DUBLIN'S LABOUR CRISIS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1880, 14 October 1913, Page 7

DUBLIN'S LABOUR CRISIS.

STRIKER TENANTS EJECTED FROM THEIR HOMES. LARKIN BECOMES ABUSIVE; By Teleerapli—Press Association—Copyright London, October 12. The Dublin Tramways Company is issuing notices to ojoct many striker tenants, and other employers aro doing tho same. British trado unions in various towns arc sending food and money to Dublin. Mr. Murphy, Chairman of the Tramways Company interviewed, said: " I never had a strike in any of my many businesses till Larkin appoared._ Wo omployere will not recognise a union led by Larkin, who has broken many agreements. _ Syndicalism and tho sympathetic striko spell disaster for the workmen."

Tho Dublin Trades Council has identified itself with tho policy and methods of the Transport Workers' Union, and 60 long as the union remains what it is tho employers are resolved to have no dealings with it, writes tho Dublin correspondent of the London "Times." Tlio transport Union's agreements with employers, by which strikes were supposed to 1» settled in the past, havo not been worth the paper on which they wero written. Tho shipping companies which came to terms with Mr. Larkin some months ago were told by him that he was unable to compel the members of his union to fulfil their promises An agreement arranged between tho coal merchants and their employees in 1908 at a conference, under tho presidency of Lord MncDounell was deliberately broken by tho Transport Union. Tho coachbuilders, tho motor traders, and tho master carriers havo all a similar story to tell; in fact, the Transport Workers . Union stands nut inerel) for Syndicalism, but for a Syndicalism which repudiates its written obligations. AN ARISTOCRATIC "FELLOW REBEL." London, October 12. Mr. Larkin, speaking at the Memorial Hall, London, atacked the official Labour party. Ho said that Mr. Philip 'Snowden, M.P., had never done a day's manual labour, in. his life. Tho party was_ keeping the proletariat down. Referring to Mr. Snowden. Mr. Larkin said: "This abominable hypocrite tells you not to havo a sympathetic strike bccauso you would discommode t'lio public." Tho Labour members ill the House of Commons, ]}o added, wero as useful as mummios 'n a museum, and would havo to bo pushed aside, as they only weakened tho scientific use of tho sympathetic strike. The Countess of Warwick, a wellknown socjoty leader, ' and identified with many public movements, was introduced as "our comrade and fellowrebel," and promised to act as treasurer for a fund to bring Dublin strikers and their children to England and board them. "Times"—Sydney "Sun" Special Cables. London, October 12. Additional precautions aro being taken for the personal safety of Dublin employers, bocauso tho strikers havo been advised to turn, their attentions from blacklegs to the employers who import them. • A TOUR OF TERRORISM. (Rec. October 13, 9.30 p.m.) London, October 13. Tho grain merchants in Dublin havo obtained sufficient labour to enable them to resume delivories of wheat and maizo. The strikers Bmashed the. windows of the. tram-cars, and, a gang of them visited tho tenements which wero occu'pied by men who had stuck to their work, and terrorised their families. WHO IS WHO IN THE STRIKE. The leader of tho capitalists in the fight with the Dublin Transport Workers' Union is Mr. William M. Murphy, formerly a Nationalist member for the city, and owner of ono of the Nationalist newspaper organisations. Ho is an intimate friend and follower of Mr. Timothy Hcaly. His commercial interests are unusually various and widespread. A railway contractor whose concern extends from South Clare to West Africa, a tramway constructor and director with interests in' Lancashire and Kent, as well as Dublin, hotel proprietor, newspaper proprietor, draper, his career is a rather ironical comment on the theory that all the wealth and business talent of Ireland bolong to tho classic minority. Mr. Murphy i 3 fighting the strike with all the cold determination that Lord Davenport displayed against tho London • dockers. Tho Dublin capitalists are at his back to a man. With all his political heresies, he is accepted as their champion. On the other sido the lender is Mr. James Larkin. Ho is not an Irishman, ns his opponents are fond of remarking. Ho began as labour leader under 'Mr. James .Sexton among tho Liverpool dockers. He came to Ireland and sot up for himself. He is a leader of the Mann-Tillett school —that is, ho preaches Sir Edward Carson's principles regarding tho right of humanity to defy tho law when tho law is distasteful, and commends to tho Dublin crowd the practical maxims of Lord Willoughby do Broke. Mr. Larkin is persona ingrata to many in Unblin besides th« employers. Ho is a Socialist. His badge is the Red Hand—a delicate ooinbincd compliment to Karl Marx and tho Covenanters. * His doctrines upon issues not economic are suspected of being too Continental for Irish consumption. He is denounced as a foreigner, a "lJed"; his Christianity is said not to be orthodox. Ho makes no secret in his meetings of his hostility; to tho men of tho Irish part}-. Ho is apparently so much of an international that ho.sets small store by nationality. Ho denounces tho Ancient Order of Hibernians in language ns bitter as that used of tho Order by Lord Dunravon and Captain Craig, though his objections to it aro basou upon different grounds, and trade unionists who are Hibernians give him the cold shoulder. All tho press of Dublin, Nationalist as well as Unionist, is hostile to his methods; and in return he preaches a boycott of nil tho Irish newspapers, and denounces their printers as "scabs/' This is tho man who has won for 'himself a big following of working men in Dublin, and established tho nucleus of a Labour party in the City Council. The dock labourers are kis,bo<lyguard. Ho lias led the carters to victory. Undfrr his leadership the agricultural labourers of the County Dublin have, without a strike, aided by their follows in the city, established a standard wage of 17s. a week "with perquisites" throughout tho country. THREATENED COTTON CRISIS. COUNCIL MEETING ON SATURDAY. London, Octobcr 13. _ Tho Cotton Operatives' Amalgamation will meet on Saturday, and is hopeful that the Bceliivo Mill workers will be induced to resume before tho dato of tho lock-out (October 25).

The anniversary conversazione of the Kent Terrace Presbyterian Church takes place this evening in ths Church Schoolroom. Proceedings commence at 8 o'clock. The bishop was examining a class of girls._ "What's tho best preparation for entering the state of matrimonyP" ho asked. "A little courting, sir," was tho reply of a. simple-looking girl. Gloom (in restaurant, who has waited fifteen minutes for his soup): " Waiter, have you ever been to the Zoo?" Waiter: "No, sir." Gloom: "Well, you ought to go. You'd enjoy watching tho tortoises whiz past." Benign Old Gentleman: "Poor little chap! Where did that cruel boy hit vou?" Tommy: "800-no-oo! We wero 'avin' a nnv.nl kit Up. and 'o torpodood me v lji tho eagliio-iooml"