INDUSTRIAL UNREST.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 76, 26 March 1912, Page 6

INDUSTRIAL UNREST.

THE ENGLISH COAL STRIKE. (By r ” Telegraph.—Copyright.) (United Press Association.- ,■' •> •' i- 1 "' '■ London, March 25. Addressing five 'thousand miners at Castlehead, Herbert Smith, president of ; the Miners’ Association, said pi at no Tory Government could introduce a worse niil. 'mcy were not- goiixg to mark time to the tune of five shillings per day. The meeting resolved that the schedule must be incorporated in the Bill. Ramsay Macdonald, at Bradford, denounced syndicalism, Ahich opened the door to the worst form of reaction. The minimum must be inserted in the Bill, he said, if the strike is to be settled. Jowett, at the same meeting said, that if the military were called out it was their duty not to shoot. They wore enlisted : solely to fight a foreign foe, and not to snoot an unarmed crowd of fellow-countrymen. Albert Stanley, . speaking at Stoke, said that a short, sharp period of suffering was better than the masses grovelling in poverty and distress while a few made millions.

J. Thomas, at Newcastle, said that the coal strike was not the restilt of • syndicalism, which was horrible to contemplate, and would assuredly lead to disaster. The workers agreed with Sir E. Grey and Mr Balfour that the right of the minimum couldn’t be -confined’ to the miners.

Mr Thomas, interviewed, suggests that'the Bill should he withdrawn until the strike ends. The masters and men of each district in South Wales are voluntarily agreeing to an all round minimum living wage of five'shillings for adults, except for old and infirm, and two shillings for hoys. Three hundred colliers at Chirk, North Wales, have returned to work. There have been a' number of accidents, several of,them fatal, through; members- of the unemployed getting coal from the outcrop of the seams in various districts. One man was killed'and nine injured at West Bowling, Bradford. The miners haV© lost- 23,000,000 working days and £5,850,000 in wages. Other trades have lost 12000,000 days and £2,350,000 in wages. The daily loss of wages is now £700,000. >.

The masters in South Wales explain that the. two shillings minimum to hdy&'-is a' - small matter, but that the five shillings to adults is important, as the fill the tuts Avith’ Tuhliishi ” The 'dem&hd- isTeally: levelled to secure the raising, of the wages'-of skilled day labourers, as the latter afterwards will demand that the present margin between skilled and unskilled should be preserved. Many hewers are only paying their adult assistants 3s 6d, The Daily News states that there are powerful groups of Liberal and Conservative employers in the House of Commons favouring the ! delay , as the best means of breaking the Miners’ Federation and countering the menacing'demand Tor more wages in all industries.; t s3ie present .;T)bril { is the crisis,' which may unite the Con-servative-rand" Liberal employers of the House of Commons against Labour, which may‘be disastrous to the peaceful handling of the now urgent wage problem.' ' The Times states that the Government intends passing the Bill whatever the conference decides. Professor H. S.- Jcvons states that the strike) is costing the nation ten millions weekly. ARREST OF TOM MAi> T N. London, March 25. Demonstrations at Manciitsier, Salford," Liverpool and Glasgow have been held, protecting against the arrest of Tom Mann. • SERIOUS STRIKE RIOTS. , Paris, Mardh 25. In a fight between'taxi-cab strikers and workers, twelve were serioiisiy wounded, and one has died. THE AFTERNOON SHIFT 1 . . Sydney, March 25 A new development has occurred in the situation at Newcastle by the Caledonian Company agreeing to abolish the afternoon shift at. the Aberdaro and Aberdare Extended mines from Saturday next, . ' , LABOURERS’ UNION. Auckland,, March; 25. Mr Gohns, Inspector of Factories', has commenced an action at the Magistrate’s Court against the Builders and Contractors and General Labourers’ Union of Workers, claiming £2OO penalty for breach of award by instigating, aiding or abetting an unlawful strike by members of the union, who, at the time of the strike, were bound by an award affecting drainage works in Auckland. It i; alleged that members of the union employed by Moody, contractor, after working several days or hours, refused to return to work unless the system of co-operative work or sub-con-tracting was discontinued on the work being carried on by Moody and other employers, such refusal being due to an agreement between the workers and the union to compel the employers to agree to the demands made. UNION AT WHANGAREI. Whangarei, March 25. A union has been formed in Whangarei embodying all workers not attached to any such organisation. A start Avas made with 53 members, and it is expected that this will be increased to 100 by April 12, when !:Innext meeting will be held to consider whether to register under the Arbi-

tration Act or the Trades Union Act. A resolution was pptfsed that the meeting protests aga’-tfist the action of the Auckland City >Council in infusing to recognise thctpviof.iplcs of unionism and v-'ss to the Labour candidate for |ffi^Mayor:iity. ALTERATION or.SUITS. Palmerston!, March 25. At the Magistrate’s fG|urt to-day, Millar and George and Davies, Ltd., were charged with paving employed a tailor to do tailoring v.oik on other than their own promises, thus committing a breach! of .•.notions 15 and 16 of the tailors’ Ward. U was pointed out by counsel that Davies Ltd. had their factory;*! Xellingto.i and sometimes when a suifceame from Wellington and required filtering, the local manager sent it to a local master tailor with a registered factory. Millar and George also sent order for suits to be made tip in Wellington, and at times when alterations were needed the suit would hc T scrit to a local master tailor. Mr Culver, local Inspector of Awards, who brought the case, said that a suit should be puichased and if any alteration 'was subsequently found to be neptsriary the purchaser should himself thave the work done. The purchaser should take the suit from the shdp%eper fit or no fit. His Worship; reserved judgment. ! ( i ) ’ . \ HOTEL EMPLOYEES’ DISPUTE. • . Rotorua, Mpeh 25. A conference between tbcUhotel proprietors and employees amicably decided on an award governing hotels for the next three years. There is a slight increase of wages throughout. MUNICIPAL CARTERS. (Received 26, 9.50 a.nr.) 'Adelaide, March 26. The municipal carters are’.striking. They demand 12s 6d per day. The Council is unwilling to more than 12s. Scavenging and f-trebt watering are seriously interfered; with. 1 |t MOTOR-CAB STRIKE ENDED. (Received 26, 9.15 a.-m-j ’ London, Stitch 25. The British motor cab strike has ended, but Sir G. Ask with’b decision is awaited certain points. THE POWER TO STRIKE. • , _ 311011-p,; t! ; (Received 26, 9.20 a.m.) Sydney, March 26. A conference between ' thfV Assembly and i the Council on the! Saffiitration Bill discussed the claps® relating to preference to unionists. The Council eventually agreed the the inclusion of preference provided that where a declaration of preference is made in favour of a union srich preference can be cancelled by '-tW Arbitration Court in the event ofrh substantial number of ' being strikers or aiding a strike.',

y'-- If numbers; strike the. .'.Court ;faay •susps-nd, .the declaration Ifor any period. A new clause was added?enabling the Minister to constitute a?,’Conciliation Committee for. any occupation, other than mining, employing* more than 500 persons. -.1 The Assembly then agreed l ; to the Council’s other amendments; taking away the right to strike.