AUSTRALIAN SHIPPING STRIKE.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 August 1919, Page 5

AUSTRALIAN SHIPPING STRIKE.

MASS MEETING, OF-SEAMEN. TO CONSIDER TERMS OF SETTLEMENT. 1 By Tel«sraph.t-Pre»s Asm,—Copyrljht Received Aug. 12, 9,15 p in. Melbourne, Aug. 12. After a meeting of the federal council of the Seamen's Union the'president announced that the council had decided upon concrete action and had called a mass meeting of Beamen f#r Wednesday morning. It is believed the council intends to submit the terms cf settlement agreed to by the recent inter-State conference. —Aub. N.Z. Cable Assoc. SETTLEMENT NOT YET IN SIGHT. • Melbourne, Aug. 12. Senator Millen announced that there were no aignß of the settlement of the strike. The Government adheres to its original proposals. There is evidence of a split in the ranks of the unionists, one section favoring a compromise. - Sydney, Aug. 12. An the articles of the Niagara's crew expire here the vessel's departure is postponed indefinitely. . CITIES WITHOUT COAL. SYDNEY'S FORTUNATE POSITION. Sydney, July 28.The seamen's strike has been a tremendous handicap on commerce' and industry, particularly in Victoria' ttnd South Australia, and there will be a sigl| of relief when the idle fleet now' in every harbour begins to get up ateafii, and the factory wheels revolve again. The strike started in March in Brisbane. It was confined to Brisbane for two months. The men there wanted increased pay on account of the epidemic, and a'general revision of their conditions. No one took much notice, but apparently undercurrents were running, for on May 19 the seamen suddenly extended the trouble to Melbourne, and Sydney joined in four days'later. 89fore the end of the mofith all the Stat;? were affected. Six thousand men from the ships were out of work directly, and tens of thousands of others were indirectly affected, conditions in the latter respect getting worse as time went on.

Melbourne and Adelaide, in the depth of winter, are almost without coal. Their supplies come by sea from New South Wales—the different gauges maks rail transport very difficult—and th« strike has deprived them of light,'heat, and ppwer, Melbourne trams do not run after 7 p.m.. and. Adelaide's run only in the morning and afternoon. The people in houses and business establishments, being without fires or heaters, are patiently shivering. Supplies of gag for cooking are under the severest restrictions. Hot meals and hot baths are a luxury. Factories have closed down in all directions, and thousands of unfortunates rrre unemployed. Sydney is in a better position; in fact, except, for the idleness of the-, coastal fleet, there is nntlung here' to show that a strike is on. Sydney can : g»fc the indispensable coal from field* new at hand. The only people suffering from the strike 'are the strikers themselves, and, judging by the response to appeals for monetary help, there is not much sympathy with thsm. The great Was of people are qui to quiet and peaceful and non-revolution-ary. They ask for nothing better, than that the country be allowed to get on with its business in peace, and there i,v a great and growing resentment that everybody should suffer because irresponsible extremists like to lead labour blindly off on these foolish and purposeleas adventures.*