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Otago Daily Times, Issue 17686, 25 July 1919, Page 4

The seamen who are on strike in Australia havo, we axe told by cable, decided "to fight , on to a successful conclusion." Tho method they propose to utilise is that of which the people of Australia have had bitter experience for the past nine or ten weeks. It is to force the community to submit to such distress as will induce the shipowners, out of consideration for those upon whom the suffering caused by the strike falls, to say that they will submit to_ any demands rather than that the miseries of the public shall continue for a day longer. That is in .reality, the long and the short of the -whole matter. The strike has had the effect of cutting off the means of livelihood of scores of thousands of people who -were engaged in industries that have been paralysed by the suspension of the coastal shipping traffic in Australia. The longer the strike is carried on the greater must be the extent of the -unemployment Inevitably it is by the poorest people that the hardships which result from this dislocation of industry are most acutely felt. While they are thrust dut of their employment they find that the cost of the necessaries of life is steadily mounting up against them. They have been reduced, in thousands of cases, to dependence upon charity for the sustenance of tiheir families and themselves. But this is a circumstance that weighs so lightly with the promoters of tho seamen's strike that the fight is to l>e carried on to a successful conclusion. It is only; through a fight, in which distress is inflicted on working men and working women and tiheir children, that the seamen hope to achieve their end. For they have definitely rejected the idea of negotiation upon their demands. The claims which have been put forward by the seamen in Australia have been varied from time to time. In their latest form they have been epitomised as follows : — An increase of 55s per kinar month. An eight-hour day at sea, and a sixhour day in port.

Np Sunday work in port; only strictly 'navigation work on Sunday at sea. Extra day's pay for work on holidays. An extra payment of 15s each seaman for work on Sunday and holiday excursions. Extra pay of Is a day for deck hands and Is 6d a day for stokehold and engineroom hands in tropics. No night watch in port. One cloar day olf in home port every month. Provision of bedding, blankets, sheeting, and eating utensils (other than tinware) by tho shipowners. Application of Commonwealth Seamen's Compensation Act to all vessels on Australian articles; insurance guarantee of £500 to be paid to next-of-kin of seamen dying in service. Until soaman is returned home, and . cured and made fit for work, wages during sickness to accrue. Fumigation and painting of crews' quarters every 12 months. Application of Navigation Act of 1912 (accommodation of crew) to all vessels owned or controlled bv associated steamship owners within six months of date of proposed agreement.

A few of these are claims in respect of which, if they were advanced separately and not as a part of an indivisible demand, a settlement might, we imagine, be effected readiV enough by direct negotiation with the shipowners. But negotiation it. foreign to the plan of the promoters of the strike. The effort has been made more than once to remove the dispute into the Arbitration Court—a tribunal at the hands of -which the seamen have received considerable benefits during the past few years. This effort has, however, completely failed. The federal executive of the Seamen's Union will consent to the reference of its claims to tho Arbitration Court upon certain terms only. And these terms are of such a nature that the acceptance of them, by the shipowners would amount in effect to a surrender to the strikers. Trrc latest attempt to bring reason to bear on the strike leaders was made on the 7th inst., when a compulsory conference between representatives of the seamen and the employers was held before Mr Justice Higgins, of the Federal Arbitration Court. At that conference, Mr T. Walsh, secretary of the Seamen's Union, demanded the concession of a six-hour day in port, the stipulated increases in waeres and overtime rates, and compensation for sickness \ and accident, as a preliminary to tho resumption of work. Not unless these demands -were conceded would the ships be manned. Mr Justice Higgins repeated a previous offer of his to refer the dispute into court for conciliation and if necossarv an award on such subiects as the parties would aqTeo upon, the agreement and awp 1 to be mode retrospective to the time of resumption of work. The federal executive of the union, however, refused resumption of work until the throe points wern conceded. This disposed of any possibility that a settlement might bo effected by negotiation. The seamen's representatives evidently required an admission of

tho snocess of direct action as regarded their principal claims l»foro they were prepared to submit to arbitration respecting the Icgs material claims. Tho suggestion that Bomething more than tho intor-eate-ei ti>a.saemon-» Mxvohred m-tho-strike

is made by the Argus. It bases tho suggestion on the personnel of the representatives of tho seamen at tho compulsory conference. The names of the representatives wero: Messrs P. Lo Corzru (president), T. Walsh (secretary), Jdhn O'Neill, C. Burko, H. Dooley, P. Walsh, J. Kiely, A. O'Neill, and J. Casson. " They indicate," tho Argus comments, " that tho seamen are being used by the Sinn Peincrs, who liavo by intrigue gained control of tho unions and are now using them for their own special ends—the first of which is the overthrow of government in the commonwealth and the snbstitution of tho rule of Messrs Walsh, O'Neill, Dooley, and Co."