THE PRESENT POSITION.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1901, 8 November 1913, Page 4

THE PRESENT POSITION.

Matters in connection with tho waterside workers' strike liavo shown no marked change since our last issue. Order has been well preserved. and the working of cargo by Arbitration unionists has proceeded without incident of note. More men wero put on yesterday, and the progress tnado was very.' satisfactory. Tho special constables,* mounted and foot, assisted by thai regular constabulary, kept the ap- j proaches to the wharves ' and pro-; vented any possibility of interference . with the Arbitrationists working cargo. The only aggressive movement by tho Federation, of Labour wa-s in connection with tho calling out of tho crews of tho steamers Moasa and Willoehra, : who will render themselves liable to : a month's 1 imprisonment by leaving their ships. The Moana was on her. way to San Francisco, and the Willoehra was returning from that port. Last evening a hurriedly-summoned] meeting of wlf-constituted, and, in most cases we believe, unauthorised representatives of local trades unions met and passed resolutions lin sympathy with tho strike. This Ho doubt is part of tho policy of the , Federation of Labour, designed to embroil as many unions as passible in the hope, of eventually bringing theia under its sway. As the representatives present were not- authorised by their unions, and their action haß yet to be confirmed, the effect of the meeting lia3 yet to be learned. In any case it cannot seriously affect the situation, except to add a little to the inconvenience that is being caused. Tho impression is gaining ground that the ; Federation is making a last despairing effort, and that the biggest card it holds is bluff. conciliators' have been at work with a view to suggesting conditions of settlement which ' may prove acceptable to the; parties. Mr. HaM/Y, the official conciliator, appears to have found a proposal wmch is satisfactory to the Federation of Labour, but tho details of the . terms proposed have not yet been disclosed. The Employers' Federa-. ■ tion is very firm in the attitude it ha 3 adopted, and in the meantime tho watersiders ean hear the winches rattling and see the cargo dipping into the vessels' holds or soaring up therefrom on its way to ,the wliarf sheds. Tho men reaiiso that tho boasts of their leaders have been falsified) and they are beginning to wonder what they are now fighting for. Presently they will wako up to the fact that they' a,re being kept out of Work and their families forced to endure unnecessary hardship to save the faces of their loaders. What can the watersiders hope for in the end 1 What has legitimate trades unionism to .gain from continuing the struggle? The exports for October fell off in valua to tho extent of a quarter of a million. Mot entirely due to the strike, but partly so. For November there will bo a still heavier shrinkage. So much less money to spend; so much less employment for the watersiders; so much less prosperous times for all classes, All to save the faces of the American and Australian importations who, with a few local mischief-makers, are getting a fat living out of the Labour Union movement. We had almost forgotten to refer .to the exposure made by the captain of tho Athenic of the methods of Mil. W. T. Youfta, who combines tile office of president of tho Federation of Labour with that of secretary of the Seamen's Union, with the result that the seamen dance to tho tune set to suit tho interests of the Federation. The little incident wo refer to will he found in our news columns, and indicates what a truly reckless and unreliable person this Mb. Young is in the matter of stating facts. Tho end of tho strike, wo beltevo, is much nearer than most people imagine, Bluff has its limits.