THE STRIKE.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVII, Issue 64, 15 November 1913, Page 5

THE STRIKE.

UNIONISM DIVIDED. GETTING BACK TO NORMAL Red Feds. Still Confident AT WELLINGTON. UNITED LABOR PARTY MAN!" FESTO. "DON'T STRIKE, MEN!" [Per Press Association.] Wellington, November 14.

The result of the daily deliberations of the Dominion Executive of the United Labor Party appears in a manifesto which has been issued to ah affiliated unions throughout New Zealand. Several prominent members of these unions who have already received it considered it advisable that the manifesto should be made public. The document, which is signed by th< Hon. J. T. Paul (president), and M L. M. A. Reardon (secretary and trea surer), is designated ''The IJnited Labor Party's Declaration on the Present Crisis." It is addressed to the secretaries of the various unions and is as follows: "The National Executive of the United Labor Party has devoted much time and thought to the present industrial trouble. We have made no public declaration on tin crisis. Our'silence has been prompt ed because of our hopes of; and attempts at, mediation. We have a-p proached the Strike Committee ana the executive of the Federation of Labor with offers of mediation towards ;. settlement. We have been repu!?et. out consultation with your executive, An attempt has now been made to in volve the organisations affiliated .ml. the United Labor Party. Our union., have been called upon to strike with out consultation with your cxeciuve, and in contravention of our constitution. In short, a policy of disintegration has been followed,.and your executive and its jurisdiction lias ignored this. That is in keeping with the past policy of disruption instituted I.j the Federation of Labor. We desin to point out that under our constitution the present trouble eoulrl not nave arisen. The constitution of Hie bed eration of Labor has been treated as so much waste paper. Even the pievision in the'rules of the Wellington Waterside Workers' Union for a ballot precedent to a strike iios been ignored. The result is pfcaos, am tends to work irremediato harm tc organised labor. The present figiit is a struggle between the Federation of Labor and the employers. Beginning with a trivial disagreement, the at-' tempt is now being made to involvt organised labor in a general strike. The United Labor Party is opposed tc the general strike as a weapon of warfare. Industrial history has amply proved its failure in other countries, aim there are many additional reasons whj it must fail here. Therefore, this executive strongly opposes any extension of the strike. An extension wiL surely bring further disaster, and ac centuate unnecessary suffering. We declare that the points involved in tin present struggle could, and should, have been settled on constitutional lines and without an appeal to force. xVs a party we stand for constitutional methods, and the present unfortunate disturbance has tremendously strengthened our position as a constitutional party. Our chief and immediate object in issuing this declaration is to urge our organisations and members not to strike. To extend the strike will inflict unnecessary suffering on many individual workers, the cause of Labor, and embarrass the community. We, therefore, urge your organisation not to strike. A full review of the whole facts of the present dispute, and of our proposals for the prevention of similar disasters in the future, will be issued later."

DAIRY CHEQUES ON THE 20th.

Wellington, November II

The delay in shipping produce to England through the strike has naturally caused considerable uneasiness to dairy farmers, who were looking forward to their monthly cheques on account of milk. The Dairyman is enabled to state that should no unforeseen circumstances arises before Monday, the hills of lading covering the AJjhenie's shipment will be in the hands / the dairy companies' bankers on at date, and cheques will be paid on the 20th as usual. The shipment is expected to amount to forty-five thousand boxes of butter, and twenty-four thousand crates of cheese. This is the largest amount of cheese ever carried in one bottom from any port in. \e\v Zealand, and it is rather remarkable that it should be shipped in the middle of a great strike. OUR COAL SUPPLY. Wellington, November 11. Representatives of the Federation of Labor have made a point of the fact in the course of recent speeches that they passess another very strong lever to block the industries of the Dominion, through the stoppage of coal supplies. Almost all tlxa ininew

are now being closed. It is stated on good authority, however, that negotiations are already so far advanced as to practically assure ample supplies of coal from various sources outside ol Australasia (Japan is the country if necessary to meet the possible requirements of such industrial undertakings as have made no provision for supplies and for domestic purposes.

STRIKERS JOINING NEW UNION.

A CREW FOR THE MAORI.

Wellington, November 11

The membership of the new Water siders Union includes 32 members o the old union. \

A crew has been obtained for tin Maori, which resumes to-night, re lieving the Mapotirika, which re-en ters the Nelson service.

ACTIVITY ON THE WHARVES

Wellington, November 15

There was increased activity on the wharves this morning. More 1 vessels are discharging and loading. Carting is uninterrupted. So vend more men from the old Watersiders' Union have joined the new Union.

AT AUCKLAND. HOTELS CLOSED INDEFINITELY. WORK ON THE EXHIBITION. Auckland, November 15. Work is proceeding steadily on the waterfront this morning. The Magistrates have decided to extend. the order for the closing of hotels indefinitely: There are now 160 men employed on the. Exhibition building. The contractors expect a greater number on Monday.

AT OAMARU. NO NEW UNION. Oamaru, November l-">. The watersiders' meeting last night decided by a three-to-one majority not to form a new union under the Arbitration Act. Some claim they will lose 3d per hour if they go back under arbitration, but this lacks confirmation, AT LYTTELTON. "UNDISGUISED CONTEMPT.'' Lyttelton, November 15. The Union-has replied to the employers' ultimatum, referring them to the executive in Wellington "who have our unbounded confidence. We are not out simply in loyalty to our fellowworkers in Wellington, but to show our undisguised contempt for the Arbitration Act."

JOTTINGS. At a meeting of the members of the Wellington Drivers'' Union yesterday morning the following resolution was carried (by secret ballot), by 287 votes to 35':—"That this .meeting of drivers is of opinion that the conditions under which the drivers are asked to work are still so abnormal and unsafe that work be not resumed until the establishment of more normal conditions."

Following on the action of the president and secretary of the New Zealand Waterside Workers' Federation, n# previously telegraphed, the members of the executive assembled in Wangamvi and a full meeting was held yesterday. The following resolution was unanimously carried : "That the affiliated unions of tlie New Zealand Waterside Workers' Federation be instructed to recognise the unions whose registration under the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration of Industrial Unions." It was further decided to give the nomination of Mr J. A. McCulloch as the employees' representative on the Arbitration Court the full support of the Federation. A further batch of seventeen special constables, with horses, left for Wellington by this morning's ton o'clock tram. Advice has been received by Mr Penman, manager of the New Plymouth branch of the Northern S.S. Company, that the Rarawa cannot be manned at present, but it is intended that the vessel,shall leave Onehunga, for New Plymouth, on Monday afternoon, arriving early on Tuesday morning. Mr Pearson also received word from Wellington that the S.S. Kaiapoi is, early next week, to bring to New .Plymouth the cargo for Taranaki thai, has been accumulating in Wellington for the past three weeks.

Thus the Dominion :—"The Federation of Labor is a cancerous growth which has been eating into the vitals of legitimate labor unionism as well as threatening the healthy development of the industries and trade of the country. Those unions which are

assisting it in its present wanton attack on the public are merely assisting that evil growth, which if not checked must eventually end in their succumbing to its malign influence."