The Dominion FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1913. THE STRIKE.
: » The watorsido workers, at their meeting yesterday, made it quite clear that they are at present determined to turn a deaf ear to any suggestion that they should attempt to repair the wrong they havo ■ done tho community by their unprovoked breach of tihe written agreement .they had entered into with their employers. There appears to be two elements in the union; one compose? of an aggrcssivo, irresponsible section ready to scizo any weapon that may present itself to harass their employers; and tho other a more reasonable set of men willing to behave fairly enough if left alone, but disinclined to openly resist their noisy and often abusive mates. The militant party, as is usually the case, though it may not be numerically the stronger, has carried the day, and the men nave embarked on their period of . self-imposed idleness with an expressed determination to " see . it through." What that means they have not yet had timo to fully realise. They, however, are probably beginning to recognise that the struggle so lightly and so unjustifiably entered on is a more serious matter than they at first anticipated, and that the employers can Bo quite as determined as anyone else. That tho employers are taking tho situation seriously, and facing it boldly, may be judged by the action of the Union Steam Ship Company in connection with its colliers. These boats naturally require a good deal of labour, and tho company has decided that the only course open to it in the circumstances is to lay up the boats as they come to port and pay off the crows until labour is available and the boats' can onco more carry on their usual running. ■ One steamer was laid up in this way yesterday, and it is expected that three more will follow to-day. This action not only serves to indicate the sacrifices which the employers are prepared to make in resisting the attempted intimidation of tho men who have so dishonourably broken their agreement, but it illustrates also the hardship the strikers are bringing on their unfortunate fellow-workers on the steamers rendered idle. Nor, if the strike continues, will such hardship be confined to those actually engaged on and about the steamers. There are many other workers liable to be thrown out of employment if shipping is interfered with and the handling of cargo at a standstill. Fortunately for all concerned there is a probability of a sufficient number of free workers being available within the next few days to enable the work to bo carried on. At Titnaru, recently, there was no troublo in this respect. When, the Federation of Wharf Workers refused work there, free workers took their places, and the shipping of tho- port went on as usual. It_ appears to be generally recognised in labour circles that the Wellington watersideworkers have actcd unwisely, and that their attempt to coerce the employers is at least ill-timed. The funds of the union are low, and would not provide even a week's strike pay to 1 its members. Moreover, unionists, no matter what organisation they i may belong to, cannot ignore the fact that a deliberate and wanton breach of faith was committed by the Wei- i lington Waterside Union; and they i know that .nublio are aware of],'
this. It was, therefore, inconceivably stupid, as well as dishonest, of the union to act in the manner it. has done. All day yesterday and well on into the evening many of the men idled about the entrance to the wharves, and occasionally there were small outbursts of feeling,; but it is to the credit of the great bulk of tho watersiders that they exercised a proper restraint on themselves and on the more noisy and turbulent of their mates. Tho president of the union, Mr. Curtice, set a good example in this respect. He apparently is shrewd enough to soe that the union can do itself no good, and will only put itself further in the wrong, by disorderly demonstrations and breaches of tho peace. At present there are no outward signs of a settlement of the trouble, hut it should not take the more thoughtful member of the union long to discover how hopelessly in the wrong they have been placed by the folly, of those who committed tho union to' its dishonourable repudiation of its written bond; nor should many days elapse ere they realise that the sooner thoy abandon the untenable position thoy have taken up, the better it will be for themselves and for trades unionism generally.
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Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1888, 24 October 1913, Page 6
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770The Dominion FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1913. THE STRIKE. Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1888, 24 October 1913, Page 6
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