LABOUR IN REVOLT

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 919, 12 September 1910, Page 7

LABOUR IN REVOLT

GRIM FIGHTS PENDING. UNPROMISING OUTLOOK IN SHIP-" BUILDING LOCK-OUT-MINERS IN DANGEROUS MOOD. By Tol«Era,Dh—Press Association—OonyriEW. * (Reo September 11, 5.5 p.m.) • ' ■', London, September 10. Tho result of the ballot taken by the Boilermakers' Society, to decide whether the members will honour.the agreement made by the Executive with the Shipbuilding Employers' Federation, giving guarantees for the fulfilment of the national agreement to prevent strikes, was as follows at the.northern.ports:— In support, of the Executive 10,321 votes Against the Executive ... .5,431 „ Majority .............*.... 4,890 The majority empowers the Executive to call s representative meeting. ; The majority came from the Clyde and the north-east . coast workers. The minority was principally from the Government yards and the inland towns. :. The Executive does not. regard the vote as showing a want of confidence, hut interprets it as evidence of the desire of the men to be consulted. . The "Daily Chronicle" declares that the smal'ness of the ballot denotes a sullen and dangerous mood. : Several lodges declined to vote in' the absence of information regarding the nature of the assurances which'it was proposed to give the employers. There are serious' protests on the Clyde owing 'to official announcements that- no lock-out money will be paid ■this week. '•;'■".

The Executive possessed the right to retain a sufficient reserve token the funds. are below two' pounds per member as at'present.-

Mr. A. . Henderson, Labour member'' for Durham, when'interviewed, said, he failed to see what the men can hope to, gain by ..their "unfortunate attitude. The Edinburgh agreement was sullenly acquiesced in at the conclusion of. a long strike and'good trade had now incited many .'to seize the opportunity of getting quits with the employers.' .■';'■•..

The newspapers recall that burgh agreement was accepted. aftpf.: a pooled vote of, the Ship-yard Trade Unions, but that the majority of the boiler-makers. were then opposed to\ : it and':'discontented. .They earned: the highest wages paid for any. class .of manual labour, and rivetters made even from 120s. ,to ( 140s. per week. . Thirty-' six thousand Boiler-makers "didnot vote.

It is stated .that the employers are prepared to continue the lock-out for sis months if necessary- to' establish firmly, the principles of .working •. agreements and the necessity of, abiding by agreements. 1 ' '.-'/'" .'.'-.-''..

The newspapers ; universally 'deplore the. result of the ballot as involving a grave outlook for. trades unionism and encouraging a. mutinous spirit. , ;

The ' executive. of the Boilermakers' Society anxiously:, awaited' the /result of the ballot, and hope that a large ma-' jority would . endorse.' the proposal : for. keeping faith with the employers as the only means of safeguarding: collective bargaining. " . . ■, ; ';"■,-'■'■:■

WELSH 'Stßii<E POSTPONED. ; ANNOUNCEMENT -CAUSES A RIOT: "'•"'."■ 'London,■ September'• 9. : . / Mr. Mabon, M.IV for Rhondda Valley (Glamorganshire), persuaded twelve thousand of the Cambrian Combine.colliers todefer striking for a week on condition ti.at. a ". conference i representing the whole of the coalfields shall be convened. '■■'■':■; '■''. ■■' <;-';: '.-■■ ■'■'■'

In a speech supporting Mr.; Mabon, Mr. Hartshorn said . there: was' danger in precipitate action, which would nip': in the bud a movement' full.-.6f> hope.' A tight: would, jeopardise the. 1 position. If. twelve thousand ■ men struck before reorganisation. was completed they, would l be unable to put up a fight that would, teach the. employers a ; lesson. ~'-,,- '.'■■•

. - Thousands at Cardiff hooted; the announcement of the postponement of the Cambrian strike. ■ They rushed the in-stitute'-Wbere the officials were '■ meeting, broke the furniture, and.endeavoured to assault the Labour leaders.; SPINNING TRADE TROUBLE. V; (Rec. September 12, 0.10 a.m.) ■ London, September 9..- ' .Despite the truce cabled on August--8 the' card-room-.workers' dispute at Manchester has culminated; in the Federation of Cotton Spinners, threaten-: ing to call a general, strike in October'. ■ On August 8 it. was cabled that the' card-room workers at Manchester,- had approved the proposal that they should allow their wages, to remain-unaltered for five years. The employers and others also agreed to this. ■■ TEE PERTH CAPITULATION. / Parth, September 10. ■ The terms of the tram strike settlement are that ninety of the strikers will return to their old positions and work in unison with the non-unionists who have been operating, the cars-for the: past four weeks. They will work';under;the Arbitration Award which they previously refused. .'The award provides for ninety-six hours' work a fortnight, at the rate of a shilling: an hour. SLAUGHTERING DISPUTE. Melbourne, September: 10. - With regard to the dispute between the Slaughtermen and the Victorian meat exporters, a conference proved abortive. The men ask 275. 6d. a hundred all round for sheep and lambs for the approaching export season; the': exporters-offer £6s; 3d. for sheep and 2Ss. for lambs. '-■-' .', " ■•■ ;. / RAILWAY • STRIKE ENDED. :. • Adelaldo, September 10. : The railway; strike has been settled. An independent inquiry will bo held regarding the case of the ganger Thompson, whose alleged overbearing ways caused tho strike, and whom the Labour Premier, Mr. Verrau, refused to dismiss, despite the demands of the Workers' Union.