to ho that the dispute with the , racing clubs and the racehorse owners being sub judice, the jockeys fear to lose their means of employment if they 1 join their sympathisers in striking. ■ They will therefore ride at the races 1 to-morrow and again on Wednesday, un- ] loss something unforeseen occurs in the 1 meantime to change their attitude. <
RAIL W A YMEN OPPOSED TO STRIKE.
The railwaymen, as a body, are opposed to the strike, and to any idea of joining it. They can see no reason for the strike, and none why they should participate in it or be drawn into the dispute." The Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants is to meet to-morrow' morning, but members interviewed.tluring the week-end expressed the opinion that it was quite unlikely that they would recede from the position they have taken up. They stated that it was erroneous to suppose that they wero affiliated with the Transport "Workers' Federation; their only connexion therewith, they stated, was that their president was also president of the Transport Workers' Advisory Board. There is considered to bo no reason to believe, therefore, that any railwaymen in either branch of the service trill refuse to take out race trains to-morrow morning or on Wednesday. They say that the jockeys are riding, and that the totalisator employees are working. Why, then, should they refuse to run trains to tho races? ATTITUDE OF WATERSIDERS AN O i
SEAMEN. The attitude of tho waterside workers
is also against actively joining in the ; strike, unless their liands should be forced by any action of the shipowners. They state that they have obeyed the edict of the Transport Workers' Advisory Board in declaring races "black" to the extent of refusing to load or dis- j charge racehorses on to or from vessels, j They are not disposed to go beyond that i at present. Similarh', the seamen, affiliated like the waterside workers with the Transport Federation, are confining their sympathy "with the jockeys and strikers to refusing to carry racehorses in their ships. It is a point of some tribulation to tho tram way men that the action of the J seamen and waterside workers is on all fours with their own refusal to take out I race cars, and that while they have lost' their positions in consequence, no such \ fate has befallen the other- two bodies ! of workers. The tramwaymen would apnear, therefore, to be alone in their action. THE AWAKENING OF THE STRIKERS. That many of the tramwaymen are realising just how foolish they have been is evident from the remarks of those seen during the week-end. A surprisingly large number are, from all accounts in the dark as to why they are on strike at all. "We were guided by the spirit of unionism," said one, "but it- looks to some of us as if we had been innde tools of." Another man admit-! ted that in the first stages of the strike > some of them thought that the City Oouncil would give way to them, and, f OO rri-"'' 0 ' Av 'th them on their own i terms. They were beginning to recog-j nise now. however, that they had mis- I construed the fair spirit in which tho ! Council hnd met them in regard to pre-'! vious disputes and the new agreement,! 1 ..?. a sign of "weakness. The number j willing to continue on strike for tho sake of a very doubtful principle was! stated to be dwindling daily. J
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Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16854, 7 June 1920, Page 6
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1,191AUCKLAND TRAMS Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16854, 7 June 1920, Page 6
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