Strike in Wellington

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 183, 1 February 1912, Page 5

Strike in Wellington

■«" TRAMWAYMEN GO OUT. - > i si ORDERLY PROCEEDINGS. /■s» RUN ON BICYCLES AND BRAKES! 'fM By Telegraph—Press AasocJatian, - %*n Wellington, Last Night.- AgS Shortly before 1 o'clock to-day retary of the Tramway Employees' Union ;*§§ (Mr.. A.. ( Sutherland) came to the train- '.*! ways head .office: in Han is street, and '~3 left with the electrical engineer arid Oil tramway manager (Mr. Stuart Richard*'* 1 son) a formal notice from the executive -j| of the union that the cars would be held 1 ' J up between 2 p.m: and 4.30 p.m. this af««/i| ternoon. Tho letter contained an ear '£ quiry as to where the manager would ! % like the cars to be put in the event ot "** a resolution to leave work. The engin- A eer, prior to the arrival of Mr. land with the document notifying tht'yj holding up of the cars, received a com' , 1 munication from the union secretary, by i I telephone, informing him of the proposal f to stop the cars for the period named. • "'j Mr. Richardson formally eniered and, recorded an objection to the course .pro/ j posed by the men. He replied that lie' >\ did not recognise the right of the men .V| on any pretext whatever to- leave -duty,,, J It would be entirely without authority, '.J and would come within the'nature of ft ''"A strike. With regard to the. place he ,-$ wished the cars to be jeftin the event of *4 the men persisting in their.unlawfulprocedure, he informed Mr. Sutherland-th'a'hP he desired the cars should be returned? Ms! to their respective sheds. , -'■■ M The Acting-Mayor (Councillor J r . S .J Smith) was with Mr. J. R. Palmer (iofn ,"{ clerk) the greater part of the J!t and an informal meeting of a few coun* cillors took place,in one of the rooms of the Town Hall. Councillor Smith went *S home before the arrival of the message 4*B from the Tramways- Union secretary, m notifying the..'intention to hold up the "* ears. : : J

It is understood an emergency meet- ■''!{! ing of the City Council will, be called to- - '<M gether soon to discuss ways and means.. «l A report on the situation and the possi-'' $8 bility of maintaining a limited service to . f outlying districts will then, it is believed, 'M be placed before the. councillors by the % management: The -service may he aajd M to contemplate a few cars into "town in' '{M the morning,, an attenuated city time-- r\f table, and probably some cars out of A-JB town back to the suburbs. Some effort ~ ,'ff wilkprobably be made to maintain the! Oil skeleton of a service on these Jines, with,''- -'■* such assistance as the management ntay.i: ..'if procure from volunteers and their own\ : I staff. ' UK

There has been an extraordinary run-'-'i 1 ,! on .bicycles'in view of the strike. firms in town have .orders for the' of bicycles booked up. foj three these, mostly from people who live hr.the* ; •« suburbs. .persons have &]ao- ax-: .'-M ranged for the running of expresses from i 's| .various points' to the city in the event. •! 3 of Jhe -cars ceasing running for anyS',.'t£l length of time." i , ; V^| There are forty-two taxi.motor-cars'/'!s licensed in the city, and there is in -dition about 430 other private motor- ye- /'"s| hides, which no doubt at a pinch- nught ;,'*?! be, pressed into service. .':, IS / By 2 o'clock thjs afternoon many ./% people were anticipating some excite?* -JjJ nient, and groups stood at strategic"" Jg , points on the main route lines with eyes ' -a 'interestedly fixed on the cars making : northwards at Lambton station. The '}s cars quickly piled up on Mulgrave street,' Thorndon esplanade and Waterloo quay. .:9| A crowd was there chatting and smpking "SJ and watching the movements of conduc-' tors and motormen, who were indifferent ; t'j to the curiosity which they were excit- ."J ing. They stood about in clusters wait- ' ;j ing for a '"quorum - " for the meeting at ' <| the Trades Hall. Members of the Trades - 'Jj£| Hall and Labor Council could be seen. \f» here and there in conversation'with the V| tramway men. Some of these appeared. . | to be in a merry mood, though a feeling f*| of tenseness was in the air. The men ifj§ generally wore an expression of confi- ,?g| dence, partly based, no doubt, on the ■*| measure of support promised by the tjvo ~ "*J . rival labor organisations, "The New Z&,- ; * land Labor Party" and,"The New Zea.-,. ■'" land Federation of Labor." ' »>\ Steadily the cars came in, and none. ' i went out. The' army of the' men •In ~...; blue serge increased from minute to min-' ■ '/jij j ute, and the eager, interest of the crowd' ' i grew more noticeable. Shortly after 1-8 ''J o'clock the men filed into line and pri&r ceeded to "the Trades'' Hall; aecompan- ' 4 4 ied by several union 1 secretaries and about six- hundred people. As they passed the Govertiinetit Printing! Office ,'4i they were cheered by the men. They $J were also cheered as they passed' the- ''])& wharf laborers' waiting room. The pro- ■ -'-If cession was quiet and orderly, and prac- -' >$ tically no remarks were passed by the '.a tramways men. , -. ) 5$ At the Trades Hall were gathered. The Smeri- files it without* demonstration- to "thV room. After the men had assembled 'in!/*«jsji the Trades Hall it was found,that tJwSs&i room was too small to accommodate parties interested, and they went body to the King's Theatre. . ;," >"fflE In the course of discussion the presi-* I H ; CT dent of the union strenuously, exhorted the men to observe orderly conduct./ \'f;'4\ The deliberations were not open to the press. £m

OTHERS TO BE CALLED OUT. ;m| PARALYSING THE CITY. ')§, Wellington, Last The strike committee, which consists of >,Jg the secretary of the Tramway Uniom and .. J| representatives of other Jabor organisa- •? m tions, in an official statement following ! *S the meeting this afternoon, states that the power-house staff will cease at mid- -J3 night to-night. They have derided that ij no coal shall -be carted for the poww * 1 station or other corporation departments,' ,--ts including electric light, destructor, and supply of current for industrial purposes. ,- \% The men working .on the 'wharves will re» ' M fuse to hand!* coal intended to be used Jfor. these purposes. The drivers will refuse to cart, and, if needs be, the sea ; ,'Mjc men will decline to transport it. The*- " committee will, if necessary, approach i r 1 the miners and ask them -to tie up the , ■> : coal supplies of the Dominion. ./J The City Council held an emergency '*jj meeting to-night, and, after deliberations • f* of two and .a-half hours the Mayor stated \ c-slj there was nothing to to Jj the press, except that the whole matter ( 'M would be discussed by the Tramways ' 'J Committee at 10 o'clock to-morrow mora- 3 ing. , v «?

HELP FROM CHRISTCHURCH. % Christchurch, Last Night. "2 The secretary of the Christchurch ' '"* Tramway Union state's that there is no '( foundation for the statement that the 's union here will give £2OO to assist-the' "~'i Wellington men. The matter has not so far been considered by the local union. £ It will no doubt be discussed at a meet- ""* ing to be held on Friday night. AUCKLAND LABOR ATTITUDE. '" •'{ v Auckland, Last Night. L r i The secretary of the Auckland Tram- * ways Union (Mr. Rosser) states that the local tramwaymen are not likelv io c«rae / ','. out in sympathy with the Wellington &' men unless the Fedeialion of Labor takesT 'J* the Wellington men's affairs in hand > "»& and acts for them. It is probably in the ■* Jj event of financial aid being required by the Wellington strikers, that it forthcoming from the Awskfond, SfS^ftV^SmH