WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Hokitika Guardian, 21 February 1921, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

INDUSTRIAL CRISIS. THE EMPLOYERS TAKE A HAND. (Our Special Correspondent). WELLINGTON. I-Vb 18. The long expected crisis on the waterfront has been reached. Yesterday afternoon Mr 11. G. Bennett, the manager of the Waterside Employment Association, addressed the watersidors on board the steamers Durham, Kaioli and Ngakuta .and in the plainest language possible gave them to understand no fresh engagements would be made in the port till assurances of a satisfactory nature had been received from the men, the union and.tile federation that their irritation ‘tactics would cease and that the conditions of the existing agreement would lip observed. Air Bennett gave the men ten minutes in which to make, up their minds on the matter and at that time repented what, lie had previously said, hut there was no response and there were no volunteers for the work to he done after 5 o’clock. IN SUSPENSE.

The shipowners indicated quite clearly last week what they intended to do, and the men are not pretending they have Been taken hy surprise. Their goslow policy and their refusal to work overtime have produced ail intolerable state of affairs, and many of their nilmher have admitted their surprise at Ihe patnent long suffering of the, employ pus. But there have been malign influence about the wharves during the Inst four or five months that never had been present in the same measure before, and though it is impossible to say how far they have affected the tempo/ of tlie great body of the men it is certain they have largely increased the difficulties and perils of the present situation.

THE EMPLOYEES. It is evident, however, that the shipowners are determined to carry the impending conflict through to a definite settlement. The dispute is materially difficult from that of 1913, in that it has a local origin and that a larger proportion of the shipping affected is under outside control. A large number of the vessels engaged in the New Zealand trade could he easily diverted to other spheres of activity and if the trouble promised to he a prolonged one this would he done. The ship owners probably are in a better position to-day than they ever have been before, to face a conflict of this description and no one can blame them if they make their own interests their first consideration. The instinct of self-preservation is the first law of commerce, as of Naturo, and it will have its lull fling. THE PUBLIC. Naturally the situation is occasioning much anxiety. It is predicted that unless a settlement is reached within .the next few days the community will be involved in one of the bitterest industrial conflicts it yet has experienced. Feeling already is running high and the developments of the future no one can foresee. Added to the waterside crisis is the mining trouble. The miners’ demands, including a six-hour day, a five-week and a, minimum wage of .£'(> a week, could not be conceded without enormously increasing the cost of production and are pronounced by those in authority to be unthinkable. Meanwhile the Railway Department has a fairly large supply of coal and other public services are better prepared than they were a year ago, but private consumers, with rare exceptions, will suffer severely if the men push theirs claims as far as they are threatening to do.