AMERICAN CABLE MEWS

Hokitika Guardian, 30 April 1927, Page 3

AMERICAN CABLE MEWS

(Australian & N.Z. Cablo Association.] Bit; LOCK-OUT. NEW YORK, April 27. A lockout, covering the whole of the eity, and afleeting ten thousand plumbers aucf their helpers and threatening to bring to a standstill one hundred million dollars’ worth of construe).ion Work now going on here, has been ordered by the Building Trades Employers' Association to-day. as the result of the strike at Brooklyn of plumbers nnd helpers since April Ist, This lockout is designed to bring pressure to bear on the Brooklyn strikers. It is estimated that if the lockout continues for a month, it will throw seven hundred thousand men out of work in other branches of the building industry. The Brooklyn strikers demand, beside wage increases, the following terms:—A three-year contract and a provision that the granting of a wage increase to one local branch of the Union is automatically applied to the workers in other Locals after ninety days. The employers are willing to concede a three-years’ agreement, but the plumbers’ helpers declare that, irrespective of any agreement, they will not return tu work unless their own Union is recognised, and their wages increased to nine dollars per day, wills a forty-hour week, and double time for overtime. DISARMAMENT. WASHINGTON. April 28. The former U.S.A. Secretary of State, Mr Hughes, addressing the American Society of International Lad, of which lie is President, said : “It would be idle to expect a more favourable time for the limitation of armaments than now. Let, paradoxically, the difficulties now mount so high as to appear insuperable. There are several contradictory reasons for this, b appears that a fundamentally compelling sentiment does not exist. First, there are thoso who are so intent on abolishing war that they have no patience with tlie regulation of war. There are others who are satisfied Hint nothing can prevent war. Then there are those who in the desire to abolish war wish to make it as horrible as possible. It would seem clear that you cannot rely on declarations, or resolutions, or papers to prevent war, unless at the back of all these is the triumph of the spirit of reasonableness among peoples, who have ceased to think in the terms of war. This is the habit of peace, which will not he found while the causes of strife still exist—while there are dreams of an extension of power to continue to fascinate, and while nations are so intent on their preparation for fighting that they find it impossible to agree on nnv measure for the reduction or the limitation of their burdensome expenditure on armaments. STOCK EXCHANGE SEAT. (Received this clay at 9.30 a.m.) NEW YORK, April 29. A Stock Exchange seat was sold for 191,000 dollars, creating a new record, this being 4,000 dollars more than ever before was paid. The name of the purchaser is not at present disclosed.