AUSTRALIAN STRIKE

New Zealand Times, Volume XLII, Issue 9788, 11 October 1917, Page 6

AUSTRALIAN STRIKE

TROUBLE WITH SEAMEN ANOTHER SERIOUS DEVELOPMENT. ALL SAILINGS CANCELLED. Jj Tolesrraph—Pres* Association—*Cc>pyTiir n • SYDNEY, October 10. Owing to tho trouble with the seamen at Melbourne, inter-State shipping in all the States Las been rendered idle. All sailings have been cancelled. The wharf labourers have decided not to resume work unless under the conditions existing before the strike. POSITION CONTINUES ACUTE UNION CO. DISCHARGES CREWS OF FIVE VESSELS. Dr Tolcirraph— Press Association--Copyrisjh' , (Received October 10, 9.10 p.m.) SYDNEY, October 10. The shipping position is again acute. In anticipation of it* resumption merchants attempted* to load quantities of foodstuffs for New Zealand and placed large orders for fruit which was loaded ready for dispatch, hut it had to be discharged. The Union Company expected to dispatch five steamers this week, but bad to pay off the crews while awaiting developments in Melbourne. JUSTICE FOR UNJUST STRIKERS SYDNEY, October 10. Addressing, prior to their disbandment, the loyalists who came ro the Government’s assistance during the strike, the Hon. G. S. Beeby, Minister for Labour and Industry, said: 'Wc have established this rule for the future —that large bodies of men cannot strike and a month afterwards claim to conio back exactly as they knocked off. In future the community is prepared to weigh the justice of the position, and if it is unjust, to say to the men responsible for bolding v/) the community that' they have no right to return to the positions they formerly occupied.” NEWS BY MAIL EXTRACTS FROM RECENT NEWSPAPERS. STATE OF’AFFAIRS AT END Ur SEPTEMBER. Australian newspapers which have just come to hand give details of what at the time of publication appeared to he the final stages of the strike. They bring the news down to and including Monday of last week. Following are some items of interest:— THE COAL MINERS OTHER SECTIONS AWAIT THEIR DECISION. SYDNEY - , September 28. The acting Premier, Mr Fuller, commenting to-day on the statements made by Mr Brennan (secretary to the Coal Miners’ Federation) on the Government’s proposals relating to the second shift, said that the only reference to this matter was in the second clause of the terms. ''The employees agree to hold a conference with representatives of the Government within six months to consider whether an arrangement can he made to work a second shift on terms satisfactory to both parties.”, “It seems quito clear,” added Mr Fuller, “that Mr Dreanan i s deliberately misrepresenting the position to prev'ent the men resuming work on Tuesday. There is not one line in the proposed terms suggesting that the Government intends to introduce a second shift.” WHARF LABOURERS REMAIN OUT. . Tire wharf labourers held a mass meeting at the Town Hall this afternoon to consider the position, and at the close the secretary reported that the meeting decided to stand solid. The transport council held a meeting this morning. It was decided to wait and see what action the miners take, with a view of recommending the Transport Federation to take similar action. The work of enrolling miners, seamen, and firemen is proceeding at the National Bureau. A batch of men was sent to Abarmain No. 1 mine today, while additional men were sent also to the Aberdare, Invincible, and South Coast nines. The ship owners state that a large number of old wharf labourers have registered for work under the new conditions. Already there are enough men to give the new scheme a good start, and the ship owners say that next, week the effect of the new organisation will he seen on the wharves. SECRETARY COMMITTED FOR trial. Frank Owens, secretary of the Federated Liquor Trades Employees’ Union, was commflted for trial to-day on a charge of conspiracy with Franci. Frost and others to instigate the employees of Schweppes Limited to strike. SICK OF THE STRUGGLE REPORTED CAPITULATION BY MINERS. SYDNEY, September 80. Evidence is accumulating that the coal miners are. so sick of their hopeloss struggle against overwhelming odds that they would gladly return to work immediately. Right throughout the struggle Ministers have suggested that the miners’ executives do not hold the confidence of a majority of the men, and time and again the executives have boon challenged by the Government to take a ballot of minors on the question of resumption of work. Vvhen a few days ago Ministers, at an interview with the miners’ > representatives, made it clear that not only could the services of the State be carried on indefinitely with the present production of coal by volunteer labour, but that the production could be gradually increased until the normal output was reached, the officials of the Miners' Federation decided that the best way out of the difficulty would bo to refer the whole matter to the miners’ lodges. Messages which were received in Sydney from various coalfields jester-

day indicate that most of the colliery workers will make application for reinstatement during the coming week. The Miners’ Delegate Board sat in Maitland until a late hour on Friday night and decided to recommend the lodges to accept the Government's terras. This recommendation had, already keen considered by several lodges, and Wallsend, Ellermorc, Vale, Lambton, and East Greta lodges are reported to have agreed to start work next Wednesday. The federation officials decline to affirm or deny the report, stating that no information will bo forthcoming until Monday afternoon. Miss meetings of miners on the b'oul'h Coast have declared tho strike off, and agreed to resume work immediately. A similar course of action was decided upon at a mass meeting of members 6f the Western Miners Federation, held at Lithgow. rbe only district where the miners do not regard the delegate board s recommendation with favour is at " es Maitland, where tho men formcr.y employed at Relaw Main, Richmond .Main, Stanford, Merthyr, and Bollbird are reported to have rejected the a latest advices from Newcastle to-night indicate that there is a decided split o» the question of the resumption of work on the Government s terms. The first reports showed that the men were acceding to the recommendation of the Delegate Board to resume work at once, t stated by the federation officers to night that a shgnt majority of the lodges were not favourable to the proposals. The matter is some* bat oborare, and it is not likely that a definite statement of the position will be forthcoming before to-morrow even-“l-ven lodges in the West Maitland district have voted against the acceptnnee of the delegate board s recoinmendation, and five in favour. POSITION INDEFINITE doubt about the toting. SYDNEY, October 1. According to the Government’s stipulations, all the miners who desire to resume work on Wednesday morning should have registered themselves either with the local mine manager or with the Sydney Bureau. From tho latest reports to’band it is evident that a Urge body of men is anxious to re-

sume work, but reports from several fields indicate that^ the position is still indefinite. It is not possible to state whether there will be a general resumption on Wednesday morning. Tho whistles will be blown at the mines that morning, butuntil then it will not bo known to what extent tho industry of coal mining is to be taken up again. The position in the North is still obscure (states a message from Newcastle). It is evident, however, that returns were completed this afternoon, as tho federation officials expressed a desire to get into touch with the act-ing-Promicr (Mr Fuller). Whatever way the voting goes it is now certain that only a narrow margin separates the acceptance and rejection of the delegate’s board’s recommendations that work be resumed, and that tho question of victimisation be left in the hands of the council of the federation. Tlie returns received Up to last night showed that 16 lodges were in favour of resumption and nine against, and while on the surface this appears to indicate a clear majority in favour tho reverse is the case, as the greater proportion of tho 16 lodges are small bodies, while the nine which arc opposed to acceptance are fairly large. Tho rules of the federation provide that a lodge shall have one vote for every 23 members. It is estimated that the difference between the majority and the minority is not more than two or three votes. The executive officers, however, would not confirm this. This morning a few additional returns were received giving a slight majority in favour of resumption. During the afternoon, however, the remainder of the returns were received, but it could not be ascertained whether the position had again changed.