AUCKLAND STRIKE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1271, 28 October 1911, Page 6

AUCKLAND STRIKE.

SIX HUNDRED MEN OUT. DEPUTATION TO THE MAYOR. "A VERY SERIOUS PROPOSITION.^ (By Telcrraph.-Prcss Association.) m , , , Auckland, OctoW 27. Iho labourers strike continue!!, but n*J further striking v;o« demanded by (ho officials of the Federation of Labour toilay. Tho men employed by the City Council at the waterworks, about ten casual. hands, ceased work this afternoon in response to a command made on the previous day. This pave a pood number of people the impression tliat tho executive was pursuing the work of bringing men out, out early in Die day tho Labourers' Union met and having; discussed tho position decided not to net further until tho matter had becen talked over with the Mayor. The Mayor was met accordincly, and heard very fully all tho arguments advanced by a deputation headed by Mx. R. Somple. 'Jliey asked that the Drainape Board make provision against subcontract! iir in all contracts. Mr. Scrapie said that tho objection to the sub-contract system was that it was a speeding-up process. If the work of the wages men does not measure up as great as tliat of tho sub-contractors, tlioy are put off. If tho Mayor had a knowIwtec of the way men had to work "liko wild beasts' he would understand the differenoo. The effect of the sub-contractinff system was to make the men's lives hardy worth hvuiß. The men had no objoelion to sub-contracting in Ihe sense imJilmd by the letting of sections of a bis building contract say to plasterers or bricklayers, who employ men by day labour, but this was quite a different matter.

Quits Unjustifiable. The Mayor said ho considered their action in precipitating a strike without bringing tho matter before the board had. been finite, unjustifiable. A strike of a limited character had taken placo in contravention of the union's rules before the matter had been even mentioned bo the engineer. Ho thought that they had done wrong, perhaps unconsciously. Tho proper course would have been to approach the board itself. Tho rcqnwt that sub-contracting should be abolished now put before him for the first time was a very serious proposition, for it affected, every local body that employed contract labour—perhaps 100 in the province They could hardly expect a definite answer from him at that moment. He would not lake the responsibility of deciding it. As chairman of the board it would bo his duty to place the deputation's views before the boa.Td as soon as it could ho (;ot toother, and if they liked thev could attend and state their case. Then tho board would give its decision on tho matter which hod. now been brought bcluro it for the fir=t time. He could not admit ior a moment that the board had done anything wrong. Ho wanted now to speak to them as Mayor. Thoy had precipitated a very &crious stato of things. \) ithout expressing any opinion aa to tho rights and wrongs of the case he asked them to consider the position in which ..:•)• had placed the city. The closing of the quarry meant trouble for tho BlrectL tho dosing down of the destructor would soon leave them ut their wit's end to know what to do with tho insanitary rubbish. Now he understood the water sup•y was in jeopardy because tho men on tho waterworks had been called out. Tho Mayor went on to say that tho men must take all the responsibility for tho trouble they had caused, and that was a serious one. They should consider whether tho men engaged on necessary publio services should not return to their work, so that tho public would bs no more inconvenienced by a trouble that in his view concerned neither the men at tho destructor nor those at the waterworks Such a course would, ho believed, lead to a clearing up of tho matter tuoro quickly than anything else. Ho could not coerce them in any way, that was merely his friendly advice. He asked if they would givo a guarantee that in futuro tho men engaged on the drainage works will go on without further strike, until the work is finished.

Mr. Semple: No; for wo havo no guarantee that when tho men go back thia system will bo wiped out. The Mayor: It «*ms to mo you wnnt to wage a general war against tho local bodies on the matter of sub-contracting. "We Will Deal With Them." Mr. Frascr: "If any other local body wants to ndopt it, wo will deal with thorn. Wo would object to sub-contract-ing by anyone." Mr. Scrapie: Wo aro up against the system altogether, and are dealing now with the Drainago Board. Contracting is bad enough, without Wo have no dosiro to dislocate tho city, but if need bo wo will paralyse tho whole of New Zealand. Wo havo a bona-fid« grievance. Tho Mayor: That sounds liko blackmail of tho whole community. Mr. Semplo: If we can do nothing else, we must do tho extreme thing. We havo never done the extreme thing yet," but w« have not done one-third of what can be done. The Mayor: Is that a threat? Mr. Semple: No, it is not a threat. Wo don't want to do it. If wo had taken tho extreme step, wo would have staggered a lot of people, Wo don't want to dp it, because wo know it will hurt tho community.

Tho Mayor: It will hurt tho men, too. Mr. Scmple: I know- that in these casca the men get punched hardest. I don't 1 want you to think wo have done tho ci--1 tronio thing, because wo have not. Wo only want the Drainago Board to do what all tho private individuals of tho Dominion have done. They recognise round an open table that tho sub-contracting system is hurtful to the men, and it waa reasonable to expect tho same treatment from a body chosen by the people. Tho Mayor: I shall call the board aa soon as possible, and shall try to have a meeting on Monday. An Extreme Step if Necessary. Mr. Oliver Mason said that it should be understood that they felt the responsibility of tho occasion. Nothing in tho nature of a threat would como from them, but it was obvious that, having an end in view, if they really desired it, they would tako an extreme step should it bo necessary, nor would anyone hesitate to do so to achieve an aim lie wanted urgently. Mr. Scmple: I don't suppose tho Drainage Board would force us to take any extreme stops. The Mayor: Wo have not forced you at all. The Drainage Board had dono nothing whatever. You have precipitated the matter and brought tho whole thing about. Tho interview then ended, the deputation withdrew to attend a meeting of tho union at which tho result of tho deputation was discussed. The union met and decided that no further extension in tho strike should be made until tho board's decisioh is announced, but to-morrow afternoon a demonstration will be made at tho Grey Statue. Altogether, about COO men arc out. They include none but members of the General Labourers' Union, and of these only men employed on public works. Tho effect of the strike is not nearly so serious or immediate »s it would have Ijcen had tho public transport services been affected, but some of the works cannot suffer delay without injury. Tin' union met this evening, and decided not to call out any more men till tho Drainage Board meet' on Monday, but the men now out are to remain out."