THE SEAMEN'S STRIKE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17688, 28 July 1919, Page 4

THE SEAMEN'S STRIKE.

The cabled news at the end of last week respecting the seamen's strike in Australia prepared us for the intimation, which is made this morning, that the Federal Council of the Seamen's Union has decided to recommend that work shall be resumed forthwith. Even the announcement of a few days ago that the seamen had resolved to fight on until a successful termination of the strike had been reached had a suspicious ring of hollowness about it. It conveyed very distinctly the impression that the more militant among the strikers realised the existence of the need for offering a bold face to the public in order that the danger of a stampede on the part of the majority might if possible bs averted. Those who were responsible for the direction of the strike have now, however, recognised that its collapse was inevitable. Their decision has to be ratified by thu branches of the union before it can become effective, but as the branches were not themselves all favourable to the policy of the strike it does not seem to be very likely that any difficulties will be presented by them to the resumption of work. It is hinted, certainly, that the resentment by the seamen concerning the imprisonment of Thomas Waljsh, secretary of the union, may prove an obstacle to the acceptance by the. branches of the decision of the Federal Council of the union. But it should be clear that nothing would be gained by the seamen if they were to endeavour to make the termination of the strike contingent upon the release of Walsh. The Federal Government would not be in the least likely to listen for a moment to a suggestion that interference by it with the operation

of the law as it affects an official of the union who, as far as wo can judge, was as defiant of authority as he was regardless of the convenience and safety of the community should be a factor in the calling-off of the strike. The Federal Ccmncil of the Seamen's Union has failed so completely with its strike that its own relief at the termination of it will perhaps not he less great than that of the bulk of the people who have suffered from it. The Government, it will be seen, has undertaken that, upon the resumption, of work, it will convene a round-table conference for the discussion of the matters that are in dispute. A conference of tMs nature might have been secured by the union at any time during the past cotiple of months. The only condition which it was necessary for it to observe in order that it obtain the conference was that work should first be resumed. To this condition the leaders of the union offered for weeks a stubborn resistance. They demanded that some of the more important of their claims should be conceded before there should be any conference. They were badly advised, and they have now had to acknowledge the fact. Their acknowledgment has not come, however until the public has been put to an exceedingly heavy loss as a result of their obstinacy.

duction of the coal output will be lesa th.in 10 per cent, and that, as tho Governmont is prepared to see that tho pieceworkers do not suffer any loss in their earnings, tho pieco rates will bo increased to an amount necessary to correspond with a 10 per cent, reduction in hours. Tho terms of tho settlement, so far as they relate to rates of pay, hours of work, and output are not wholly intelligible in the- absence of details in .the negotiations of which wo havo not been advised. Nor do thoy mako clear what is involved in the acceptance of the report of the Sankey Commission. Two interim reports have been presented by that Commission. The report of March last, which was signed by Mr Jnstico Sankey himself and three of his colleagues, was adopted by tho Government at tho time. It was in fulfilment of tho recommendations of that report that the reduction in the minors' working day came into operation on the 18th inat. An instructive effect of the reduction of tho working 'day is provided in a diminution of nearly a million tons of coal in tho output of the mines in Wales in tho first week in which the shorter day was observed. Apparently the agreement for the settlement of the striko contemplates that the miners shall undertake that the output shall generally not be reduced by more than one-tenth through the curtailment of the working day by one hour. We are left, however, to surmise what the Government has, for its part, previously undertxiken beyond tho agreement that there shall be an increase in the piece rates. Mr Justice Sankey recommended, in the report which was submitted last month, that the Government should immediately acquire all coil royalties with compensation to the owners and that after three years it should purchase the mines at a fair price. But if it were intended by the Government to nationalise the coal industry we should have expected a specific statement on the point in our cable messages. In the circumstances, we must assume that it has not committed itself to the scheme of nationalisation, the enforcement of which was tho ostensible object of tho strike. Short though its duration was, the strike has been of a most mischievous character. The criminal indifference to the interests of the State which was manifested in the withdrawal from the mines of the men who were employed in the maintenance of the properties and in tho preservation of them against the dangers' of flooding has lod to a great national loss. Some of tho Yorkshire miues have been reduced to a condition, we learn, which will prevent them from ever being used again, and others will be waterlogged for months. The effect upon industry in general of the tactics of the miners, which have resulted in this deplorable destruction of a national asset, cannot be other than serious.