THAT CALL TO STRIKE.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1915, 25 November 1913, Page 8

THAT CALL TO STRIKE.

CITY DRIVERS RESUME. RECRUITS FOR NEW UNION; THIRTY-THREE JOIN, The most interesting of the local developments yesterday was tho rush of drivers back to work. It has been known tlia.tr rn;uiy of tlio men—good, steady workers witli homes of 'their own for tite most part—disagreed, and disagreed frankly, with tho decision of tho old Drivers' Union to go out on strike, and, as day succeeded day, and | ~e y saw their jobs boing gradually filled with newcomcrs, tho folly of the stand taken came homo to them with fores. A good many summed up the position last week and picked up the reins. This enabled a good deal of work to be done. Yesterday morning a further contingent of old drivers signified their intention of resuming, and wero at once niado members of tho r.ew Arbitrationist Drivers' Union. Tho firms whoso men returned to work were as follow:— Messrs. J. Campbell, 9; H. Innis, 8: Munt, Cottrell and "Co., <3: Tonks, 6; •J. J. Curtis and Co., 2; J. Moir, 2. All these men wero' members of the old Drivers' Union. The six men who returned to work for Messrs. Hunt, Cottrell and Co. were a section of 17 applicants for work. In tho case of J. .J. Curtis and Co. tho firm had thirteen of its men back at work last week.

"Tho return of tlieso men means," Baid an employer, "that tho striko of tho drivers is practically at an end. They are really a very decent and hardworking lot of men, who have seen all along that they wero being made catspaws of by tho Federation. A lot the Fcderationists caro whether these men lose their employment and luive to break un their homes or not. It is all very well for tho Fcderationists to call strikes. They can pack up and get on to tho next country where trouble is browing, but the men whom they have broken on the wheel havo to bear tho brunt of it." Tho Executive Committee of the newly-formed Wellington Carters' and Motor' Vehicle Drivers' Industrial Union met the employers' representatives yesterday, when an agreement was arriv--6d at under which preference in employment will be granted to tho union, and all members engaged in future by members of tho Employers' Association aro to bocomo members of tho union. Tho executive of tho union passed a resolution remitting the payment of the entrance fee to all members joining prior to November 30.