STRIKE ENDED.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 207, 26 May 1908, Page 7

STRIKE ENDED.

AUCKLAND TRAHWAY DISPUTE. SPECIAL BOARD OF CONCILIATION. MR. TREGEAR'S APPEAL TO THE MEN. (BI TELEGRJLPH.—SPECIAL COIIEESPONDENT.) , ■ Auckland, May 25. The' tramway etrike came to. a termination to-day largely owing to tho efforts of Mr. Tregear, Secretary for Labour,, pd the cars are again running. ■' At the meeting of the men held this morninn Mr. Tregear, in an address, urged tho men to accept a special Board of Conciliation, provided both parties to the dispute, agreed in writing to abide by the Board's decision. '• ' ■ All sorts of minor points were raised, and -the linpri'. at'first"!wanted the traffic manager dismissed and tho conductor (Herdson) reinstated- - . '■ , Mr. Tregear announced; that he was auth- • orised to bring a case against the Company for th& discharge of Herdson, but said'ho wanted to stay his hand if the. men'would only listen to reason. They could givo all the evidence they wanted, to before tho board,' and might rely implicitly'upon a fair and full hearing. The Secretary for Labour 3lso pleaded with the men to consider their fellow workers, men and women, many of whom were compelled to walk long distances in the rain because of the strike, 110 was loudly applauded,: and there is no ; doubt but j that his • sensible and conciliatory attitude carried the dtjy.' • , , ' .. . After the- issues had been discussed thoroughly the motion was put providing for the resumption 'of the service on: the .signing pf a bond by both sides to abide by the. de- • cision of the Board of Conciliation, and was carried. ,wi.th' only 14 dissentients. The Board is to be set up under Sections . ;6l\ and 52 ,of . the Arbitration Act, and is 'to sit as'soon as possible. There was great public satisfaction on the resumption of the service. I A pMEETiNC OF THE UNION. v THE RED FLAG HAULED DOWN. (by. TEiiEGiiAPn—pnnss association.') - Auckland, May 25. Ine tramway strike came to an end to-day, ■and the service was;,resumed at\i o'clock,!' or jather more; than ftar'days since, the hoist- V ing of the red Hag, Mr. E. Tregear, Seeretary for Labour, 1 conferred with the: Mayor, tho manager of ; the Company, and Mr; Rosser secretary i ofi -the 1 Union.: He afterwards attended a maetipg Vjf : the men urging them t6. take advantage of. Clause? 51 and 52 of tho Arbitration .Act, : enablirigi a special-Board, of Conciliation to be set up. The meeting, after , full;discussion; carried tho following- resolutoons (1) That this Union agrees to tho pro- - ... vision contained/in Clauses 51 and 52 of •" Act of 1905 referring to tho Board i of ? Conciliation.'' ' 1 -' V. ' (2) That the Union agrees to the ap- v . . pointment of twi> members to a Board of Conciliation,, with full ; power- : ! "that capacity, and to consider the matter 1 m dispute.... - ■ (3). That the Unioii is willing to accept- ,v . tho finding of such a Board as final pro- ,. ;viding.the Company does likewise. 1 . .' 1 ■ .-. >;(4) That .as soon as a,-guarantee is • ■ given in writing by both parties-the'ser- 1 "•). • vico ho resumed. r '' , 'iSubseqiieritiy- Mr. ' . attended : the;- . ; afttestiDg. aiidj oh. b©h&lf of the!; Company, agreed; to these terms. • Bbthi parties sigiifed HI bond-agreeing to abide'by the'decision-of Ihe Board, and shortly after two'o'clock'the red . .flag was hauled down, signifying .the end of tho-strike. ' . Tho Union has appointed Messrs. Henry Carter, (motorman) and George Sherry (conductor) their representatives on the v special Spard, which is to meet as soon as possible. \ STATEMENT BY INSPECTORS. A meeting of twelve inspectors of the tram- ■ way oomijany was hejd this; morning, and, as representing that meeting, two,of their number- called at tho offico of the Auckland ".Star! 1 this afternoon, and: said, that they had come as a deputation from the inspectors 1 on behalf of Mr.- Lysaght, but -not at that gentleman's request. ' v. • "We want," said one of "the deputationto montion, m fairness to Mr. Lysaglitthat he -never, at any time while we have ; > been under him asked us -to hide behind \ ; hedges or railway trucks to watch tho'men On behalf of . the twelve inspectors who met this morning, it was. agreed unanimously that-. wa: two should,' in fairness .'to' Mr. Lysaght, state that such things wore never asked of ■ any oho of. us." . ■ - - •. ■

THE SPIRIT OF THE AGE. ■ . CDT TEr.EOEiPn.—SrECIAL COBBESrONDENT.) ' !;- ' Auckland, May 25. In tho "Herald" supplement;, "Mercutio" voices , the satirical views of' a - good- many people thus:-- , . "It may argued," adds "-Mercutio," "that, if public companies and privato in--dividuals .are sto bei forcfed_ t-o hand: ovoi the. control of ,their businesses to, labour •••'< union secretaries, it amounts to a sociaKj' revolution,";'but this is to 'igiiore alt'ogethei r the cpirit.'of the ago.,. You'may not like it. It may even 1 be hateful to' you. You . may regard' it as unjust, ( moiistrous, and tyran- ' ■ ■ nical, but you canncrc It is implac- ; '■ able, inexorable. . Mr. Rosser, for example, has only to' wave a . red from a window and -exclaim, 'I am tho' Spirit of "the Age,' j and pop; goes tho weasel. Tramcars stop running,, and the multitudinous public—men, : ■ women; and children, the old, the -feeble, and the weak;-.the footsore, tho weary, the frail—have to, trudge to their homes, far or hear, as best they can. What does : the . • spirit of the age care for tho public? And, therefore,, to. come, back to tho strike,' it', is (■ 'plain that tho' only solution of the difficulty' ' : is' for the . Company to allow Mr. Rosser and his Union to run tho business for it. might grumblo, but better thoy should grumble than that .conductors' dividends should; vanish into tho .EwigkeitO-' or elsewhere, but better that than that dis- ; satisfaction should prevail among tho employees. Tho inspectors mi£ht all bo sum- v marily. dismissed without any valid or satis- V factoVy-reason;'btat what are inspectors after' all? The public—but what have the public got: to do- with it anyway?- ; Mr. 1 ./Rosser .would be happy, and that is: the main thing'' Tvhen-. all • is. ( said •-and done. 'So you seo, ladies and gentlemen—or,- at least, I hopo ,you this is not 'God's Own Country'.after all. it.is not' oven a country where the law is-obeyed, and that, unless we all come to ; our • right senses, we shall without doubt tumble into a boiling spring."

THE CASE BEFORE THE ARBITRATION v : i.-v:; court. • (BY.TEr.EGBAPH. —SSECIAL COBHESPONDBOT.j i Auckland, May 25. When • the tramway men assembled in meeting on Saturday Mr. Rosser announced ' that the Management Committee had hold a meeting, to.consider, the matter as far as the ; case for the following week was concerned when the Union would have tofaco a -jharga boforo tho Arbitration Court. The Coniituitee had decided to enter a plea: of guilty under oxtenuating circumstances. (Applause.) Of course, it was a"strike. Thoy had never denied-that, and llioy were guilty. ; A Voice: Of course, Ave're guilty. (Applause.) . , ' , i Mr.- .Rosfier:-We intend to plead- guilty under extenuating .circumstances, and these circumstances will be : brought forward bv ' myself as conducting ' the case before tho Court. The mombors of the Court were oxpected-to; arrive;in.Auckland yesterday to open s'ttmgs inAucldand >in ; connection with ■ tho,. strike,;.but i they ! havo proceeded •-to - Wel-''-' ,: ;be served ;.upon: iho, officials • 0 f tho ~Umon. on -Saturday, but so far Mr ' Roeser has not been eemd. ' ***•