AUCKLAND STRIKE

Southland Times, Issue 18842, 7 June 1920, Page 5

AUCKLAND STRIKE

NO SIGN OF TROUBLE ENDING. TRAMWAY SERVICE SUSPENDED. HEAVY RAIN STOPS RACES. (Per United Press Association.) AUCKLAND, June 5. A heavy downpour to-day added greatly to the inconvenience caused by the tramway strike. Queen street was more than usually full this morning, owing no doubt to the influx of people who intended going to the races. Before ten o’clock, however, the races and all sports were postponed. In the afternoon the city ,was practically deserted. Queen street firms report good business, attributed by some to the fact that the country people, once in the city, were forced to shop in the main street. Extra train facilities have been provided to meet the heavy passenger traffic from the suburbs. In connection with the offer of mediation by the Minister of Labour, who asked Conciliation Commissioner Hally to get in touch with the parties with a view to effecting a settlement, a difficulty arises from the fact that the tramwaymen are not working under an Arbitration Court award, but under between the tramways union representatives and the City Council. Mr Hally interviewed officials of the tramway union this morning and the position of affairs was explained to him. The tramway employees to-day were served with notice that owing to the motormen and conductors having ceased work the service was entirely suspended and the department regretted that it had no other course open to it than to give notice to other employees that their services would not be required, as there was no work for them. “You are hereby notified that your services will not be required after Saturday, June 12.”

A copy of the following resolution carried by the Newmarket Borough Council has been forwarded to the Mayor of Auckland: “That the Newmarket Council strongly deprecates the action of the tramway employees concerned in the present strike, particularly in view of the fair and reasonable treatment accorded them during the recent wages dispute and desires to congratulate the Mayor of Auckland on the stand he has taken in the matter, at the same time assuring him of the unanimous support of this Council in any action found necessary in maintaining the efficiency and discipline of the service.” • Other local bodies interested have adopted similar resolutions.

TRAMWAY MEN DISILLUSIONED. OTHER TRANSPORT WORKERS AGAINST STRIKE. AUCKLAND, June 6. There is still no sign of the termination of the strike. None of the motormen or conductors has applied for work during the week end. The Mayor, and the special committee of the City Council set up to act in conjunction with him in the matter, make the following official announcement; “The Council is standing firm in its decision to require that discipline and authority must be upheld and this is fundamental to a settlement.” The Tramway Union and the Auckland branch of the Transport Workers’ Advisory Board, held meetings on Saturday for a further discussion of the situation but no decision was arrived at with regard to future action, the meeting being adjourned. Members of both organisations met again this morning and afternoon, when Mr J. Roberts (National Secretary of the Transport Workers’ Federation), was present. Up to 5 o'clock no decision had been arrived at.

While the tramwaymen are on strike, the jockeys for whom they struck are at work. This situation is unlikely to be altered, judging by the statement made by representatives of the Jockeys’ Association on Saturday. The position seems to be that the dispute with the racing clubs and racehorse owners being sub judicc, the jockeys fear to lose their means of employment, if they join their sympathisers in striking. They will therefore ride at the races to-mor-row and again on Wednesday unless something unforeseen occurs in the meantime to change their attitude. The railwaymen as a body are opposed to the strike and to any idea of joining it. They can see no reason for the strike and none why they should participate in it, or be drawn into the dispute. The Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants is to meet to-morrow morning, but members interviewed during the week-end expressed the opinion that it was quite unlikely that they would recede from the position they have taken up. They stated that it is erroneous to suppose that they are affiliated with the Transport Workers’ Federation. Their only connection therewith they stated was that, their president was also president of the Transport Workers’ Advisory Board. There is considered to be no reason to . believe therefore that any railwaymen in either branch of the service will refuse to take out race trains to-morrow morning or on Wednesday. They say that the jockeys are riding and that the totalisator employees are working, why then should railwaymen refuse to run trains to races. The attitude of the watersider workers is also against actively joining in the strike, unless their hands should be forced by any action of the shipowners. They state that they have obeyed the edict of the Transport Workers’ Advisory Board declaring races “black” to the extent of refusing to load or discharge racehorses on to or from vessels. They are not disposed to go beyond that at present. Similarly the seamen affiliated, like the waterside workers, with the transport federation are confining their sympathy with the jockeys and strikers to refusing to carry racehorses on their ships. In point, it is some tribulation to the tramwaymen that the action of seamen and waterside workers is on all fours with their own refusal to take out race-cars and that while they have lost their positions in consequence, no such fate has befallen the other two bodies of workers.

The tramwaymen would appear, therefore, to be alone in their action and that many of them are realising how' foolish they have been is evident from the remarks by those seen during the week-end. A surprisingly large number are, from all accounts, in the dark as to why they are on strike at all. “We were guided by the spirit of unionism,” said one, “but it looks to some of us as if we had been made tools of.” Another man admitted that in the first stages of the strike some of them thought that the City Council would give way' to them and seek to settle with them on their own terms. They were beginning to recognise now, however, that they' had misconstrued the fair spirit in which the Council had met them in regard to the previous dispute and to be wrong in viewing the new agreement as a sign of weakness. The number willing to continue on strike for the sake of a very doubtful principle, however, was stated to be dwindling daily.