AUCKLAND TRAMWAY STRIKE.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3504, 5 June 1920, Page 5

AUCKLAND TRAMWAY STRIKE.

HIDES PRICES DECLINE.

COUNCIUS FIRM A'P'I‘ITUDE

AUCKLAND, June 44

El.-tire s‘uspensicn cf the tramway services cont-inued*l'n Auckland to-day. Present indications are that citizens may have to do without this great public conv’enience for a pl'otra,cted per~ iod. No disposition has yet been shown by the City Council on the one side, nor the Tramway Union on the other to endeavour to arrive at at willticn of the present deadioclc. The scrViC€iS. of Mr Halty, Conciliation Commissioner, ‘has been offered in this connection. Only conducifmrs and

Inotormen in the tra.nlw:;._v servi-‘ze are on Strike. None of the other 1:1-a1n~ way employees have folllowed their lead ,nor have any of them ‘ween throxr-.-n out of employment. In the meantime, pending settlement of the dispute, which has deprived them of the :.ra.ln.v., citizens are for the most part walking to work -and accepting the sit:,la‘r.ion with the ibßSt grace possinle. With fine Weather conditions, their unaccustomed exercise is not rendered unpleasant, but should the strike be protracted and the weather change to winter conditions, public incon-zenience will be doubled. Scores of motor vehicles have been placed on the x-o-ad andresidents in the suburbs are pat ronising them freely in spite of the fares charged: wllicb are fa.i.l-ly high. ' The City Council considc.-1-ed {he tram strike to-night, and appointed 3 special committee I'o deal with the matter, with full power to act.

The committee sat iimltediately after the Council meeting, and subsequently issued the follow.in,~.; statement: (1) The Tramway ser-vice has ceased to run on account if a section of the men having refused duty yesterday, and the re’lila'mder failing to take out their cars this morning at both depots; (2) When the men. refu-.s(~:d duty yesterd:ly, or failed to take cars this morning. the Council had no option but to lay up the cars and give 21 week’s notice to other employees affected; (3) The Council must insist on retaining control of the service and cannot resume the service until this position is adequately established; (4) The Council in the meantime is com~ pelled to give a week’s notice to all' traffic and other employees whose services are not needed owing‘ to the stoppage of the trainxmys.

BAD WEATHER ADDS TO" INCONVENIENCE.

AUCKLAND, This Day.

A downpour of rain early this morning, accompagied by a. strong wind, made it exceedingly uncomfortable for suburbanites. A large number were conveyed by vehicies of all kinds, and 3, gl-eat many walked. There is no prospect. of improvement.

ALL-ROUND DROP OF 3d.

WO.RLD’S MARKET INFLUENCE.

PER-\'v'Aß LEVEL NOT LIKELY.

The decline in the price of hides which took place at the sales held in Auckland on Tuesday was referred to by Mr. E. H. Binney, of Auckland. He said it was only-natural that the hide market. here would move in sympathy with the xvol'l(l’s markets. One cause of the most recent drop in prices was the operations in Australia. The :t'reezing works there wete ;»wol-king and this had the effect of‘restraining Australian competition in New Zealand. Consequently operations on the local market were largely confined to the Dominion tanuers. So [far as Auckland was concerned tanners did not operate to any extent at the hide and skin sales. At the last sale no ox hides were sold. A significant. fact about the hide market, said Mr Bin» ney, “is that when prices went up leather advanced to 18d a pound, but now that hides have fallen 9d a pound leather has only been reduced 3d -.1 pound.”

Commenting on the present position, Mr. F. G. Binney said prices on Tuesday showed an all-round decline of .3d a pound, in keeping with the recent drop in Australia. The prime cause of the downward tendency was that buyers for export to America had received instructions to stop buying, this being interpreted to mean that the Americans were expecting lowerzpriees and so werestanding off until matters rightcd iholl]SClVf€’S. “Taldi’m‘g things all round,” he continued, “when the whole position ‘is summed up we must expect a drop’ in the prices for raw nl:ltel'ials. A month or two ago ox hides were selling at 26d :1 pound and calf skins at 5s a pound, and it would be absurd to expect such ridiculously high prices to continue, especially when the cattle market eased. The present prices are 14d to 15d a pound for good ox hides, and 11d’ and Did for cow hides. These are high prices when compared with pre-war quotations, and Tide not think there is airy need for alarm. It is not at all likely that prices will fall to the ‘prewar level.”