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DIARY OF EVENTS

AUGUST 11---SEPTEMBER 4 i By Telegraph.—Press Association. Auckland, September 10. The following resume' of the Australian strike is supplied by the Sydney agent -• of the Press Association:— August 11.—Seamen walked out t>f inte'r- : Stato steamers, the overseas, and some ■'■' : of the coastal vessels being thus affected. No trams ran from Saturday afternoon .to Monday morning. The Strike Com- ' inittee announced that a conference with ' tho food-producing and distributing agents x - had decided against general strike at present. The conference declared all wheat,

, aid flour arriving by train "black." The Newcastle wharf workers joined tho „»«• —'strike, and also South Coast coke workers, .despite an appeal to supply fuel.for tho munitions factories, -12,000' are idle -':.-■■■' at Newcastle. It is estimated.that 51,008 idirectly. or indirectly at'e affected. "August 13.—The lumpers refused to coal / any of the ships, including the trans- : ports. ■ The ship painters, dockers, and . employees at ; Newcastle steel works struck. The wharf labouyens at Fre- -. mantle refused to handle flour- for export to certain ports. The Victorian n'harf labourers-declared a strike throughout the Victorian ports, and all ship- : ping was suspended, the men permitting loading,and dispatch of transports only. '-:■.-.'' llr. Hughes declared that'tlio Government would load' the ships. In Queensland all the seamen and'firemen came out. .. August 14.—Five hundred volunteers ■were enrolled, as many moro i being . held in reserve. Tho unloading of interState and coastal steamers commenced nnder polico guards. The president of . the Railway .Traffic Association returned .• ito.- work as a protest' against the carrying of : the I.W.W. ban- , 3ier, and .the singing of , I.W.W. ■' hymns in strikers' processions. A number of railway 'guards and others resumed work onJ6imilar grounds'. The strikers disavowed any connection with V the 1.W.W., and declined to allow it to partecipate- in future parades. A notifies-

ticn issued ..formally dismissed all rail-

.-. way,.and''tramway employees' still on V strike on the ground of misconduct. The Commonwealth Government appealed to : " loyal-citizens for-co-operation, and to loyal unionists to resume within 24 . Hours. The State Government-' commandeered motor vehicles and motor boats. Tho engineers, fitters, and labourers in the..naval establishments at . Cockatoo Hnd Garden Islands and Morfs Dock joined-' the.- strikers. Tfip vice-presidont . of tho Seamen's Union was arrested on a ' '"charge of conspiracy. The men guarding •wheat 6taoks in' various parts of 'tnc Commonwealth left work. The Lithgow ironworkers struck, and the-works were . .closed, making altogether 7000 out in the district. ■ - ; August 15.—The Strikers' Defence Committee agreed to take a ballot of railway and tramway men as to whether they should return, to work on the_ Government's or the Defence Committee's terms. Mr. Fuller (Acting-Premier) r g. jected the proposal as one-sided and gro- '■'. tesque, declaring that it meant that men should ballot as to-whether the card system should be abolished or not. The ferry hands decided "not to, strike. The Sydney slaughtermen'struck. The Strike '.' Committee advised them to resume, but when they offered their 'services they Vere told that their places had been filled. Anguat 16.—The tally clerks,refused to check- fruit cargo by a New : Zealand "' steamer, and, volunteers replaced them. ; The'number of idle vessels, are daily increasing. It is estimated that- at SydrJiey, Melbourne, and Brisbane over one .' Vhundred thousand tons are held up. Not"•able defections from the strikers' ranks .occurred... : ' " \ August 17.—The strike was seriously in- - terfering with shipping at Melbourne, in- • eluding the loading of transports. Clerks and volunteers were unloading some ves- . sols but the wharves wore congested. In Sydney, besides the clerical staffs, 800 ; . u/nntry volunteers were assisting m the unloading of the ships. Many cartes '.- h'd.'l'reEt'iued work by this tima. A total • or 38 inter-State vessels were idle, the , tonnage ■ being 124,133. A » deputation representing the. tramway and railway? ~ men connected with .the Orange Lodge . attempted to arrange a settlement with Mr.Tfuller, and even suggested returning under the card system. Mr. Fuller answered that he coujd not alter the ; .Government's decision. The strike had . broken as far as the tram and rail services were concerned.; '..August 20.—The Newcastle Defence Committee passed a resolution in favour of a general 6trike embracing the whole -■' of the Commonwealth. The Premier announced that sufficient volunteers were available. Counsel, on behalf of the Railway Commissioners, applied for a recission of awards and the cancellation of , the registration of the striking Eailway / and Tramway .Unions. He disclaimed any Intention to roduco wages or attack unions. He only , desired to bring it • liome to the men that they must not ■ .allow themselves to be led into conflict with the jaw. The hearing was adjourned. Tho Broken Hill miners struck notwithstanding that the Defence Committee , had exempted the Barrier district, and decided not to resume work till the strike leaders were released, also to pay- no rent during the currency of tho etrikc. • Seven thousand men are now idle, 'ihe coalminors, angered at the Government's action, declare that there will be no settlement so far as they are concerned till the legislation permitting free labour jn the mines is repealed. Three hundred employees of the Colonial Sugar Rchuery struck over the question of an award. Commissioner Fraser addressed fifteen hundred of his employees and solemnly promised that there was no intention to introduce the Taylor or any jthei- bad' American card system' cr ijieed-up. ' The change was merely to secure more olficient organisation of the ' workshop's. He reiterated his previous promises nnd disclaimed any idea of vic- ■'• timfan'tinn. Further conferences of the J-'irike Committee with Commissioner .' ']■':•:..■*■ iirovsd futile. , . \wn=t " I —Over 2009 volunteers were - v ',..■?..,.' n ", 'I-ie wharvs and elsewhere. •J'Sie' iliTciiant Service- Guild decided to

assist tho Government in any capacity. A good number of coastal vteamers are running; A butter famine and shortage of sugar and salt are the chief- disabilities:. - Otherwise the conditions in the city are now largely normal. The full tram service is restored, and over 2000 tram and railway men have resumed their places, while 1900 others have been replaced by volunteers. Surfacemen and ot'hers are keeping the coal mines in order. Steps have been takon to prevent the flooding of the pits, and the Commonwealth Government has taken control of all .the available coal. Augus't 22.—The miners refused an ultimatum to return to work, and the Government issued a proclamation taking possession of all the coal mines in the State. The Broken Hill Labour Council has called a general strike in the Barrier ■ August 23.—The Industrial Court has cancelled the registrations of tho Railway and Tramway Unions involved in the strike. Numbers of public works and factories have been closed. • August "24.—The use of gas for shops, restaurants, hotels, and boardinghouses has been prohibited. Including those who remained loyal, and the men returned to work, over twenty thousand are now working on the railways and tramways. The first serious disturbance of the strike occurred at Broken Hill, and large drafts of South' Australian and other police had to be sent thither. The crowd attempted to rescue a prisoner, and made a raid on the police station. The police charged with their batons and' scattered the crowd, and arrested nine men. Other crowds visited some of. the mines, doused the engine fires, and forcibly removed the engineer. Hundreds of women have offered their services in any capacity, and men are offering freely to enter mines. A fleet" of colliei'3 wit!) scratch crews is now bringing coal for urgent requirev.ients'. August 25—Tho railway services have so greatly improved that the-commission-ers are able to give an hourly sorvice up to 11 o'clock at night on the suburban lines. Mr. Buckley, M.P., who had taken a prominent part in strike matters, was arrested-on a; charge of conspiring in sedition. The president of the Sydney Branch of the Amalgamated Engineers made a significant- statement, in which ho said he'would' bring about a collapse of the strike as far as it related, to ihe great body of the men. Ho was not concerned with the merits of tho card system, but the skilled craft unions would l never return to the shops under tho threat of the leash. The employees of the Riverstone Meat.Works broke from the union and.decided to resume. A Federal Order has* closed all licensed premises in Broken Hill and Port Pine. The Broken Hill strikers have appointed a committee to keep order. August 27—The bakers have decided against a strike The district locomotive men have decided against' a resumption of work. Nearly 1800 women have volunteered. ' There liavo been resumptions and other developments. Over 300 railway and tramway meii have resumed work, despite, meetings of tramway men of various depots to continue the strike. Brisbane, August 27.—The Government has sent an ultimatum to the northern railwaymen that they must resume on Tuesday or be dismissed. At Mackay and Cairns the men have resumed. The Railwaymen's Union have declared all goods coming over the New South Wales border "black," and'refused to handle such goods. Melbourne,.August 27—The Wharf Labourers' Union has decided to continue tho strike. Seven hundred employees of tho South Melbourne timber yards have refused to handle timber unloaded by non-unionists. Tho Carters' Union has decided not to touch goods handled by volunteers.. • ■ -

Adelaide, August 27—The Port Firie men have decided against a, strike. Sydney, August 29.—Mr. Fuller has made an announcement that the Government is in possession of evidence showing that long before tho card system was introduced a scheme-'was secretly originated for holding up the whole of Australia by means of a' general strike.' J. he scheme came off months before the secret strike committee 'was ready, owing to the impossibility of controlling the "redrag" element. A masß meeting of tiarowaymen has resolved not to resume until ordered back by the Defence Committee. Melbourne, August 28—The whole of the timber mills in the metropolitan area closed to-day, throwing idle 3000 men. It is estimated that altogether 14,000 men are now out. Cabinet has notified that unless tho miners return to work by Monday next they will permanently close the State Coal Mines. . Launcestou, August 28.—The waterside workers at Burnie have struck, necessitating the closing of tho harbour works. Sydney, August 29.—The tram and suburban train services have become almost normal; nnd the country services are steadily improving. An attempt was mada to blow up the Silverton Tram Workshops, but otherwise Broken Hill was quiet. The Government has. commandeered all the collieries. The first cargo from the pits 1o be worked by the Government has arriv«d. Two piers of the Wallarah Jetty, where the Government is shipping its coal, were damaged by an explosion. The perpetrators escaped. Eleven .hundred strikers have resumed during the past two days. A secret' ballot of railwaymeu at lownsville decided to resume. ' _ _ ■ August 31.—Another-collision occurred between the police and the strikers dur-' in" a demonstration in favour of cheap food outside the Federal Parliament. The police dispersed the... crowd with their batons; six persons were arrested, including Adela Pankhurst. Brisbane, August 31— The Premier (Mr. Kyan) has announced that the northern railwaymen have resumed work, and that the- conditions are - now normal. Shots were fired at a train 1 near Carcoal, but no damage was done. The volunteer settlers' camp wa-i fired on, but no injury was done. Arrests were made. The executive of the Australian Workers' Union, the largest labour organisation, has decided to remain neutral in the, strike. September 1.-Soven hundred gas workers struck. Within a couple of hburs Hie majority.were replaced by volunteers, and the gas production continued, but tho supply was further restricted at night. Increased coal supplies arrived from tho Government-worked mines. Two

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19170911.2.51

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3187, 11 September 1917, Page 6

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,914

DIARY OF EVENTS Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3187, 11 September 1917, Page 6

DIARY OF EVENTS Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3187, 11 September 1917, Page 6

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