WAIHI STRIKE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1504, 29 July 1912, Page 6

WAIHI STRIKE.

THE FEDERATION'S HOPES. A public meeting; was held in tin} Adelphi Theatre last night, under the • auspices of tho New Zealand Federation of Labour, Sir. Robert Semplo and most of the othor well-known Federation delegates wore absent; from Wellington, and were therefore not among the speakers, ; the principal of whom was Mr. I W. E. Parry, president of the Wnihi Miners* Union, and vice-president of the Fcdcralion of Labour. Mr. Parry detailed the facts of th« Wnihi and the Reofton disputes at some length from his point of view, llricuy, ho maintained that the Wnihi' mineowners had broken their agreement with his union, by, ns he alleged, conniving at or actively'assisting in the formation of tho Engine-Drivers' Union, and that the Reeflon owners had locked out tho men in contravention of the ArbitrationAct. He thought the sooner this Act was expunged from the Statute-books of this country the better it would be for tho workers. ■ Ho assured the audience that the workers at Waihi were quite happv. They had dances and concerts several times a week, and they were all jolly and not a bit worried. It was the-tradespeople and others in the. (own who were downhearted. He was certain, the miners would wm the fight, and that the Waihi mines would never open again if !ha owners (-tuck to their proposal that tho workers in them must submit to the ruling of the Arbitration Court. DIVIDENDS AND TDK STRIKE. (By Telegraph-Press Association.) Auckland, July 27. • A London cable message to the local director of tire Waihi Company roads:— "Th<y dirjclors have declared a dividend - of is. psr share, payable on September 2. No further dividends until strike ends. Even (hen, subsequent effects are likely / to adversely affect dividends. A circular issued to shareholders stales regarding (he strike, that the companies insisted, at a- conference, on the registration of tho Miners' Union, and add-: that it is jm. jjossible to say how long the strike is liko ly to last." REEFTON MINING TROUBLE., Rccfton, July' 27. There is no further news regarding tho troublo of the Consolidated Mine. Tho staff is still working at the Energetic ' mine, which is crushing good stone.