THE STRIKE.

Clutha Leader, Volume XL, Issue 40, 18 November 1913, Page 3

THE STRIKE.

I: (Continued from Inset.) WELLINGTON CONDITIONS. NEW UNION GROWING. WELLINGTON, Nov. IC. i There were at three o'clock on Satur day nearly 700 members of the nev Waterside Workers' Union. The re sponse of workers from both tcwi |and country who intend to remair ; at waterside work is reported to he s< ' great that the list will 'have to be closet within the next two days. It has beer .ascertained that quite 400 men intend to keep at the waterside wort whether the strike is on or not. \ esterday was pay day for member; of the'.Arbitration Watersiders' Union, •and many of the men received high wages for the week's work, two men "earning as much as £7 5s and £7 -Is respectively. Amounts of from £o to £6 were handed to severny men.' THE WELLINGTON DRIVERS. WELLINGTON, Nov. 16. A meeting of the oid Drivers' Union was held on Saturday. The secretary of the union (Mr Parlane), referring to the new union, pointed out to a reporter , that certain members of the union had not yet resigned from the old union. It was inferred from this that it was evident that these drivers could conveniently belong (to quote the Actl to the original union; in fact, he urged it as a proof that the original Drivers' Union tras the one to which these men might conveniently belong. He also gave it as his opinion that coercion had to be used in the formation of the new union, and complained that, despite arrangements made to the contrary, the Labor Department had delayed notification to lim of the application of the new body {or registration. It appeared to him that there had been undue haste in forming the new union since the decision to join the strike was come to by the Weiington Drivers' Union. The majority of the carters at Petone lave remained idle. On Friday it ,vas ttated that the men intended to resume «ork that day, but in the course of inquiries a reporter was informed that the union in the suburban town had no .11tention of acting independently of t!• o jiain body. On Saturday, however, iLe (mployees of one firm resumed work, but ihese comprise only a small minority. Host of the carting is being done bv the imployers themselves. " BLEEDING TO DEATH." THE POSITION AT AUCKLAND. AUCKLAND, Nov. 16. Indication t'hat the strike is bleeding to death was afforded by a procession of strikers and sympathisers this afternoon into which the Strike Committee bought every available man. Four independent counts were made of the itrikers on parade, with the following result: Strike Committee 17, Federated Seamen's Union 376, waterside workers 194, drivers 324, tramway employees 148, general laborers 2-58, * casual 'employees of the Harbor Board 142, carpenters and exhibition workers 112, timber workers 60, painters 60, furniture workers ,44, hotel and restaurant' mployees 101, bricklayers 88, municipal imployees 98, brewery employees 34, ionemasons six, engine-drivers 26, news sinners 20, unorganised laborers and jppathisej>s 83—total, 2495. A meetbg was afterwards held in Victoria Park, at which 400 spectators were preRiit and addresses were delivered. The chairman of the Harbor Board reports that splendid work has been acomplished on the waterfront during the past week and that the programme oripnally mapped out for handling the veskls in port and their cargoes has been note than fulfilled. An' extension of 4e aotivities is under consideration, but (yen if this is not decided upon he considers that the authorities are in a posi»w to cope with all the shipping. The vessel carrying the most urgentlyleedeel cargoes have now been dealt nth. The jitration workers on the fharves have not been increased, but undreds of applications for admission iave been received, and it will be detided n Monday whether a further «tch of men will be put on. There are no new developments at raehunga. There are now 240 men at work on wharf. Since the resumption of work in conitttion with the Exhibition each sucseding day has seen a larger number of Mn return. Saturday's activities were cirried on by 163 men. Of these 57 are Kgular_hands employed by the execute, 2i carpenters, five painters, 25 prdeners and laborers, while the remainder are men engaged on the stalls, ®ng carpenters, electricians and lumbers. Of the 400 who went on strike w are expected to be at work tolorrow, , A letter received by the Mayor conaros the following: 1 "The position in rewd to the Furniture Trades Union and ie strike is interesting. As a special leeting was called to see what steps would be taken first things were put "avery firm footing as to how they 'uted tilings to go. The air was full I strike fever, and it was very catch'B' It was not long before the strike Wets were holding the floor, receiving Wrs for everything they said, but Ms anyone opposed to a strike rose to Ne he was quickly cried down and j Wsed in his seat. It was proposed ft a secret ballot should be taken. 118 was cried down, however, and a J of hands was called for, which was l .wrd thing to decide on. Finally a j'lston was called, which resulted in a ®»e being declared by 96 to 45. The °>al number of members at the meet"£ffas 141. lam quite satisfied that ost of the men are anxious to return " work. Some have resumed already others are going back to-morrow, w Strike Committee has obtained a $1 opinion on what constitutes legitipicketing. The position was thus •' e< f: It is clear that unions have a jpt to use pickets during the course aB J trade dispute, but such pickets W act lawfully, and in so doing they j" <>s acting peaceably." It seems ■?» all pickets may do is merely to obor communicate information in rep' of the strike to those workers who e ® r may be presumed to be affected Istrike.1 strike. There must be no persuing or otherwise preventing persons 80 so desire from working. K k AT LYTTELTON. B WHARVES TO J3E WORKED. CHRISTCHURCH, Nov. 16. v strikers and sympathisers in procession from, the railway Mgjrto® to Victoria Square last night an open-air meeting. The was headed by a. cross borne of the SociaThere was oaly & moderate at the meeting.

In consequence of the action of the strikers in turning down'the proposals of the Citizens' Defence Committee arbitrationists will be engaged to work the wharves, starting on Wednesday next. On Monday barriers, will be erected on the wharves, and it is itmderstood that a large number of men have been engaged; to work the shipping. What the attitude of the strikers will be is not yet known, but the majority of the strikers will probably confine themselves merely to pa?sfve resistance. There was a rumor .current in the port that the Harbor Board employees had refused to erect barricades, but there does not seem to be much foundation for the report, DUNEDIN'S SPECIAL CONSTABLES. DUNEDIX. Nov. 16. The swearing in of special constables preliminary to resuming work on the wharves proceeded briskly yesterday when 216 were sworn in. The swearing in continued to-day, when several more men were enrolled. It is understood that no work will be done on the wharves to-morrow. Eighteen of the Union Company's officers, who were Kile at Dunedin, left for Lvttelton on Saturday, having offered their services to the company. To get over the difficulty of selecting a particular class of work it was decided that work be balloted for. The result was that some captains were allotted; work in the stokehold or other minor duties on the run to Wellington for the time being, occupying inferior positions to mates on duty. At a well-attended meeting of the Drivers' Union it is stated that matters took a fairly lively turn on more than one occasion. The position was discussed at length, and it was decided to issue 110 instructions to members as to the handling of cargo discharged by arbitration labor, each member being allowed to act on his own discretion. It is understood that a motion ivas proposed in favor of secession from the Federation 0 f Labor, but that it ivas defeated. SITUATION AT TIMARU. TIMARU. Nov. 1.3. Everything is quiet here. The Storm 'or Wanganui and the Kairaki for Sokitika got crews and got away yesterday. THE NEW UNION AT OAMARU. OAMA.RU, Nov. 15. An attempt is to be made to open the >ort. A meeting held in the interests of hipping this afternoon decided to invite ipplxations troni those willing to work is a union registered under the Arbitra:ion Art. which it is not unlikely will >e joined by a minority of watersiders lot in sympathy with the strike. The ittitude of the local men !s thaet of v>a> iye resistance, and thev say that they vill do nothing to counteract the move nade by the other side. THE IMPRISONED STRIKERS, CHRISTCHURCH. No,-. 10. A meet'iig of strikers and sympathises was held at Sydenham Park this ifternoon and was largely attended. Vmong the speakers was Mr P. C. i\ebb, M.P.. who gave a review of the K)sit : on in the North Island. A moion was adopted demanding the release if the strikers. MATTERS QUIET AT WESTPORT. WESTPORT. Nov. 16. Matters at Westport are very quiet, 'lie stores have run out of flour, sugar, >otatoes, onions and some other lines, nit still have a good supply of shelf ;oods. Bakers are almost out of flour, aid notice has been given to the Buller lospital and Charitable Aid Board that t cannot supply bread after Thursday. The General Laborers' Union has ras's■d a resolution calling upon the Government'to release the imprisoned leaders. Addresses have -been given by local tr.ke leaders at street corners. AT NAPIER, NAPIER, Nov. 16. Mr \ oyce and party have addressed everal meetings since their arrival at s'apier, and as a result there appears o be some change in the attitude of the lorkers concerned. At a large meeting if watersiders this morning a resolution fas passed to the effect that "This tnion does not hold wit.li the registraion of a 'scab' uii'on at Wellington." t is said that the Australia will not be vorked on arrival to-morrow, nor the ichooner Fail-burn, which is due with a iirgo of usgar. STRIKE MEETING FALLS FLAT. GREYMOUTH. Nov. 16. Oil Saturday the Federationists held vhat was expected to be a huge demontration of workers organised and unorjanised as a nrotest againset the arrest if the strike leaders in Wellington. The )roceedings went very flat. Very few workers Came from the backblocks and ;he bands did not put in an appearance. it a public meeting various speakers lenounced the Government, the Employers' Union, the r>ree<? in general and ;he local press in particular, (Continued on Page 5.)