TIMBER CRISIS

Hokitika Guardian, 30 January 1929, Page 6

TIMBER CRISIS

GENERAL LOCK-OUT

(Australian Press Association)

SYDNEY. January 29

Tin- timber merchants have sent an ultimatum to all employees, stating tliaL those who fail to begin work at 7.30 a.in. on Thursday morning will he automatically dismissed. MELBOURNE. January 29.

An urgent meeting of the Trades Union Council was held to-day, consequent on the timber mill cmployer.issuing an ultimatum automatically dismissing all of their employees who disobeyed the 18-hour week award. Advice was received from Adelaide and Sydney that the employers wen. taking flic offensive. The meeting decided to continue to resist the award, and also to try to prevent the employers from engaging non-union labour.

The Trades Hall officials at Melbourne estimate that at least eighteen thousand employees in the timber mills of Victoria, New .South Wales, Soutn Australia, Tasmania, and part of Western Australia, will he out ol work on Thursday. The employers estimate that at least thirty thousand mill hands, building tradesmen, and carters will lie idle by the stoppage. TIMBER WORKERS LOCKED OUT. ADELAIDE, January 29. The timber mill employees, who did not heed the 7.30 whistle this morning, found the doors closed against them when they presented themselves foi work at eight o’clock. The men are now claiming that they have been locked out.

JOCK GARDEN’S STATEMENT,

SYDNEY, January 29

Mr Jock Garden, Secretary of the Trades and Labour Council; stated today that the timber workers would not work more than forty-four hours potweek. He added that the men were meeting on Thursday night to discuss their position.