AFRICAN STRIKE.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1966, 24 January 1914, Page 5

AFRICAN STRIKE.

OBSTINACY OF NATAL WORKERS. ULTIMATUM TO RAILWAY STRIKERS. , MARTIAL LAW BEING RELAXED. By TelccriDh—Press Association—Coorrteht Cap 3 Town, January 22.; The situation has improved at;- Pretoria and Durban, which are the .only remaining railway strike centres.- The men are rushing back at .tlio <.Pretoria workshops. The boilermakcrs, . who hitherto were firm, have intimated.that they arc resuming. ; '■' It is expected that the workshops will restart 011 Monday with a full comp'emeiit. "'"-'i' The Department is unable to take on a number of the lower paid men ■'■■'inthe Durban workshops owing to the engineers remaining out. BUILDING TRADES RESUME.""Johannesburg, January.22:- ■■■■'■ At a combined meeting of the Masters' Artisans Building Trade tho strike was declared off The meeting also accepted the resolution of the masters declining to recognise-any organisation except a union composed entirely of building -trade operatives.V, ■ Martial law restrictions aro being re-, laxed in the Hand area, with ception of part of the East Rand., AN ULTIMATUM Pretoria, January''22:'' :*■ Mr. Burton (Union Minister of Railways) has issued a notice to tho rail-; way men, stating that those not applying for re-employment before noon tomorrow will be treated underlie terms, of tho 1 Railways Act, forfeiting 'their contributions under the Superannuation 1 . Eund. . 1/M'i-v^V BAIN'S BODYGUARD ON TRIAL. . Johannesburg, January,22.*". Seventeen men who formed part" ofBain's bodyguard and prevented tho police arresting him, were themselves arrested when tho police raided the Trades Hall, awl have been charged with committing acts of' disorder, pre-, judicial to the public safety. 1 ■■ ■■■ ■'. They have been remanded to January 27, bail being refused. ■ ' MARTIAL I,AW CONDEMNED. London, January 22. Ibo Parliamentary Committcce of the Trades Union Congress has condemned the uso of martial jaw in South Africa and tho brutal way the military wero used to overawe the workers in the industrial dispute. Sydney, January 23, :-■-■ The Labour Council adopted a resolution condemning the despotic action of the Botha Government in ecyiuectiou with the strike, and urging the douth African workers to finite at the bp Hot box and:replace a Parliament representative of capitalism by one representative of tho democracy. A copy of tho resolution is being sent to General Botha. FOR "SANE UNIONISM." . . RUSH STRIKES CONDEMNED. , Sydney, January 23. Tho Labour Council has issued a circular to unions condemning the tendency to revert to strikes instead of conciliation and arbitration, and urging, "in tho interests of sane unionism, to take 110 actionem the direction of a strike before consulting the council's executive." ' . " (Rec. January 23, S.lo p.m.) Johannesburg, January 22.' It is surmised that the. action of- the body who assumed tiio functions of the Labour Federation in declaring tho strike off until farther nottco i§ interpreted by the authorities in the nature of a threat, owing to tho fact that after the Miners' Association were allowed to open their office in the Trades Hall, the privilege was withdrawn. ■ Pretoria, January 22. A deputation of rnilwaymon asked General Lukin to re-lease tiro strikers who have been arrested. General Lnkin replied that ho could only deal with tho-arrestees under mar* tial law. Later, he informed them that tho Government was considering each case, on its meiits. NATAL WORKERS STILL STUBBORN. (Rec. January 24, 0.20 a.m.) Durban, January 23. At a meeting of delegates to the Natal Trades Federation, it was decided that tho Federation was not prepared to call off tho strike at present, until reliable! infoVmatiori is obtained from the railwaymen at Pretoria. - A further meeting of the strikers will be held to-day to consider tlio position.