THE PORT OF AUCKLAND.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1908, 17 November 1913, Page 9

THE PORT OF AUCKLAND.

BEHIND 'IJHE SCENES; SHE TACTICS OF STRIKE BOSSES. ILLUMINATING LETTER. IHE DROOP OP THE MILITANTS. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) , •,, AuoKilandi November 16. . It is nineteen)' days since tho waterBide went on strike, though tho unions which responded to tho call for a general strike in Auckland have now been out only a week. Members of fourteen .unions "downed tools", '■ when , the special police took possession'of tho . waterfront, and the number of men out was put down by the strikers as 7000. Since then tho soameii have giv«a notice and left their ships; and other trades , have been compelled' to close down, bringing the total number of. pcoplo out of work-up to 8000. The tramwaymen alone represented an .additional , 700. , It is estimated, howovely that about 1000 men have returned to work.. This : number includes4oo City Council employees, 165 Exhibition workers, 300. hotel and restaurant employees, and a number of carpenters,' drivers, and general labourers. - Employers report, an indication of anxiety on the part of .the men t«-resume-work,-but on the other hand the striko leaders 'deny that there , is any sign of weakening, and declare that the men returning to work are not unionists. '. Strike "Bleeding to Death." An indication that the strike is .blfeeding to death was afforded by a procession of strikers And sympathisers this afternoon into which the Strike Committee brought -every available man. Fottr independent counts wero made of the strikers on parade,, with the following : result:—Strike Committee, 17; Feder- ' ; ated Seafaifen's Union, '376; waterside , workers, 494: drivers, 324;: tramways employees, 148; general labourers, 258; casual employees of Harbour Board, . , 142; carpentfers and Exhibition workers,' V' 112;. timber workers. 60; painters, 60; furniture workers, 44-j hotel and restaur raiit. employees, 104; . bricklayers, 88; municipal employees, .98; brewery employees, 34; stonemasons, 8; engine drivers, 26; news runners, 20j unorganised labourers and sympathisers, ' 83; t0ta1,'.2495.. meeting was afterwards held in Victoria Park, at /which 4000 .spectators were present and addresses 'were delivered. , . The. chairman of- tKe Harbour Board teports that splendid, work has been r uecomplished on' tho waterfront during the past week, and that tho programme originally mapped out for lu-indling the vessels in port ahd' their cargoes has > / been more .than fulfi'led. in extension of activities, consideration, but, even if this is not decided upon, he considers that the authorities are in a . position now to cope with all shipping. iVessels ' carrying urgently ' needed cargoes have now- been dealt with. The 450 Arbitration workers on the wharves have not been increased, but hundreds ; of applications for adinission have been received, and.it. mil .be decided on Mon- • day .whether a'further batch of men will

. be put on. • . . . • • There are no new developments at " .Onehiraga. ,'Coaling Operations on ■ board the Northern Company's steamer . Rarawa were carried on without inter- .... ference. There , are now. 24 men at •" work on v Rimu and Claymore got aWay,' without troubto for coastal ports, Jull crews having been, secured. I Since tfie "resumption .of wort in con- . nection .with the Exhibition, each,succeeding day . has seeii a larger number ;of men return. , Saturday's. activities were carried on by 163 men. Of these 57 aro. regular hands employed by the ' v ' executive—27 ■ carpenters. 5 (painters, . and:2s: gardeiiers and labourers—while tho remainder aro men engaged on'the stalls, being carpenters, electricians, and plumbers! Of the 400' who went , on Btriko 250 are expected to be at ' work to-morrow. ' ■.

How Strlhe-steerers Work. A letter, received by tho Mayor conStainsthe .following 1 "Tho position'in regard to the . Furniture Trades Union and- the strike is interesting. ' A special , : moSting was called to see what . steps ' should be' taken.- First, things were put on a: very firm ' footing as to how they .wanted things to go. The ait was full of strike fever, and it was very, catchi ifag. It \vas n6t long before the 6trike> leaders were holding tho floor, receiving cheer 3 for everything said, but, when pnyono op- " posed to a strike rose to speak, he was quickly cried down, and collapsed into his stricken with nervousness/ It was proposed "' that a secret ballot 1 should be taken. This can bo demanded by two members, and tho proposal was supported bv' 50 members. ! This was cried down, however; and a . show of hands was called, which' was a hard thing to deoide on. Finally a_division was called, which resulted in a. strike boing declared by 06: to 45. The* total number of members_ at tho meeting was 141, but tho union has a membership of

■> 400. This is how the Furniture • Trades Unionj secure a majority in favour of' a strike—a total of 97 have called 304 men out oil strike. . I am quite satisfied that most of tho ■; meli are anxious to return to work. Somo have resumed already, and others aro going back to-mor- • row." How Far May Pickets Co? The Strike * Committee has obtained a legal opinion on what constitutes legitimate The .position was thus stated: It is clear that unions have a right to use oickots during the course of any trade dispute, but such pickets must act lawfully, and. in so doing, thev wiU 1,0 acting It seems that all that tho pickets may do is merely. to obtain and information m-iespcct of "tho striko to thoso workers may- be presumed to be, affected by tho strike. Thero must bo no persuading" or otherwise preventing porsons who so desire from Working- . i Auckland Drivers. , The drivers of aerated water carts in Auckland who aro affiliated with tho General Drivers' Union - verb' called out on strike at the sa:mo time as, all the carters, and as a number tvero opposed to action taken, a meeting was held on Saturday , to consider .a suggestion te take a secret bnll.it on tho question of whether thoy should .remain out or return to work: Seventeen drivers were prosent out of a total number, of <15, employed by the various firms: A motion was promptly put 'objecting to a secret bullrtt, and this \v<is onrnrd against considerable opposition. Subsonnentlv several drivers omoloycd by the Wai AYai Company stated definitely that, they-intended to resume work on Moilday morning. It is stated that the msido hands of at least four of the aerated water factories- havo returned to work. Hotels Closed Indefinitely. Work is proceeding s-teadilv on the Waterfront. Tho Magistrates'have decided to extend 1 , the order for the closing of the hotels indefinitely. There' .are now 160 men employed on the Exhibition contracts. It is expected: that a greater number will bo at work on Monday next.