POSITION IN THE PORTS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1897, 4 November 1913, Page 9

POSITION IN THE PORTS.

IN AUCKLAND. SEVENTEEN BOATS IN BTREAM. STRIKE-STEERERS' CABALS. SOME COWARDLY MOB TACTICS. (By Telegraph.—Preoa Association.! Auckland, November 8. ! There is no change in the position on tho waterfront this morning, tho pickets who have been patrolling tho wharves during the last few days interfering where an attempt was mado to handle cargo continued the same duties. Formerly the strikers had been paraded, and marched round in squads, but thi3 morning there was not the same order, and the pickets patrolled in a disorganised way and without a recognised leader. A mass meeting was held at 8 o'clock this morning, and the speakers counselled the strikers to maintain their enthusiasm and activity, and not to shirk the serious responsibilities of the position. The Maheno arrived from Sydney yesterday forenoon, and tho Monowaifrom tho south. Tho police were present in force, but tho strikers appeared to show no more than a passing interest in tho arrival of the vessels. Tho passengers were disembarked, ■ and tho mails and personal luggage landed nnd removed by carriers as usual. The boats later wont out into tho stream. A number of other vessels have roachod port, making a total of seventeen now in tho stream. No attempt, meantime, has been mado to work cargo, and all shipping operations on tho wharf aro totally «uspended. Several of tlie coastal steamers continued tho usual .running, but carried passengers and mails only. Scows reaching port with timber, shinglo, and other material, wero allowed to proceed with discharging without interruption. First Riot—Young Men Assaulted. At tho conclus'on of tho mass meeting held outside tho waterside office in Quay Street yesterday afternoon something in the nature of a small riot occurred. At the conclusion of tlio speeches a motion was put: "That this meeting (of about 1500 "people) is in sympathy with tho strike." When a negative was called ilor, two. young men put up their hands, and ono was immediately struck from behind by a man who appeared to personally associate himself with tho strike, whilo other men of a like sort ■ raised a chorus of boohooing. Fearing that they had unwittingly fallon into troublo tho two young men, on hearing tho cry, "Duck them in tho harbour." maclo away from tho water up Littlo Queen Street. There was at onco a sceno of disordor, some of the crowd endeavouring to shield tho young fellows from a number of men who wero hustling thorn, and striking them. Eventually Constablas Shaarman and Atkinson got through the crowd, and put tho young fellows in a taxicab, which boro them out of roaoh of tho pursuers. One of th© young men sustained a black eye, whilo the othor had his mouth cut. It seoms quito certain that tho young-mon had in no way acted to provoke, the assault beyond putting up their hands against the motion. More Strike Mob Rule. An incident that for a time threatened ugly developments occurred in Lower Queen Street this afternoon. During the progress of a mass meeting a young follow in tlio largo crowd ovidoiitly said or did something that tho strikers in the vicinity resented, and at once thero was a flare-up. lie was pushed or knocked down, anil tho crowd moved in tightly. Speakers on a verandah overhead called the strikers otf,

i and counselled orderliness, but the young man was jostled and closely followed by a dozen or so. Willi tlio public pressing in 011 nil sides a slow passago was worked across to tho l'ost Office, and there a solitary policeman pushed through, and was swept along with a following crowd to Customs Street. Tho man was pursued as far ns Shortland Street, and eventually took refuge up tho stairway of ..Victoria Arcade. A constablo barred tho way, and kept tho crowd back until tho young man had mado his escape into tho recossos of tho building. Cargoes Held Up. A shipment of manuka firewood was being handled by carters in Winstone's yard at the Nelson Street Wharf this morning, when tho strike pickets bustled in threatening trouble if tho work was persisted in. A private carter drove away with a load which it was stated ho had purchased, but ono of Messrs. Winstonos' drivers was persuaded to empty tho load back into tho yard. Tho steamor Mahurangi, belonging to Wilson's Cement Company, was • discharging cement at tho A.lbert Street Wharf when strikors interfered. Tho carters who were engaged in removing tho shipment were approached, but, acting under instructions, decided t-o continue work as long as they did not incur any risk of personal injury. Tho pickots then interviewed tho men handling the cement on tho steamer, and tho latter coased work. Boycott and Other Striko Tactics. By special resolution the Striko Committee have urgently enjoined members of tho union to boycott hotels and restaurants whero accommodation is provided for special police or free labourers. At a mass meeting the strikers nffirmed a resolution that: "If farmers make a move against tho workers in tho strike, they will cease to bo cus- ' tomers of the Farmers' Co-operative MiJk Supply Association, and will appeal to all othor workers to adopt- tho same course." Urgent meetings of members of tho Auckland Tramways Union have been called for to-morrow morning and evening to discuss tlio strike and the attitude that they shall take. Information has been received by Sir. Canham, president of the Waterside Union, that the following resolution was passed on Friday liiglit by the Auckland Bricklayers' . Union:— "That members of tho Auckland Bricklayers' Society, in view of developments in connection with the waterside workers' dispute, Tefuso to handle material brouglit to jobs or handled by free labour." Northern S.S. Fleet Move Out to Anohor. A most impressive scene was witnessed this afternoon, when the Northern Company decided to send almost tho whole of its fleet out to.an anchorage, thus disorganising, with one or two exceptions, every coastal passenger and cargo service. Shortly after 3 p.m. tho fleet began to back out into the stream, and for about ono and a half hours one after another of tho well-known fleet disappeared up harbour, and lot go anchor.. Tho only vessels occupying berths are tho warship Pyramus and tlio Italian, ship Loch Garvo. Tho auxiliary schooner Kaeo left her berth at the Albert, Wharf yesterday morning, and joined the ever-increasing list in tlio stream. The vessels of the Northern Company's fleet at anchor are: —Ngapuhi, Mnnaia, Waikatere, Aupouri, Ngatiawa, Waiotahi, Apanui, Waimari, Tnniwha, Chelmsford, Daphno, Tasman, Kanieri, Paeroa, Rptomahana, Gael, Kawnu, and Katiti. On tho West Coast tlio coastal trade is also completely disorand it is probable that some timo will elapso before any vessel crosses the Manukau Bar inwards or outwards. Ships .it Onehimga. , The fleet lying idle at Ouehunga consists of the Rarawa, Claymore, Ilium, and Wcka. S.S. Maheno Comos and Gods. [ The Union Company's steamer Malieno, which arrived from Sydney on Sunday, and subsequently went to an ancliorago in tho stream, was berthed at tho Queen's Wharf shortly after noon to-day. Thousands of people were on the wharf to watch the vessel-bertli, evidently in anticipation of some disturbance, but at 110 timo was't-bere any suggestions of trouble from the strikers. Tho Maheno brought about 700 tons of cargo from Sydney, including about 200 cases of pines, oranges and mandarins. No attempt was mado to hanijlo cargo. Several carriers' carts deposited _ passengers' luggage at tho vessel's side during the afternoon, and it was speedily stowed below. Tho fruit was stacked 011 tho vossel's after-deck, and unless used on tho roturrf voyage will probably be dumped overboard. Tho Maheno cleared for Sydney shortly before 6 p.m. Island Seruloa Coas On. It has now been decided by tho Union Company to dispatch the Tofna for Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, and Sydney at noon to-morrow as_ scheduled. It was decided.by the Union Company to-day to abandon the Navna's projected trip to Suva and Levuka. The vessel was originally timed to sail at 10 a.m. on Wednesday for the ports named, but she will remain at her anchorage'. Nothing has yet been decided in regard to the Monowai. She was originally fixed to sail to-morrow for East Coast and southern ports, but, as far as can be ascertained, sW will not weigh anchor.