THE STRIKE.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1891, 28 October 1913, Page 6

THE STRIKE.

Yesterday's incidents in connection with th© strike of waterside workers were, it is pleasing to record,, of a much less objectionable character than those of the preceding days since the strike commenced. The day was Labour's annual holiday, and the majority of th'e strikers appear to have participated in the holiday outings. The meeting of the union which was held in the morning decided to continue the strike, and tho men showed no signs of weakening in the/attitude they have . taken up. There was no disorder, and no further attempts at mob rule. This may have been due to tho holiday and to the fact that no effort was made to work the cargo on the vessels in port, but whatever tho cause, it is satisfactory to note that in the only _ instance of a breach of tho' la,w which has come under our notice the strikers were not to blame. Moreover, in the particular case in question, in which two firemen' who had been drinking and who misconducted themselves in such a manner as to call for .the intervention of the police, somo of tlio strike pickets wero of assistance to tho arresting constables in, keeping back the crowd ; while the men who violently resisted arrest were taken 'into 'custody. This j is to the credit of' the particular strike officials concerned. As to tho employers, their only step appears to have been to remove some or the vessels in port from the wharves to anchorages in the stream, where they aro beyond reach of any possible invasion by the strikers. Underlying yesterday's quiet, however, was a deep feeling of unrest, and hints were freely dropped of big happeningß to occur to-day,. For some reason the- strikers appear to hold the opinion that to-day will be a critical one. There are threats and mutterings amongst tho men which seem to indicate that a decisive step on the part of the emj ployers is looked forward to, and that it will be resisted by every means within tho power of the strikers. So far as we have been able to learn, the waterside' workers have been misled by their leaders on , this point, as they .have on others, j No attempt will bo made to work cargo to-clay. Apparently the desire j of a section of the strikers is to keep i feeling at fever heat by spreading i rumours and alarms. That the work 1 of the port will not bo permitted to i bo indefinitely, stopped by the Water- < side Workers' Union goes without > saying, but the time for decisive ac- 1 tion has not yet arrived. ' 5 It seems guite hopeless to attempt }, to reason with the men, and to point out the folly of their action. They • can certainly cause some inoonveni- ( enco_ and loss, but they and their ; families must share in that loss, and ( their share in the on'd may prove- pro- t portionately greater than that which i they inflict 'on others. Moreover, c they will have nothing to show for £ it—they will not better their posi- c tions in the slightest. If they would !• only stop to think they would realise 1 that from the beginning they had 1 nothing to gain by striking. They jwere employed under an agreement ], which provided for a satisfactory (| yate of pay and reasonable conditions E Of work—an agreement which a few days ago they regarded as in every ] way satisfactory. They brolife that f agreement, with the result that some £ of them lost a few hours' work, their j places being taken by other unionists belonging to their own union. 1 They objected to their fellow-union- I ists being kept on at the work they 1 themselves had refused to attend to. I It was the poorest excuse for a strike * that wai ever invented. They * thought the employers would yield c to tho threat of • a strike, and the < employers did not yield, and tho union thereupon, instead of acting in a' reasonable manner and 1 wisely ■retracing its steps, only put itself c further in the wrong, and proceeded 1 to inflict hardship and suffering upon t its members, _ finally plunging itself | still deeper in the mire by acts of i lawlessness which must, alienate the t sympathy of all right-thinking citizens. If the strikers could be in- * duced to consider the facts as they J are, instead of devoting their whole j attention to tho wild words and s reckless braggadocio of their leaders, they could not fail to sec that they j; are acting against their own inter- J ests in forcing on the employers a s struggle for which thero was not the f slightest necessity or justification, e Citizens generally will be gratified J to learn that there has been a prompt ~ response to the call of the authori- i< ties for special constables, and that e the regular police have been materi- l all.v strengthened in numbers in ? order to be in a position to maintain { order. Further special constables 0 will he sworn in, and citizens are \ still invited to volunteer for this " duty, although it is hoped tTTali there may be no necessity for calling on J them to assist- in the upholding of r the law. u ■ •-, • • 1 —~= r