AUSTRALIAN STRIKE.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 September 1917, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN STRIKE.

ENDING THE TROUBLE. RAILWAY AN©' 1 TRAMWAY MEN TO RESUME. ■ J' -(■■■,*' ft ' fable Association; Sept. 10, 8.85 p.m. iV Sydney, Sept. 10. Strike Committee unanimously dfWed to instruct the .railway ! ami tt«Jntv%« employees to rogufeil **or| oh Tuesday morning. So far, the :Ai)straiian IhigiWeers and .Blacksmiths/ tlfe Amalgamated Engineers,, ahd.ihe ATnttgamated ' Engine-drivers and" Cleans have accepted the decision. . Other tional unions are considering their attitude. . V't

EXCITING INCIDENTS. FIREARMS 'USED. . STRIKES SPREAD EVERYWHERE. Serious dislocation. . GOVERNMENT'S FIRM ACTION. By Telegraph.—Press Association. r , . , Wellington, Sept. 10. opeeial news of the. Australian strike received here gives indications of the seriousness of and shows tnat the strike has on occasions led to resort to physical violence. Industry in New South Wales is, to a large extent, paralysed, and Victoria is seriously aifected. It i s stated that no estimate can be made of the number of men idle in New South Wales, but it is reckoned that it must reach at least six figures. In Victoria from 13,000 to 20 - •'1)00 workers are out. '

. The New South Wales workers whollv ■affected are railway and tramway-men, wharf laborers, miners and seamen. Those partially affected are carters, butchers, gas workers, and many others. These men are partially affected owing to the workers' refusal to handle ''black" goods.

Uiere are 5000 volunteer workers in ramp on the Sydney cricket ground, there is a case of a striker who attacked a volunteer worker being shot dead. T-his arose out of a violent affair in ■Bridge Road, Camperdown, and in the struggle that ensued two )f the strikers were-shot, one fatally. Reginald James Werne and Charles Thorpe, both volunteer workers, were making their return journey after having discharged a load of foodstuffs for the troops at the front. A number of men assailed' them and called out insulting remarks. Several of the assailants jumped on the wagon and Thorpe was knocked from his seat. Werne stopped his horses and rushed to Thorpe's assistance. He drew his revolver and held the crowd off. Stone-throw-ing commenced, nd VVerne fired at,the legs of one man and wounded him. Another man knocked Weni' l . down and they struggled on t?,e ground. Werno again fired his revolver, and his opponent collapsed; shot through the heart. A railway fireman on the Illawarra line .was shot, on August 27. The train was travelling fast at the time of the shooting, and was nearing Coledale. The engine-driver heard two allots, and at the same time Green, the fireman, said he had been hit. At the hospital it was lound that he was suffering from a 'bullet wound in the forearm and one in tho chest. He will recover.

At the Silvertoi Tminwa, Company's premises at 'Broken Hill some plugs of gelignite, detonators and fuse were discovered in a comer of one of the buildings. The charge "lad apparently l)een laid ready for firing. A number of men have been charged nt Broken Hill with disorderly conduct. A mob of 500 or more went to the North Mine, drew the fires from the boilers and so stopped the pumps. Arrests have been made, and the accused persons are on remand.

STEADY STREAM 01? VOUJNTEERS. News from Sydney dated September 5 states that the strike situation, compared with a week ago, is practically unchanged. Over 5000 rail and trammer in ow iSouth Wales have gone back to •work, but several hundreds of gasworks •employees have joined the strikers. Volunteers have -been coming into the city in a steady stream and the great public services are being re-established in a most satisfactory manner. There lias been a certain amount of disorder during the week, but no collision on a large scale between the forces of law and the strikers.

A volunteer, attacked by strike pickets, shot one man dead and seriously wounded another. Shots have been fired in different places' at volunteers and attempts have been made to ;wreek trains and destroy bridges. Generally speaking, there, has been a surprising lack of disorder, considering the extent of the disaffection and the extreme bitterness existing between great bodies of men. ' -

Tlie end. of lie strike lias , been (predicted almost daily for the < past two week 3. There have been several attempts at mediation, the most recent by the Lord Mayor, and the men's terms, as announced by him, show that the strikers will go back to work unconditionally, except that they must all get their jobs back, but the Government demands an absolutely unconditional surrender. It says it must protect the men who have come to its aid and filled the strikers' positions, but, that done, it will not foe ungenerous. As the question of "victimisation" is all that- remains outstanding betweeen the parties the collapse of the strike may come at any 1. ment.

Industrial activity in New South Wales is partially paralysed, but. not hopelessly so. Victoria is seriously, aiul South Australia, West Australia, and Queensland slightly affected.

New South Wales trades which are wholly affect.d, o:wing to their employees having been formally called out, arc the railwaymen and tram-men, all the wharf laborers, all tho miners, all tlie seamen, while carters, butchers, gasworks employees, and a great number of .other unionists report that many of their numbers are idle owing to the refusal to handlo "black" goods. Employers are treating the latter exactly as they are treating the men formally called out on strike. The number of men idle in New South Wales is incalculable, but it must run late sis fluuMji.

It is reckoned that there are front ' 15,000 to 20,000 workers on strike hi j Victoria. Tlio affected indnstiifs ara wharf laborers, confectioners, employe eea in coal mines, carters and drfvere, matchmakers, seamen and tanners*'[ Tho greater iniinbei" of these men QSlHtxi work because ■ they would not . "black" goods from New South railways. i W The men chiefly affected 'in the jjtherl . States, mostly in the port townil mt| wharf laborers and seamen. -, || : The, iosses: are colossal. alt; 'is nloulated that in Sew South Wales Mtons \ the wages lost by unionists total |§oo,0(!0 a week. ''"Stores of little faewjries, ip conseqdenea pf the satiojy'ljiave Jfa|L to am fbe weekly 'ivages lost is-,iprobafoly fearer £soo,ool),'and,j,bis estimate is bonoJ outp by the weekly bank clearances. Ms . ; The effect of the strike upon thdjjrailrf , way arid tramway revenue is showft by. the official returns for August compared with last year: The tramway receipts decreased by £87,056, and the railway 1 receipts by £116,330, a total of

_ FURTHER DETAILS. ifjT TRADES HALL' RAIDED; T# _ Wellington, Last NigWL V The following are additional strike /", items intended as cables by the AssoeU* ' tion's Sydney office, but were by mail:— On August 20, Ivavanagh, Thompson, ■ and Willis were remanded on £'2oo toll each. The Defence Committeo declared ' that after these arrests only the Bteel : men would continue to strike. The police raided tlie Trades Hall and seized all tho > books and money collected for the relief * of the strikers. The Newcastle Defence ; Committee parsed a resolution in favor ; of a general strike embracing the whole ; of the Commonwealth. Mr. Fuller an- *. nounced that there were sufficient vohin- ' leers, and no more were wanted. 6oun- ' scl, on behalf of the Railway CommisV % sioners, applied for the recision of the awards relative to the striking railway and tramway unions. He disclaimed any • intention to reduce wages or attack tho unions, and only desired to bring home to the men that they must not allow themselves to be led into a conflict with, the law. The hearing was adjourned. 'BROKEN HIIJL JtINERS STRIKE. The Broken Hill miners struck, and [decided not to resume till the Sydney * strike leaders were released, also to pay ." no rent during the currency of tho j strike. Seven thousand men were rett- ■ dered idle. The coal minors, angered; at , ; the Government's action, declared there n'.ould be no settlement as far a 9 they; 1 " were concerned until legislation permit* ; ting free labo| was repealed. Three hundred employees of the Co- ■'> lonial Sugar Refiiiery struck oVer the question of their award. Commissioner Eraser, at their request, addressed ISOO of his ex-employees, and endeavored to '? prove they were being misled on the . strength of suspicions only, and solemnly i 1 promised there was no intention to In-. \'i troducc the Taylor or any other bad American card system, or to speed 'up. , - He reiterated the previous promises andv disclaimed victimisation. Further c'oa« ' ferences between the strike committee 1 ;:nd Mr. Fraser proved futile. f WORKING THE WHARVES. V '

On August 21 over 2000 volunteers; .were working at the wharves and else* where, and a meeting of the Merchant ,*< Service Guild of Australasia decided'to ■■'.■ assist the Government in any capacity. A good number of coastal steamers are now running. There is p. butter famina and a shortage of sugai- and salt, fheae u are tho chief disabilities, otherwise conditions in the city are now largely normal. Over 2000 tram and railway mem ' have resumed, while the places of 1000 l , oihers are filled hy volunteer?. Tho sur« facemen and others who were keeping the coalmines in order have been called out, and the proprietors have taiken steps to prevent the flooding of the pits. Titer - Commonwealth has taken control of &U available coal. ' ' August 22. —The miners refused thq - ultimatum to return to work, and tho 1 Government- has issued a proclamation taking possession of all coalmines on bg* < half of the State. The Broken Hill Labor Council ciUodj a general strike in the Barrier district; A deputation from the Melbourne Trades Hall Council asked fat Federal int tervention jn the strike. Mr. ' after consulting with the New South 1 • Wales Attorney-General, stated that New South Wales Government ed itself capable' of dealing with the ' strike and did not desire intervention, therefore, as /both parties did not desirej, It, ho could not intervene. 1 August 23. —The Industrial Court can- ■ • celled tho registration of the Railway; and Tramway Unions involved in the strike. The brick companies in tho > metropolitan area are closing, owing to ! want of fuel. Already number's of ,pub-. ' lie works and factoriet have 'been closed,- . adding considerably to the unemployed.' j August 24'.—The use of gas" in shops, restaurants, hotels, and boardiug-hoiisea is prohibited, including those which re-, tnaincd loyal and the returnees. Over, •20,000. men are now working the rail- ; ; ways and tramways. The Legislative Assembly, without debate, negatived a motion by the leader of the Opposition censuring the Government in conneotion t. 1 with the strike, by 40 to 23. Mr. Fuller, in replying, said a number of indireob overtures regarding a settlement had. ■' been emphatically refused. Further ne- - gotiatioria took place with the strike ' Committees, which are described a% / illegal bodies. A SERIOUS DISTiKRBANCE.

The first serious disturbance during strike at Broken Hill occurred to-day. Large drafts of South Australian and other police went tlvither, and the crowd attempted to rescue a prisoner. There' was a raid on the police station, and the . police charged with 'batons, scattered the crowd, and arrested nine persons. Other crowds visited some of the mines, the fires, and forcibly removed the eni gineer. ' , RELIEF MEASURES. The continued arrival of volunteers in Sydney necessitated the forming of move camps. Hundreds ,of women are offering their services in any capacity, A fleet of colliers, with scratch Crews; is bringing coal for urgent requirements.. Afogust "25.—Meetings of eolliers and proprietors endorsed the {Jovcramont taking possession of the mines. The . " railways are so greatly improved that the Commissioners were yesterday able to give an hourly service'up to 11 p.m. on the suburban lines. Another bomb " dropped in the strike leaders' camp \»\en 1 Mr. Buckley, a member of the Assembly, who has taken,.a proyuinent part in strike matters, \l'as arrested on charges of conspiracy and sedition. He .van released on bail in the sain of £i('U. r The president of the - (Cfcatinwi a turn