BLACKBALL STRIKE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 160, 31 March 1908, Page 7

BLACKBALL STRIKE.

DEADLOCK CONTINUES. . , ; INTERESTING CORRESPONDENCE. THE SUGGESTION OF A GENERAL' UPHEAVAL. w . ( . "TOTALLY' UNPREPARED FOR SUCHi ' ■ A STRUGGLE." ~ (BY TELEGUirn—rRESS ASSOCIATION.) l J, , Greymouth,. March .30. Nothing further .hns transpired during thcr day regarding 'strike Httio discussion was going oil amongst townspeople, except quiet congratulations, that affairs had turned, «ni .mi/i At, eight, o'clock -it,.was, announced, that; nothing had'taken , place at tho day, no overtures of any, kind being madfi to' tho, manager, nofi di'dnffliJCmeiting of the miners-'appear to lie held.

THE WHARF LABOURERS., •DECLINE TO 'KAY 'DOWN THEIR ;. ■ . • ; . . tools: ' (DY TEI.EGUArE—:SI*ECIAII: CORRESPOi'DENT. ) / - Creymouth, March 30. ; - '" The Greyihouth - wharf labourers' meeting, (of which L ; advised foil' briefly ''|esterday) came to a decision not 1 , to'striko by unani.-,, mo\is yoto. A reply, to. thc DlackbalJ Ipttor has been sent as .follows : V" V; !■, ■ ..' After maturo, deliberation, ' I>. airi ; ' authorised to inform'.you wo cannot'cn-. tortain your roquest,: Much na ,wo are , disposed to sympathise, with you unfortunate trouble, ~ ...could..- ppvpr; think of laying' down our tools in.respect: , to the loading of -the' Blackball.Goni-' ; ". . pany's boats. -To,do so wouldj probably . .involve tho workers of the .Ddmiiiionin,.- • a general strike, wluch. would bo suicidal' - V. 1 madness, as wo aro, totally . Tinpropaied, • for! sitch a, struggle.;,. Had.;we'.booh, re-; '"gistered under the:Trado..;llnion. Act.„wc lv ,o. '' would have ,been free agents .in the mat-; ' , ter| and. could- l(2gallj.:h?yo' §ono f -out ,''oi&' t strike if we., felt Sb ' disposfcd) -'but' aro bound by tho Industrial Conciliation .< and ■ Arbitration Act, and consoquontly v cannot entertain: any idea of striking. Imporfoct though that Act, may; bo, .wo . . . aro not propared to defy and■ treat vith contempt our law, until. at A least, a .better' pragbitigl scboino is . us. ,Wo have no desire;,to a robuko to our Blackball comrades,' Tint ,wo : say, and' we say it advisedly;'.'that'.'-' if such an action wero contemplated as '■ I is contained in •yoi^.j9\tf^y#e--q0314- s 9p)y4'J •, be.'movbd:. to. striking ,by a . opinionexpressed 'by , the . whole, of the. - V workers' Unions'iiiitlio Dominion.!if i i'!-'

AN INTERESTJNC! LETTER. ;| , DARK CLOUDS, LOOMING,, UP, ~, ' (by TELEGRAPH —SFECIAIj - CORRESPONDENTS.) Greymoutli,"Slarcli|3o. . During th'e discussion'at tijoV terday,- Mr. Jackson. (scci-ptary) ,reaH> abetter, which ho lmd : sent vp thp : secretary.; of' the'; • \Vatersido in'.Welling-^' toni ,-;In tho course 'of'this' epistlo, Mr. Jack-, son'said:— : -•.•'•••V.s? 1 '• ■ •>: y. ■ ' : :'Neyer. do I tkinkr sinco -the . iiioQptioii,,of I tho 1 Industrial Conciliation, and; Arbi--" tration'Act has.;th<Tsutilrfcqf Labour,Y'/movement' looked v so : bjae£.,?.s',iit, tjie'iprp-; sent momont. Dark clouds ";: looming.iip- tho' political that;will' bring disaster to our ranks.if wo do not., ■' not ivith sound judgment and care. Our " .Blackball comrados. will, .by-.their, wanton - precipitation,• involve the workors of this Dominion in a ; ■ ' istip force that must end in our -defeat j£ ■ wiso counsels do'.not provail,l7.AVJiy.ilA?i I>' Bccause we afo totallyounprepiu-cdiJpn .a/.m.! trial of /strength/ AYo aro ; nomas' >wellj ;l_|

' . organised .as wo wore prior [ ;.to j ~ strike.' '... Tho'.'.thousa:hds I 'of-fwfiftMS|.that '"J ( tiro .oii|sidolour'-'raiUjs''aro-a' : •'< ;' Until they aro Jfo, ; j ■ :of iunionism,' .theroV.'are ; .:,thqusaM •; ■ workers within our ranks.who prefer con- ~ ■biliation' and ;arbitratibn ; to tlio' • barbarous i methods, of -strikes'for^et- : .;.: : ' timgdisputes/; ■ WHAT, I3OES ( IT" MEAN / , ! '' What does • all -vfehist.%i<asCn Pyr'lifSfiwSfcftii, if wo are .to. continuo : in industrial .penc?,j . wo' are to abido -our- intTustrial law,; ~.. nnd that,' in '. continuing to so abide, , : willxhayo:. i l ,. . ;to bo*madp,:tp *'' chard, . during', tho.wholo. crisis,-;..was'. pre-;, : .. pared to advise'them how to deal with ' tlio matter on constitutional lines, but, • .thdy,would.;havelhono;'of:;it. Mr. : Fite'/;: ■ , geraid .told .ine, .about ifive ,of jJ .. -ago; that ,h'e ip: iil : ' an' workers and tho omploycrs.: I am think■nig, if ho came down hero for that pur-, ■■ ; poso, ho is'; aohiQW^fa'twi; success. . ■ v: "f'.; ■ ;.'p.?ikv OBEY TJSE LAW. ; If tho law. is bad, theu lct..iis sbVout' : > and get it '. amended, but,, i until. ; it is : amended, '. wo Bhould oboy it, much , ' though '■ wo! 'may agitato'against; it, .and.' ' call aloud for an'alteration in it, ..Tlio ~. Blackball Union 'refuse -to -recogniso it , and-scouts it with contempt, .and practic-, : - • ally challenges tho Goycrnment. to do its worst ' Wo aro ordored by tho. Black 1 ;,.... ball Union to break tho Act by. striking, - ! J . and, at tho same time,. treat the. cfthdi-; , tions of o'ur< award with contempt..; ) Their dcßiro isto mvolvo us in a general; ) • strike. If we refused to load tho boats : in . question, , then" you would get orders in Wellington not to'handle any,cargo m ~ - . them cither. ■ . smCJDAL MADNESS. . 1 Do you not thiuk:;tho .whole. thing Is- ; • suicidal mo dness?, To break away from tho Act and fight both tho Government . and' the employer^'w'o^}i:ond'.in.,au;in-. j dus'trial upheaval -that ; would'put back | the progress Labour has-mado dunng ji l period of twonty ;■! f .bringing misery and starvation to thous- |{ ands of homes, it would make martyrs of many workers for a lifotimo. If wo weio , ; j wolli organised, and hud a fair chunco. of t ', winning,' and desired to J givo.„an!..objcct-, .i , f ~. lesson to tho capitalist and ; thd ment of the Dominion, then, - and then ' o only,' would. .such,a step bo' justifiable; tl but, if we had that; power,, wo would also . ii hold the way byjwhioh'ono could ? tho doors of Parliament to'our ropresenJ, tativos, and wo could'then frame law^to -■ e suit ourselvos; when wo reached . 8 that goal, tho-law would have to. bo. oboyed, because tho obsOrvauco of the law means tho prbteotion 'of tho liberty ; of the subject. • ' , ■