THE STRIKES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue III, 6 November 1890, Page 2

THE STRIKES.

The Australian Labour Federation has issued a manifesto to the Queens land Unions recommending 1 the inembe. sto return to work. The opinion is expressed that it is hopeless to prolong the fight. The Sydney Labour Defence Committee have not yet received any information from London about the loan of £20,000. Acute distress prevails among the wives and families of those on strike. There were on Monday several hundred Libom'ers, a large number of th m Unionists, assembled ontsi'le the barricade on the Queen's Wharf Wellington at 8 o'clock. According to irrangement the foremen in ihe service of the shipping companies and the Harbour Board were sta ioned inside the barrier, and the men they selected for employmont wei c called by name and pa-sed through on to the Wharf. ;he preference was given to the free labourers, and on y abuut 15 Union men were taken on. Inspector Thomson, Major Ramsay, and a small fovce of police, were present for the purpose of keeping order, bu . there was uo disturbance of nny kind. The Executive of the Kociety oi Railway Servants has ■•cci led that all hands now out >hou d apply for re-employnv-pt in the service, and bf al!owedt,n sign theCommissi mci's note of agreement with >ut prejudice o their position as Unionists. It was aso resolved to at onco take a bal ot of all m-mbers as to whether the Society's connection with the Maritime Council shall be continued. The Executive state that over half of those who struck have re-ac^epted employment oa the Commissioners" terms. A deputation from the Oamaru Wharf Labourers' Union waited on the local agent of the Union Steam Ship Company on Saturday, and asked that the men be taken on in a body, as they were desirous that whatever work was available ahould be pai ticipatfd. in by all. The agent said the men must app'y individually, and that he had received in structions to that effect. The President of the Bluff Wharf Labourers' Union inte- viewed tli- ■ local manager of the Union Steam Ship Company, and intimated that the Unionists w ro prepared to resume work at the Company 3 steamers, and asked that they be given preference in future The m mager informed him that while he would be glad to employ Bluff men as opportunity offered, it was not to be expected he would abandon in their favour tho free labourers who had come to the assistance of the Com pany in time of th' j ir trouble, and to whom he considered himself pledged. Some of tho old miners at Bni'iner* ton sea cely realise the fact of t'eing unable to get employment in the mines. Many who replied received a blunt refusal.