THE BILL

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2382, 11 February 1915, Page 9

THE BILL

WHAT. IT COSTS WORKERS TO'STRIKE winFiitis&wvim DETAILSOF THE BIG STRIKE. In Sew Zealand" it costs a tnanvoror .£3O to go on strike,, and: not in one case in five • does: he-* get- the thing he struck for. •These are icwo -very important facts deducible from a valuable set of figures which the Labour Department has; com- .' piled. The compilation covers the period of the last twenty years, and that in, iihat time workmen have lost, (in wages alone) over half a million of money. Indirectly' monetary losses, of course, cannot be shown. The average loss* in wages every year has been £26,500. • The total number of strikes which occurred in the period was 144, forty- , eight of which were trivial affairs. The men were fully successful in twenty-five | of the 144 strikes, the employers were ' successful in eighty-four, and compromises were effected in thirty-two. Altogether (except in trivial strikes) 17,317 men went out, and the average duration of the more important strikes •was thirty-two das's. _ .. : In addition to the instruction' t contained in these figures there is a good deal to be gathered from the information concerning the last strike of Wel--1 tingtion watereiders, and the numerous strikes arising but of that event. Altogether there were 13,731.men on strike at that, time, and some unions re- '' mained out for three months. :■ The Blackball miners who were .out longer than any other body, lost about £15,000 in wages, which meant between £40 and £50 to each man of them. The Bunanga miners made about the same individual loss, and the Seddonville miners lost £50 each. ..- . ■ . , The Wellington unionists who 1 struck I lost over £50,000 in wages, which represents an average loss.of £15 par Striker. ■ Some lost much more than £15, the Wellington shipwrights, for instance, £40. The whole strike cost, the workers ]£236,000 in wages. ■ Following is a table giving particulars lor the "big general strike. The wages i lost are stated approximately.—

... Wages •No. of Days on lost. Trade. Strikers, strike. . £ •'Auckland bTewere, etc 150 21 900 : Auckland bricklayers 150 21 1,575 carpenters .. 800 21 3,750 miners 474 84 19,600 iHikurangi miners _. 210 56 5,500 .Auckland drivers .... .500 21 3,750 tAuckland cabinetmakers ._ 280 16 1,680 I'Auckland hotel hands 850 23 2,000 Aucklandlabourers 1,000 .23 7,250 .Auckland painters -, 200 14 800 Auckland seamen ..... 400 42 4,000 Auckland timber men 376 ' 11 2,707 Auckland' watersidors 1,000 42 15,000 New Plymouth watersiders 76 53 152 Wellington builders' ■> labourers 310 14 1,600 Wellington drivels -.500 14 2,500 Wellington 6eamen „ 1,000 42 12,000 .Wellington, • ship- • wrights .„ 30 -77 1,200 Wellington watersiders ._ 1,500 63 33,000 Picton watersiders, ... 50 14 65 Nelson seamen ....... 40 42 " 300 Nelson watersides.... 50 56 800 Nelson miners ........ 94 63 3,002 Stockton miners _. 185 63 6,350' Denniston miners- _' 540 63 15,300 Granity miners .„._ 588 63 16,500 Seddonville miners . 80 77 4,000 Westport waieisiders 76 53 2,000 JPaparoa miners ...... ~, 73 79 2,750 Brunher ■ miners ..„_'- 83' 63 2,000 Blackball miners ..„ 354 91 15,000 Runanga miners 347 81 15,000 •Greymouth watetsid- / ..._...>..„.— 200 47 2,750 .'Christetmrch. drivers' 60 28 '576 iXyttelton-watersiders. ■ 450 63 20,250 :Oamara watersiders 75 42 280 Dunedin watersidera 500 42 7,875 Nightcaps miners ... 80 58 , 2,740 Totals. —__. 13,731 — 236,602